Top backing up Softwares
Backing up has never been easier with these top 5 backup softwares. You wouldn’t have to worry about losing your data if your computer were to crush and burn, corrupted by viruses or in any other way if you have had a back-up!
Uniblue Winbackup 2.0 Standard
Despite being a good provider of easy backup, it doesn’t have any disaster recovery features and it also costs you some extra money to back up your open files.
Uniblue WinBackup 2.0 Standard has a great interface that strike a balance between the ease of its use with its back up power. You can very easily use any of the back up processes simply by using the serialized buttons placed at the top of the main window and they also allow you to continue your work, without any hindrance to your speed. There are easy to apply shortcuts that instantly back up the data and the settings of several common applications like, Firefox, Opera, internet Explorer and Outlook Express. But if you are going to use the Windows’ 120-dpi/large-font mode, you will find the bitmaps overlapping over each other and not spaced correctly, otherwise responsible for giving the friendly look to the interface.
This software is going to cost you only $50 as of May 25, 2006, which has included a very good way of making its user understand everything by incorporating a flash tutorial, instead of using the traditional text format of the Help section. But there are some problems with the interface that could be eliminated by the use of Uniblue like, it is necessary to type the extension of the common files in order to utilize the feature of filtering files and the files split sizes.
When I tested the 2.1.2 version of WinBackup software, I found it to be sound in every aspect of its performance except a few. It sopped responding while backing up some data on to a rewritable DVD, which was already containing some other backed up data. When I used it to copy the Windows installation on to a storage unit available on the net, it took a lot more time than the time a normal copying of the same size of data would take. But this flaw could be very easily eradicated with the use of another add on to the software, called Open File Manager, that would cost you another $40. Without this add-on package, this software took more than the usual time while operating on the open files. But after adding the OFM package, it worked in the same way in which it was expected to work.
The online support of the Uniblue and the documentation of the WinBackup are doing a great job and it becomes all the more necessary when it is not possible to provide any customer support via telephone line by the company, as there is no free telephone support in Malta where the Company is located. Still, a number can be found listed for the customer support in the documentation of the software.
Despite being a good back up software, Winbackup is not a best choice to make, due to its lack of capability to back up the open files without inclusion of another $40 worth of add-on package, Open file Manager. It also failed on terms of disaster recovery. Moreover, the program has removed any support for the tape drives as well as for the differential backup. Besides the standard edition’s 128-bit package, Uniblue has also released another version called Professional version with the heavier-duty 256-bit AES encryption that is available at the cost of $70 as of may 25, 2206.
Download Uniblue Winbackup 2.0 Standard
Dantz EMC Retrospect FOR Windows Professional Edition
This software has a lot of good features to offer, but has an interface, so complex, that it is better to say that this software has been created keeping in mind the requirements of the IS professionals only.
EMC Retrospect 7.5 is quite a good contender of claiming the top rank in its league as far as its power & automation is concerned. It has several features like, scripting, vast array of networking, as well as enterprise, that will make the IS professionals feel good about it. But the same can not be said about an average user, as it is somewhat more complex for them to understand.
The program is more or less the same to its previous version 7.0. But now it has included some very friendly wizards that makes it clear to you about how to progress through the backup process and in the meanwhile how to keep restoring the system. It comes at a cost of $119, according to the information collected as of May 25, 2006. There are several features still included in this version that were already available in its previous versions like, concepts, arcane language and several procedures, e.g., choosing a particular folder or a file from the Preview pane. I was expecting this version to be an upgraded version which will contain a user-friendly interface, just like the one used in Retrospect HD by the company, which is distributed essentially along with the Maxtor’s OneTouch III. But, it couldn’t stand up to my expectations and even a technical expert has to take help from the manual in order to operate the interface more skillfully.
If you are concerned about the speed, then you will be glad to notice that the features of disaster recovery and the support for a large collection of media (e.g., magneto-optical disk, Iomega’s Rev, tape etc.) in EMC Retrospect is quite impressive. But I become disappointed a little by not finding any support for the Blue-ray Disc. It is almost not possible to get an upgrade of EMC without spending a lot of money and it is also not clear that a user can get an upgraded version of it, which will definitely include the support for Blue-ray Disc. It also got lost some of its points due to two non-fatal operational glitches. First one was that its restore pane also included the files, which were not asked to be backed up and the second one was that despite repeated attempts of asking it to overwrite the existing files, it never did so.
At last, it can be concluded that EMC Retrospect 7.5 is not for an average user as an average user can very easily find some more suitable backup software at comparatively less cost. But this software will prove to be very useful for the IS staffs and for the people involved in small businesses and ventures, which are highly depended on the Internet.
Genie-Soft Genie Backup Pro 7
It includes some great features along with a media support. But its easy to use package gets limited on the terms of its disaster recovery tool.
Genie Backup Manager Pro 7.0 Genie-Soft is a good software package, which has improved the visual details and included the disaster recovery feature. Perhaps, it has acquired a place higher, than that of its previous version, in our ranking of backup softwares. Some of the features that appealed to me were its power and easy to use interface. Its Swift restore feature has been provided the capability to create on its own a self executable restore file, which is a very fine way of transferring files from one computer to another.
There are two modes of interface in GBM Pro, which costs $70 as of May 25, 2006. The two interfaces are normal and simple. The former mode of interface helps in accessing the advanced features as well as providing standard restore and backup panes in a serialized format for an easy use. The later mode of interface has no tools or any advanced options, but has a more sophisticated look and wizard based workflow, comparable to the first mode of interface. GBM Pro also hosts numerous Agents, whose works include backing up of the common data & settings of the popular applications like, Outlook, Outlook Express, SQL Servers and Microsoft’s Exchange.
Genie uses the standard .zip files for saving the backups instead of using the schemes of proprietary compression, which are widely used by other backup softwares listed in our chart. This difference from the other back up softwares, gives it an advantage on the terms of the universality of the .zip file which helps in the Swift Restore functionality. But if .zip file is not the one which is used by the GBM Pro for backing up the data, then it uses the native file backups, which can be accessed without any help from the program. Although, the backups created using native files are not much reliable in terms of security, yet it is quite useful due to its ability to be restored by the use of Windows Explorer itself. GBM Pro has the ability to allow you to choose, if you want to encrypt the native backups or not. But you will again need the help of the program for the restoring of those native backups.
Open files can only be backed up by the GBM Pro, once you have installed an optional add-on package, called File Access Manager, which will cost $40 when bought separately and $25 when bought along with the main program. This add-on package works perfectly fine, but the two of its rivals, NovaBackup 7.3 & BackUp MyPC Deluxe 2006, provides the same feature absolutely free.
I have tested Genie Backup Manager Pro for all aspects and it passed in all of the tests convincingly. It also supports a lot of different media formats like, several tape drives, Blue-ray Disc and CD/DVD. The only flaw I could find in GBM Pro is its wrong colored folders in the selection tree.
Roxio Backup Mypc
BackUp MyPC is a very efficient backup program and that even without having to incorporate any changes form its very first version.
This time the Sonic BackUp MyPC 6.0 Deluxe Suite has been presented as the Roxio BackUp MyPC Deluxe 2006 after Sonic Solutions acquired the Roxio in late 2004. But it still looks very great under its price of $50 as of May 25, 2006.
Although, the latest form of BackUp MyPC is very easy to handle and is competent too, but there are certain features where it is lacking behind the other programs of same genre. As for some example, the huge FAT32 divider can’t be handled with this software’s disaster recovery feature and there is the need of floppy disks in order to back up the files. There are certain features that are conspicuous by their absence like, native file backup support for the Blue-ray Disc, which can be easily found in most of the other contemporary backup softwares.
When I went through the readme file of BackUp MyPC, I was amazed to see that it still shows its version as 6.0.0, which is the indication of no change at all from its last year’s version. The spokesman for Roxio, vindicated this thought by saying that BackUp MyPC has not experienced any change form its previous version except the change in the name. But he further announced that the next edition would come with the support to Blue-ray Disc, which suggested that the Roxio Company is still working in the direction of modification of the older version of BackUp MyPC.
BackUp MyPC has showed its caliber by performing very well with hard drives, tape, networking drives & rewritable CDs. There is a great feature included in this program and that is its feature to back up the open files too. It is not that other programs (e.g., Uniblue’s WinBackup & Genie-Soft’s Genie Backup Manager) doesn’t support the back up of the open files, but you need to spend some extra cash in order to buy the add-on packages in other programs for backing up the open files and this very feature comes in-built with BackUp MyPC.
Sonic added some other applications to BackUp MyPC to make it more attractive like Express Labeler disc-labeling application & RecordNow CD/DVD mastering software. But these applications are not meant for any backup purpose. These two applications should not be confused for the Roxio’s own Easy Media Creator or the Nero’s Burning ROM. Spotzilla is another added application, which could be used to decrease spyware & pop-ups greatly.
Although, there is no modification at all from its previous version, BackUp MyPC Deluxe 2006, got the second place in our ranking of backup softwares. Now, we are just hoping that Roxio doesn’t backtrack from its announcement of adding the compatibility with Blue-ray Disc and the native file backup in this classic backup software.
Novastor Novabackup Professional Edition for Tape Disk & CD/DVD
This program has everything to offer from price to features, media support to ease of use and its upcoming version also seems to be offering new exciting features.
We have found the Novastor’s NovaBackup 7.3 excelling all the other backup softwares, we have tested for this year. It is not that it has acquired the top rank in our chart for nothing. It is being introduced with a lower price of $50 as of May 5, 2006 with an exciting set of new features that are also very easy to use and operate. Its interface has got all the qualities of the old-school sophistication as well as the wizard-based simplicity. There are hand-holding features that help in understanding every single application of NovaBackup 7.3 and once you get adept at using those applications, you can very easily create your desired backup by utilizing the logical layout of the program and its workflow.
NovaBackup 7.3 can be used to backup all kinds of data and to restore all types of settings from common optical media, hard drives, Iomega’s Rev and several kinds of tape drives too. Its next version (7.5) is going to include the support for the Blue-ray Disc as well as the removable hard-drive system of Quantum’s GoVault, which is slated to be released in July with an upgrade price tag of $30. This next update is also going to include the native file copy, which is required for the users who are hooked to Windows Explorer for browsing their backups as well as restore files. Hence, these kinds of users will certainly appreciate this modification in NovaBackup. But, it will be more beneficial if you could afford to wait for the release of the updated version of NovaBackup, as this will save you the money, you will required to spend for upgrading the current version of NovaBackup.
NovaBackup can create the bootable optical media for the disaster recovery and also supports the virus scanning. Another great benefit of using NovaBackup 7.3 is that, with this backup software there is no need to purchase any other add-on package in order to backup the open files, as is required in Genie Backup Pro Edition & WinBackup 2.0 Standard. There is also the need of a costly add-on package for the open file’s backup in two other programs, we have tested.
Whatever type of data we gave for backup under NovaBackup, they got backed up fine. In addition, this software has also passed the entire test we put it into and that is why it is at number one spot in our backup software’s chart. There is a precaution that every user of NovaBackup 7.3 should follow: it is recommended that the users should uninstall the previous licensed versions of NovaBackup like, Stompsoft’s PC Backup 2006. Otherwise, it can create some problem while backing up the data.