Protects, restores - Problem is solved
Written: Apr 17 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very user-friendly
Cons: Costs much more than the Win 9x/ME version
The Bottom Line: The modest cost for back-up software, such as Backup NOW, seems like good insurance to me.
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| ozgamer's Full Review: Newtech Backup NOW! Full Version for PC |
Many of the current crop of computers have Read/Write, CD-ROM drives (CD-RW) installed either as options or as standard equipment. Given the advances made in CD-RW technology, CD-RWs have almost replaced the 3.5 inch floppy drives. These will then fade into history as have their 5.25 inch predecessors.
Because a CD can hold many times the amount of data as a floppy disk it makes sense to consider using them as serious back-up devices. But three hurdles need to be overcome.
First, price, but this is no longer a problem because CD-RW drives have now dropped to ridiculously affordable levels.
Next, re-useable CDs were a rare luxury. They are now fast becoming the de facto standard, and suitable back-up software needed to be written to exploit RW technology.
The last hurdle has been cleared with the release of Backup NOW! (BN) from US-based NewTech Infosystems.
BN is best described as a back-up and store solution that uses CDRW drives as the storage medium. A key to its success is the on-the-fly compression which basically doubles the storage capacity of each CD. The operating interface is similar to the Windows Explorer display. Step buttons guide you through three basic decisions you make: what, where and how will you back up
Step one helps determine exactly what will be: backed up, compared or restored. We're talking here about files, folders or even complete drives.
Step two defines the target destination for the source decided in the first step and step three defines how to back up or restore that source data. Once daily, weekly or monthly are the options for the in-built automatic scheduler. These options make it easier to use the widely used grandfather-father-son approach to saving your files.
You must decide the back-up method to use - drive image or file level. The former creates an image (a sort of snapshot) and is more suitable for a total disk back-up or to make an exact duplicate of the source drive. You'd use the latter option for scheduled events, for backing specific files or folders and so on. And for backing/restoring the Windows Registry file you can use either method. But what if there's too much data to fit on to one disc?
Relax - NewTech has provided a Media Rotation feature. This lets you back up unlimited data on multiple CDs. The process is automatically halted and you are asked to remove the CD, label it and insert the next blank one to continue the back-up until completed. Automatic speed control adjusts to the maximum operating speed of your drive.
Fine, you might say, but what about reliability? Not much use backing up all your data if a back-up disc is corrupted and compromises the Restore function.
As part of the back-up process Data Comparison verifies source and destination data to ensure accuracy and reliability. An Error Recovery routine automatically fixes minor writing errors during back-up. Such errors are normal. As we know, no aspect of human endeavor is perfect.
Restoration can be carried out via BN's on-screen interface, assuming your system is healthy enough to let you access your hard drive to run the application. What of those magic moments when you suddenly can't boot from your hard drive to access its contents because of virus attack, a scrambled registry or file corruption?
BN's Emergency Recovery Wizard helps you create a bootable emergency recovery floppy disk or bootable CD. With this you can then fully restore your hard drive if file corruption was the problem. Of course, mechanical failure is a problem quite beyond the scope of BN.
Keen types may also back up from the DOS command line, assuming DOS is still part of their operating system.
My only major irritation was with the tiny print used in the manual. It's two small to read comfortably and one wonders why NTI went to the expense of producing the hard copy in the first place. At least the on-disc manual is more user friendly. Coming from someone who normally loathes using electronic manuals that's some admission.
If you've used back-up software before you'll find BN quite intuitive. If all else fails use the step-by-step guidance offered by the free tutorial, Backup For Beginners. Finally, you must decide what price do you put on your data. In terms of permanent loss or only partial recovery it's probably priceless.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ozgamer
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Member: Setzer
Reviews written: 60
Trusted by: 23 members
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