Having the same resultful effort in your endeavors as on any computer you work on, a sense requires a certain level of rigging it up, at least on a temporary basis, till your job is done there. For this to happen in some cases, you need the files on the desktop, the settings in your personal Firefox or IE. Not to mention that desktop customization could take you some time.

Given the above mentioned problem, here's a nice looking freebie designed to make backups to some of the most important locations on your computer and allowing you to extract them to any computer you want. Magic Transfer is a simple backup solution that does not work in the traditional way, but sometimes it can prove to be a life saver.

Its options can be used for synchronizing the main settings and information on several computers of constant use for you or simply for creating a backup of a folder of your choice. Magic Transfer sports a beautifully drawn and amazingly simple to use interface that lays all the options to the user with no hidden functions or bells and whistles.

On the right part, there are the predefined areas of the computer you can save the data from while on the left, you get to select the items to be saved. The application can deal with system elements such as desktop shortcuts, Start Menu, QuickLaunch items, Wallpaper mouse settings, keyboard settings or appearance settings; it can save IE settings, cookies, history and favorites, Outlook Express address book, settings, mail folders and accounts as well as Firefox's settings, bookmarks, plugins and extensions. Preset file locations such as //My Documents// or //Recent Documents// folders are also included on the menu, but Magic Transfer proves to be flexible in case the user has his/her own folders to be saved/backed up.

Unfortunately, web browser support is limited to IE and Firefox as Opera or Safari are not included on the list. This comes as a major downside of the application considering that the two left out browsers enjoy plenty of popularity among users.

Once all the items are checked to be included in the backup result, all you have to do is to decide if you want the output to be wrapped up in an executable or not and hit the BackUp button in the lower right hand corner of the application screen. The entire operation will be ready in a matter of seconds.

The bad news is that Magic Transfer won't backup all on the list and in the case of Firefox plugins and extensions, there will be no success although the app clearly alerts the user of the fact that the settings have been saved. During our testing, all we got was an info file containing current date and year. However, backing up the bookmarks recorded a higher rate of success as the app managed to duplicate them all and victoriously restored them on a different computer.

Taking system elements and settings to a different computer may also pose some problems as the software saves the corresponding registry entries. This trick may work in some cases like carrying the same mouse settings to a different system (restart is needed in this case) but you will not be able to transfer the wallpaper from one computer to another, as the file itself is not saved. It also happened multiple times for the application to conk out while backing up data.

For less hassle while restoring data, the program makes available a self-extractor feature that permits users to restore the data without having Magic Transfer installed on the computer. Unfortunately, there are some problems with this additional file as the application will place it at the root of the drive you assigned the storage folder instead of placing it in the backup location.

Its design is simple and straightforward, placing all the options up front for a comprehensive view right from the start. The nature of the job to be accomplished is set right from starting the program as you have to choose whether you need a backup or a restore task and the self-extracting feature for the results definitely makes for a very comfortable option.

Bottom line is that Magic Transfer manages to do a good job in some cases, but fails miserably to accomplish others. It can be used as a backup solution for files and folders (although these will not be protected in any way) as well as for IE and Firefox bookmarks (actually, these are its main advantages).

The Good

Magic Transfer is easy to use and manage and the set of predefined system settings to be dealt with surely comes in handy regardless of the user.

It can backup all bookmarks/favorites in Firefox and Internet Explorer transferring them to a different computer with the utmost ease and least effort from the user.

Users have the possibility of defining themselves the folders to be backed up by the application.

The Bad

Magic Transfer comes with great looks and extraordinary ease of use, but there are problems with carrying some system settings to a different computer. Also, in the case of restoring some system settings to a different machine the targeted system needs a restart for the effect to take place.

None of the backups is protected in any way and this is a major downfall when it comes to safekeeping important folders on the computer.

Support for Opera and Safari would definitely be a step forward.

The Truth

The application is a freebie and although it does not carry out all backup and restore jobs, it is still an asset if you consider transferring some settings to a different computer or restoring a set of Firefox bookmarks or IE favorites to an alternative system.

It is very easy to work with and the design is soothing and comfortable, not posing any problems in managing the application. There is work to be done in order to be in tip top shape but for some of the functions it can very well be used as it is.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:




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