14 DAY TRIAL // Taking care of your computer will inevitably result in a better protection of the stored files and thus you will "benefit" from fewer unpleasant surprises. The methods for taking care of Windows in order for it to function at proper parameters are quite a few and registry cleaners, memory optimizers, anti-malware software or defragmentation tools are the ones to be employed for a better performance of your computer.
But making your computer run better will not save you from the hassle of recovering accidentally deleted files. For this matter, there is a myriad of backup tools ready to help you. If a couple of years ago the monopole was in the hands of just a few players, now the solutions are everywhere. Even Microsoft took the problem seriously and introduced in Vista OS a file backup option.
However, as not all Vistas are equipped with this instrument, you should consider appealing to a third party application in order to safeguard the important files. The advantage of using a dedicated backup software over a simple copy into a different location is that the data is protected against malware attacks and the shield is almost impenetrable (each backup application brings its native extension to the backup file).
Uniblue's WinBackup is a $69.95 solution for safekeeping your important files. The 30 days trial period should not create any problems, as the application is fully functional and there is no other restriction except for that of time.
The intuitive interface will allow you to easily create backups of your files and restore them. The effort is minimum as the wizard-like process will take you to the next process. If you are an experimented user or if you want to create a temporary you can skip some of the wizard steps directly to the backup operation.
To make your job even easier, the software comes with stupendous help embodied in the Welcome Screen at the deployment of the application, the Help file accessible at pressing F1 keyboard shortcut and a 161 PDF manual explaining every aspect of the software. This way, there is absolutely no chance to have a question unanswered. Besides all this inspiration in using the program, you are also provided step-by-step assistance through the tips in the left hand side panel.
Although WinBackup will not create disk images to be used after a system crash, it comes in handy when you want to automatically backup some of your files as you work with them. All the backup jobs can be configured to be incremental (i.e. they will be automatically backed up at a user defined time interval).
Flexible enough to take care of all the aspects concerning a file backup, WinBackup allows the user to set the software to do a bit-level verification of the resulting file. This way you can check on the consistency of the backup with the actual files on your computer.
If you decide to store the file to a media device like a RW-CD/DVD, you can automatically perform an erase of the media before the backup is written to it. No need for a separate burning device as WinBackup will substitute it with no trouble at all.
The three compression levels available let you decide on the space you want the backup file to take on the disk. The downside is that you are not given any compression percentage so that you can make an idea on the gained space. All you have are the Low, Medium and High compression levels to guide you.
Security also spreads on three levels (Low, Medium and High). If Low level of security will not encrypt your data but merely protect it with a password, Medium and High levels will encode the file with AES 128-bit and AES 256-bit encryption algorithm. So it should be safe.
The difference between the Standard and Professional editions of the software, besides the price, is that the latter is equipped with advanced features allowing you to execute scripted actions before and after the backup. The process is as complicated as it is appealing. But with a careful reading of the help file and the manual, you can set the program to shutdown the PC after the backup is complete, close a program when the backup process begins or even start a new application. The great thing is that each backup job lets you add as many actions as you want.
If there is the possibility of an incremental backup then scheduling should not be missing from the menu. The options available for this feature are programming the jobs to be performed daily, weekly or monthly. This way you can ensure that the backups keep the pace with the modifications of the files and you will have the latest version guarded.
When it comes to restoring the files, things are a bit different as there is less hassle. The options made available allow you to restore only some files of the backup and store them in a folder of your choice. There are no additional settings here and the process is quite fast (of course, it all depends on the size of the files).
In order to give you a pervasive look at everything the application has done to your files and how the backup/restore operation ran, you can access the logs. They will give you all the details for the jobs that have been performed (from the type of the job to time and date of the process).
The Good
Extremely easy to use, WinBackup successfully backed up and restored all the files I fed it. Speed is to be taken into consideration and the application will not waste your time (during testing a 23GB backup was completed in almost 75 minutes).
The action script function comes in very handy once you learned its secrets. It allows you apply all sort of events both before and after a backup process is finished.
The Shortcuts to backing up the files for applications like Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, Mozilla Firefox, Opera or Internet Explorer only add to its value. This way, the hassle of digging deep in the Documents and Settings folder is substituted with a more elegant and comfortable alternative.
The Bad
Price is the only nag here. $69.95 for a software that is slightly different from similar ones is a bit too much for me. The truth is that it is the only one I have met to possess scripting capabilities, but still, I think the money is a little too much.
Also, it is not yet equipped for Windows Mail in Vista or for Mozilla Thunderbird. These too are a constant part of the present computer environment and should not be neglected at all.
The Truth
Its functionality and utility are unquestionable and the minor aspects it does not cover will not diminish by much its value. In Windows Mail you can very simply save the contacts list and the messages and for Thunderbird there is MozBackup that does a very good job and it is free. However, many users would feel better if such options would be included.
All in all, the software behaved beautifully and created no problems. It is stable and reliable. More than this, it comes with scripting functions that allow you to control the behavior of other products installed on the computer, before and after the backup process.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
