Windows Backup Software Review - 'Bare Metal Showdown 2' - Part 5

Features at a glance

Before we wrap up our disk backup software review, let's take a look at some of the other features the programs offer, starting with the rescue CD's. The rescue CD's that each of the packages can create have different features, some let you backup and restore from within the rescue environment, others are more basic. All the rescue CD's will allow you to restore from a disk image, of course.

Rescue disk features

Supported Media

To create a backup, you will need somewhere to back up to. Each package supports different backup media. For more information on backup media, see our guide to choosing backup media.

Other features

Here you can see at a glance the other useful features the packages offer. Note that we did not test the incremental imaging capabilities on any of the packages.

Although Norton Ghost does not provide a direct file level backup utility or the ability to mount an image file, it does allow backups (restore points as it calls them) to be easily searched and files and folders can be restored quickly from them.

Conclusions

What continues to surprise us when we carry out these tests is just how often many of the full disk backup programs available on the market do fail in their tasks. The only two packages that consistently produced working backups without unexplained errors or crashes were Nero BackItUp and Acronis True Image 2010.

The most disappointing package was Paragon Drive Backup 10. Our experience with the software was damningly poor, failing on two occasions to even make a backup at all. Norton Ghost was similarly unimpressive, though crash free the programs interface is so confusing we are still not sure if its consistent failure to produce a bootable drive is down to a software problem or simply a setting we did not configure correctly.

Easus Todo Backup performed pretty well for a free program, failing only in our very last test which is a shame. We intend to decrypt the XP installation we used in our last test and try Todo backup again, to ascertain if the failure was due to an incompatibility with Truecrypt.

Nero BackItUp is a robust program that clearly has a good drive imaging technology. It is let down by both its lack of features and GUI problems (lack of information) when restoring a backup image. Yes you can work around these problems but why should you have to?

That just leaves Acronis True Image 2010. We are very impressed with this product. Clearly Acronis has spent considerable time improving and overhauling True Image for this edition. The result is a backup package that not only caters for virtually every backup need but can be relied on for every backup need. This is truly a remarkable turnaround and we now have no hesitation crowning True Image 2010 the king of the full disk backup packages. All hail the comeback kid.

To find out more about the backup programs we reviewed, or to purchase a copy, support our site and use the links below (prices correct as of 3rd March 2010):-

Acronis True Image 2010 ($49.99/E49.95/£39.95)
Easus Todo Backup 1.1 (Free)
Nero Backitup & Burn ($39.99/E39.99/£29.99)
Norton Ghost 15 ($69.99/E69.99/£39.99)
Paragon Drive Backup 10 Professional ($49.95/£42.95)

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