Filing it away – Evaluating file backup software – Part 4
Quick links for file backup software review:-
Overview of the contenders
Making Backups
Test 1 – Windows 7 1GB data
Test 2 – Windows 7 1GB data restored
Test 3 – Windows XP 7.56GB data
Test 4 – Windows XP 7.56GB data restored
Features at a glance
Conclusions
Comment on this article
Finally we deleted our original copy of the data and restored from the backups we just made, performing a CRC check on the data to make sure it was all present and correct:-
| Program | Time (mm:ss) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acronis True Image 2010 | 03:02 | ||
| Cobian Backup 9 | N/A | Not supported – see below | |
| Genie Backup Manager Professional 8 | 03:40 | ||
| Oops Backup | 03:22 |
No time is given for Cobian Backup again, since it does not directly support restoring files from a backup.
Other features
Here you can see at a glance the other useful features the packages offer. Some of the packages actually offer disaster recovery options that let you restore your computer in the event of a partial or total hard drive failure. Acronis True Image has full disaster recovery options since it includes full disk backup tools.
| Feature | Acronis | Cobian | Genie Backup | Oops | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disaster Recovery | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| Encryption | Yes (AES) | Yes (Various types) | Yes (AES) | No | |
| Plugins | Yes (few) | No | Yes (many) | No |
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.
| Media | Acronis | Cobian | Genie Backup | Oops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard drive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Network | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DVD | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Blu-ray | Yes | No | No | No |
| Tape | No | No | Yes | No |
| Online | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Obviously media like blu-ray and DVD isn’t suitable for the kind of frequent backup that the time capsule backup packages require. Both Genie Backup Manager and Acronis directly support their own online backup services. For those wanting to use another service there are guides on the internet for the more popular online backup providers.
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