 incl. Acronis Advantage PremierAcronis Advantage PremierAnnual subscription support and maintenance program. Offers access to 24 x 7 support services available via chat, email and phone.
Acronis Advantage Premier customers receive priority support: in the event of a business-critical system error, customers will receive the initial response within one hour. The first year of support service is included with the purchase of any Acronis corporate product. Smart Computing June, 2006
by Tracy Baker
Smart Computing web site
Backup BasicsIt's Time to Protect Yourself & Your Files The days of storing photo negatives,
stacks of videotapes, and multiple copies of important documents are long
past. Now that pretty much everything is digital, you just need to backup data on your PC. Making and storing backups
is easier and less expensive than ever — but only if you know the ropes. There are many types of backup software and hardware to consider that can
help you create and manage your backups. As long as you know a little bit
about the way they work and a little bit about your computer, these
components will help you make the type of backups that suit your needs.
Select Your SoftwareOK, you have made up your mind to backup data stored on your PC and are now trying to select backup software that suits your particular needs. Many programs include a tool that lets users create backup files, and some OSes (operating systems) come with a backup utility, but these tools and
utilities are nothing compared to third-party programs such as Genie Backup
Manager Home ($49.95; www.genie-soft.com ),
Acronis True Image 9.0 Home ($49.99; www.acronis.com ), Symantec's Norton Ghost 10.0 ($69.99; www.symantec.com ), and others. Some backup applications create a copy of your entire hard drive; some are
designed to only back up the files and folders you designate; and some
programs do both. Here, we'll cover the type of backup software that lets
you determine what you want to back up, but you'll also find information
about drive-imaging software in our "Mirror Backups" sidebar on page 52.  Drive-imaging programs, such as Acronis True Image, are designed to make
copies of everything stored on a hard drive. Good backup software lets you schedule recurring backups, so the software
automatically backs up data at the time you specify; better software delays
this process if it detects you are working on the computer, so it doesn't
slow your computer to a crawl just when you need maximum performance. Of the packages that automatically create backups, look for those that
support the various types of backups: a full backup (backs up all files), an
incremental backup (backs up any new and changed files since the last full
backup), or a differential backup (backs up any new and changed files since
the last full or incremental backup). Being able to choose which type of
backup you want not only saves a lot of space, it also saves a lot of time. Also, make sure that the software doesn't use a proprietary format to create
the backup files. When this is the case, only the backup software you used
to create the backup can be used to access the backup files. This
restriction is a major hassle if you plan to access the backup files using
multiple computers or are afraid you won't have the backup software
installed in the future when you need to open the backup files. Instead, look for backup software that saves files in their native format,
which will allow you to simply drag and drop files from the backup location
to another folder on your computer. Another option is to use software that
creates backups as EXE (executable) files, which will automatically open
when you run them on any computer. In addition, the best backup packages can back up far more than just your
files and folders; they also can copy certain parts of Windows so that you
can restore everything-from your Desktop icons to the entire OS-should
disaster strike. Another thing to consider while shopping is the need to find software that
can make backups directly to the type of backup media you want to use. We'll
discuss the differences among various types of media in the following
section.
Media TypesEven though Windows XP's own Backup program can only save backups directly
to a hard drive, most third-party apps can save backups to any type of
storage device. Rewriteable and recordable CDs and DVDs can store data very economically,
plus they make it easy for users to transfer backups from one PC to another,
as long as the other computer has an optical drive that can read the discs.
In comparison, recordable discs are much less expensive than rewriteable
discs, but the information stored on recordable discs is permanently burned
onto them, making it impossible for you to ever edit or rewrite that
information. As long as space is available on recordable discs and the
recording session isn't considered "closed" by the burning software, you can
still add more data to them, but any files already on the discs are set in
stone. Because of these factors, recordable discs are good for archiving
data that you want to store for a very long time and don't plan to make any
changes to, such as digital photos or music files.  Belkin's F5U602 lets you add both USB 2.0 and FireWire ports to your PC
using a single expansion card. Alternatively, rewriteable discs make it possible for you to access the data
stored on them just as you would access data stored on a hard drive. As
such, you're able to overwrite data as necessary and write files to the disc
multiple times. Rewriteable discs are more expensive than recordable discs
and don't store quite as much data because of the special formatting they
require, but those tradeoffs are generally worth the extra flexibility. An extra hard drive is another possibility you should consider when choosing
backup media. Most computers have enough room to accommodate an additional
internal hard drive, which is an extremely economical way to store hundreds
of gigabytes of data. Just make sure any drive you purchase uses the same
interface your computer's motherboard supports before making a purchase. With a little bit of extra cash, you can purchase an external drive that
attaches to the computer using a USB or a FireWire interface. When comparing
external drives, you should only consider those that use USB 2.0 or FireWire
because they are many times faster than the USB 1.0 interface used by some
of the cheapest drives. An external hard drive that uses a NAS (network-attached storage) interface
is more expensive, but it's an incredibly convenient option for those who
have a home network. These drives connect directly to the network instead of
to one computer, letting any computer or other device that's attached to the
network access the drive. This is nice because everyone in the house can
make backups without having to rely on a particular computer, plus most NAS
storage devices can be accessed from any computer with Internet access, so
you can even back up your vacation photos while you're still on vacation.
Compression & EncryptionWhen you see such figures as 800MB printed on a CD case or 4.5GB printed on
a DVD case or 400GB printed on a hard drive package, those numbers tell you
the amount of raw data the discs/drives can store. In reality, most backup programs use compression technology to let you store
up to 10 times that amount of data in the same amount of space. This extra
storage comes with a few drawbacks, though. Compressing and decompressing
data requires a lot of computer resources, so it takes a long time to
compress large or numerous files. It also takes longer to access data stored
in a compressed file than it takes to access data in its native format, so
compression is best used for backups you plan to store for a long time.  Plextor's 400GB PX-EH40L-NA hard drive uses a NAS (network-attached storage)
interface that lets any computer on your home network access it. Encryption is another feature supported by most backup software that encodes
your data so that only someone with the proper password can access the
information. As with compression, encrypting and decrypting data requires a
lot of processing power; even so, we still recommend using encryption if
you're backing up important or personal information (such as emails or
financial data) that you'd rather keep private. Just remember that if you're
storing the data for a long time, there's an increased chance that you'll
forget or lose the required password.
A Solution to Every ProblemSo which backup solution is the best choice for you? That depends on how you
use your computer. If you work with a lot of digital photos and video,
you're better off using an additional hard drive as workspace for editing
that content and then archiving your original and edited files on
inexpensive discs that are easy to label. Telecommuters should consider using offsite backup services that let them
create and access backups from both home and the office, without requiring
them to lug around a lot of hardware. If you plan to frequently access your
backups, use an external hard drive, which lets you open files just as
quickly as you are able to from your primary hard drive and offers plenty of
storage space for storing files, eliminating the need for compression. Regardless of the type of backup software and hardware you choose, the other
articles in this featured section will discuss how to make backups and how
to restore your files when necessary. With prices so low and storage
capacities so huge, it's never been easier or cheaper to buy the peace of
mind that comes with backing up your precious data.
Mirror BackupsBacking up individual files or folders is good, but sometimes you want to go
all out and back up your entire hard drive. In these situations you need
drive-imaging software, such as Acronis True Image 9.0 Home ($49.99; www.acronis.com ) or Symantec's Norton Ghost 10.0
($69.99; www.symantec.com ), with the ability to
copy critical system files even when Windows is running, which is something
typical backup software can't do. Drive-imaging software is very handy when you want to do something such as
upgrade your existing hard drive to a higher-capacity model. Normally, this
type of project would require formatting the new drive, reinstalling Windows
and all of your applications, and manually transferring all of your files to
the new drive. Drive-imaging software lets you make an exact copy of the
existing drive to the new drive, so you just need to install the new drive
in the old drive's place, and everything boots up as normal. In addition,
drive-imaging software is useful for restoring your computer after a hard
drive disaster. It may not be completely up-to-date, but restoring the
system from a backup in this manner is much better than starting from
scratch. (For more information, see "Be A Disaster Master" on page 63.)
Safety 'NetBroadband Internet access is reaching an increasing number of homes and
offering faster Internet access speeds at lower prices than ever before, and
several companies are taking advantage of this fact to offer offsite data
backup services. These services let you transfer your backup data over the
Internet and store it on the hard drives of the company offering the
service. This offers several advantages over storing your data at home. The best
offsite services encrypt your data so that even people who work at the
company can't access it, and they have redundancy mechanisms in place so
that if a hard drive fails, your data is always mirrored on one or more
additional hard drives, making it nearly impossible to lose. You also can
get to your data from any computer that has Internet access or make backups
on the road, both of which are great for laptop users.
Data Conversion ChartComparing storage capacities and pricing among backup media is tough unless
you know your megabits from your megabytes. Here's a basic breakdown:
Terabyte = 1,000 Gigabytes
Gigabyte = 1,000 Megabytes
Megabyte = 1,000 Kilobytes
Megabit = 1,000 Kilobits
Kilobyte = 1,000 Bytes
Kilobit = 1,000 Bits
Byte = 8 Bits
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