Strengths:easy to use interface; full, differential, or incremental backups
Weaknesses:"specific file" feature may not include all your applications
Posted Nov 8, 2007 - I used to use Drive Image 7 (DI7) and bought it in 2003. It's a good program but Norton bought them and doesn't support that program anymore. DI7 worked well for me to do full HD backups and restores (it saved me at least twice before). However, when my HD crashed a few weeks ago, I tried to do a restore using DI7 but I received errors and it wouldn't restore! Since I cannot find any support anywhere, restoring with DI7 was not an option. So I thought about getting an updated image backup and restore program. BTW, though I was not able to do a full restore, I was able to access the crashed drive (as a slave drive) and extract my files before it died!
So which image backup program to get? I read bad reviews about Norton Ghost and Norton software in general. So I stayed away from them. However, I heard better things about Acronis True Image. Also my friend recommended it. So I bought this program on sale at CompUSA. I was looking for something with an easy interface, provides scheduled or unattended backups, has incremental backups, and easy restore options. This program fit the bill.
The interface is easy to use. You can schedule your backup tasks and frequency. You can also choose your options on compression levels. Of course, the more compression the longer the program takes. This program can do incremental backups too but you must do one full backup first.
This version also has a "specific file" backup feature. This basically allows you to backup ONLY the file types you specify. For example, backup ONLY digital pics (jpg), Excel (xls), and (Word) doc files. To me, I didn't find this too useful, since I prefer to back up the whole HD (or incremental backups). Plus the selection of applications is limited to what Acronis provides, which are the popular file formats and extensions. If you want to back up ONLY your Sony Vegas VEG (extension) project files for example, you are out of luck.
Restoring: I have not done a restore yet since I have not crashed. However, I did do a TEST restore. I booted from the TI cd and started the restore process. I was able to boot and explore the archive. At this point I didn't restore since I had no restore drive, but it looks like it will work if and when the time comes.
There are other new features (like acronis secure zone and quick backup) that I have not to use yet. So overall, this is a great program for HD image backups and restores. Just make sure you do backups at least once a week.
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