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Computer Buyer
August 11, 2009

Disk imaging software - Acronis True Image 2009

Disk imaging software

You might think it would be easy to copy the contents of an entire hard disk: just drag and drop the files and folders onto a different drive. However, if it's your C: drive, things aren't so simple. This disk contains hidden files, principally the Master Boot Record, that can't be copied and pasted. Without these, your PC wouldn't be able to start up.

A disk imaging program really does copy the entire hard disk, including these hidden parts, and stores it as a single file, called a disk image. If your drive fails or Windows becomes corrupted, you can use the imaging program's bootable recovery CD to start up your PC, then copy the image onto a new hard drive or back onto the drive containing the corrupted version of Windows, if it's not broken. The recovery process usually only takes a few minutes, and once it's done your PC will be back in complete working order, with all your data intact - assuming that you backed it up recently.

Like backup software, disk imaging programs allow you to schedule regular backups. They also support compression and can work incrementally, adding to an existing image only those things that have changed since the last backup. This is a lot faster. Most imaging programs also allow you to browse a disk image as if it were a hard drive. This means you can easily recover individual files and folders - handy if you've accidentally deleted or overwritten something - by dragging and dropping them from the image to your hard drive.

Apart from quickly restoring a crashed PC to full working order, one of the key advantages of disk imaging software is that you can back up absolutely everything. You don't need to worry about adding any new folders to your backup jobs, because your entire disk is saved. One disadvantage is that you need a fairly large external storage device to keep your backups on. Ordinary backup software can copy your files to somewhere else on the same drive - not the safest place, but better than no backup at all. A disk image, however, can't be saved to the same disk. What some programs will do is let you create a secure partition on the drive, which Windows can't see and which won't be affected even if the rest of the disk is erased. You can then save compressed images of your C: partition to this hidden partition. Of course, you won't have a backup if the drive itself fails.

Given a large external storage space, which these days isn't all that expensive to acquire, disk imaging is the best way to get complete peace of mind from your backup.

Acronis True Image 2009. The best of both worlds.

This latest version of Acronis True Image has only just hit the shops and, perhaps surprisingly for a program that has one fairly simple function and has been around for quite a while, it's packed with new features. The first of these is One-click Protection. As soon as installation is over, the program takes a copy of your system disk (normally C:) - all you have to do is tell it where to save the image. You now have a full backup and can switch to less time-consuming incremental backups in future.

Lots of small innovations make the program easier to use. You can now save backups of the same set (if you're creating incremental backups) to different locations, so you don't have to move an entire set just because one backup disk is full. There's also the Dual Backup function, which allows you to save an image to two locations simultaneously. And besides complete disk images you can back up specific files and folders, system state information and even email accounts.

In fact, this isn't just a disk imaging program, it's effectively backup and imaging software rolled in to one. You get some handy extras, such as a good file shredder for destroying confidential information, and Try & Decide mode, in which changes to your system state, such as the installation of new programs, are buffered to memory but not written to the hard disk until you give the all-clear. An excellent choice for well rounded backup.

Acronis True image 2009 is easy to use, with plenty of features combining backup and disk imaging functions. 

Acronis True image 2009 has the features of disk imaging software and a backup program In one. The file shredder can securely remove sensitive files.

Reprinted from Conputer Buyer January 2009.