Online Backup Guide

Acronis PC Backup and Recovery

Acronis True Image 2009 is a backup utility for home PC users who are concerned with backup and disaster recovery of their Windows PC. File and PC folder backup utilities are available within the Windows Operating system but Acronis True Image 2009 offers to backup not only files and folders but the operating system itself and all its configurations.  It offers to take a snapshot of the system configurations and all user folders at a given point in time and to ensure restoration to that point in the event of disaster.

User Friendly Features

What is so attractive about this offer is the fact that the backup and restore process is very simple and can be completed in easy steps.  The user does not have to spend hours setting up the operating system and then restoring all the configurations and applications for use.  All he needs to do is boot the system from the Acronis Rescue CD and load up the image of the system as it existed at a particular point in time to restore it.  It is as easy as a click of a button!  The program is truly robust and completely “True” to its name!  It is one of the few “essentials” on an inveterate computer user’s lists.

Similarities to Windows Vista

It is very evident that the interface of Acronis True Image 2009 has been inspired by Windows Vista. The similarities are striking and the navigation is entirely familiar.  The moment the application is started up, True Image will review and take stock of the system settings, files, folders and storage devices automatically.   If space is not a constraint on the system, the protection mode is initiated and the system backup will begin. The system volume and the Master boot record are first backed up to a storage location of the user’s choice. Thereafter, the backups will be automatically refreshed with pre-scheduled regularity.

Acronis One Click Protection

Backup settings

Backup settings can be determined by the user. The user can set limits to the size of backup archives, maximum number of backups that should be retained; the maximum amount of time for archives to be stored and so on.  When these preset limits are reached, the software will automatically combine the first full backup with the oldest incremental backup freeing up the hard disk space.

Search Engine

Acronis True Image 2009 comes with a built in search engine that allows users to search for files and folders within the backup archives. Users can type in whole or part names of files and the search results will be thrown up immediately. All files in the archives can be indexed. This search feature makes it extremely easy for the user to locate and restore individual files and folders in the system.

Backup Formats

Introduction of Zip

Zip format archives have been newly introduced into Acronis True Image 2009.  The zip files can be extracted using third party applications without firing up the Acronis Home application.

Temporary spaces

Users who wish to create an exclusive space for Try and apply operations, will be assisted by Acronis Home 2009.  Users can create a temporary space for performing changes on the system or downloading files from the Internet or trying out specific maneuvers before applying it to the entire system.  The Acronis Home 2009 will maintain this temporary space even if the system is shutdown and restarted.

Acronis True Image Home 2009

Archiving and Ease of Access

Users can also decide on archive locations for saving full, incremental and differential backups of the data entity. Network share, CD/DVD, Blu-ray, USB stick, FTP-Server or any local internal or external drives can be used with ease. Automatic backups to a removable drive can also be scheduled to start up the moment a predefined and identified device is plugged in.

The True Image backup archive is also accessible in safe mode and it is possible to restore the system in a very short time.

Trial Versions

Users can try before they buy.  A no hassle risk free download with money back guarantee is available for the Acronis True Image Home 2009. It is also priced at a nominal $49.95.  It is downloadable on purchase and users can create a bootable rescue disk.  A CD version of it is available at $11 extra.  This software is compatible with Windows XP and Vista only.

The Verdict

On the whole the software is very robust and well received by users who have tried it out.