Apart from the System Restore function in Windows, there used to be no other way to completely restore a bug free configuration of your PC after a major problem hit. What’s more, System Restore only enables you to go back a maximum of a few days to a previous clean configuration. Deep Freeze, on the other hand, enables you to protect and preserve clean computer configurations so that you can always restore your PC in the event of a major crash. No matter what changes you make to your computer, you can simply restart to eradicate all changes and reset the computer to its original state. The program is useful for anyone who has suffered software conflicts, operating system corruption and virus attacks.

After the simple installation procedure, you are asked whether you want to activate Deep Freeze, which will run a quick scan to “freeze” the computer in that state. You can then use the computer as you would normally but every time it is turned off, it will be returned to its original state. If at a later date you decide you want to make a permanent change you can temporarily disable Deep Freeze. The positive side of Deep Freeze is that it doesn’t impede the use of your computer in anyway. You can mess around with your PC as much as you want, installing and reinstalling programs and even deleting essential Windows files without worrying about the consequences. The downside is that if you forget to deactivate it, any work you’ve done or any essential changes you have made will be lost for good. It’s therefore advisable to save essential files or documents on an external drive when Deep Freeze is activated. You can also save to a special “thawed” section of your hard drive that is exempt from restoration.

Whilst useful for those who share a computer or administer a network of computers, Deep Freeze is somewhat impractical on a lone PC. However, if you like to save all your data to external sources, it’s a pretty solid assurance that your PC won’t be rendered useless by a major crash. Deep Freeze is currently available in two editions for Windows, Mac OS X and Windows Server with a Linux edition in the pipeline.

Download Deep Freeze 6.3 in Softonic

Symantec is a company that has been subject to criticism for dropping the ball with recent versions of their anti-virus and internet security software, so does their backup solution show any proof that they are building on their vast experience and that their popularity and reputation is somewhat justified? At first sight, it’s clear that the interface has followed in the footsteps of every other Norton product, meaning that you get a user friendly tabbed based window with a healthy quantity of wizards thrown in for just about every operation.

Unfortunately the make-over seems to have just touched the surface and as a result, each tool you want to use will open a new window. Not only can this lead to a cluttered desktop with lingering dialog boxes but may also cause your system to slow significantly or at worst, crash. Used properly though, Norton Ghost will let you backup your entire hard-drive to another partition, an external, or a networked drive on a regular scheduled basis and also gives you a variety of ways to restore the reserve copies should the worst happen.

For anyone with huge amounts of data to backup, the option to compress everything will come as a blessing and for those with sensitive documents there is password protection and encryption. What’s more, the processes involved have been completely dumbed down, with less jargon and step by step instructions. While this benefits those who want a backup solution that they install and forget about, it strikes more advanced users right where it hurts. You can’t even select what folders to back up and instead must be satisfied that it’s all or nothing.

Although the program didn’t seem to be entirely stable, there was no obvious hit to system performance, which was one of the main problems with other Symantec software. Norton Ghost will put your mind at rest with a comprehensive copy of your hard drive, but if you prefer to be in complete control or to restrict your backup to only your essential files, then you should look elsewhere.

Download Norton Ghost 12.0 in Softonic

There are plenty of tools out there for creating disk images of your hard drive but there are a few that work specifically with USB drives.

USB Image Tool is a smart little application that's capable of generating images of your USB devices so you can always restore the disk image anytime you need. With USB drives now capable of holding up to 1 Terabyte of data, it's very wise to create images in case of hard disk failure.

The program automatically detects USB devices connected to your computer and scans them before asking you whether you'd like to create an image backup or restore a previously backed-up image. USB Image Tool can create images of USB memory sticks and MP3 players, that are mounted as USB drives. Note that the tool requires the .NET Framework 2.0 installed in either XP or Vista and the usbit32.dll included in the archive must be placed in the same directory as the EXE file.

If you've got a lot of data stored on USB drives, USB Image Tool is an easy to use and space efficient way to protect your information.

Download USB Image Tool 1.27 in Softonic

Backups are not the only resource you have left when you're hit by computer disasters. Disk images are another alternative choice.

With Macrium Reflect you now have access to a free disk imaging solution (which is not that common unfortunately) that enables you to create a perfect mirror image of your hard drive. This means that, in case your computer suddenly "dies", you can always bring it back to life by restoring your previously created disk image.

Of course, disk images don't make sense if you store them on the same hard drive you're copying, so you'll need to use an extra storage device (external or not) or a networked drive to save your mirror image.

Macrium Reflect is very easy to use because it lets you create images via an assistant that guides you through the whole process in just a few simple steps. What doesn't seem that easy is the scheduled backup tool: it works with XML template files and novice users will surely find it confusing. Also, Macrium Reflect lets you create rescue disks, but unfortunately only for Linux, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

If you care about the safety of your documents, take a moment to create a mirror image of your hard drive with Macrium Reflect. It's very easy to use and can really save your life!

Download Macrium Reflect 4.2 Free Edition in Softonic

It's always a pain trying to remember to backup things so why not let an application take care of it automatically?

Cobian Backup works as both an application and service. The program is very light on resources for a backup program of its size and runs in the background very discreetly. it makes periodic backups but unlike some programs, doesn't seem to slow down your PC in the process. It acts too quickly to really slow down whatever you are doing although if it has to backup a very big file, you will notice some lag (more than 1 GB). The program only copies your files and folders in their original or compressed mode to another destination and does not perform any compression itself. This is to ensure that nothing is corrupted during the backup process but if you are backing up particularly large files, you might find this something of a problem unless you've got lots of backup space. However, there are limited compression and strong encryption methods available if you need to reduce the size of your files and protect them at the same time.

A very convenient program that backups quickly, quietly and without any further prompting from it's user.

Download Cobian Backup 9.5.0.201 in Softonic

Driver Magician is an easy-to-use and powerful tool for device drivers backup, restoration and update for Windows Operating system. It identifies all the hardware in the system, extracts their associated drivers from the hard disk and backs them up to a location of your choice.

Then when you format and reinstall/upgrade your operating system, you can restore all the "saved" drivers just as if you had the original driver disks. After one system reboot, your PC will be loaded and running with the required hardware drivers.

What's more, Driver Magician has a built-in database of the latest drivers with the ability to go to the Internet to receive the updates. It saves lots of time to find the correct drivers and mature drivers will obviously increase the performance of hardware.

Key features:

• Back up device drivers of your computer in four modes
• Restore device drivers from backup in one mouse click
• Update device drivers of your PC to improve system performance and stability
• Live Update device identifier database and driver update database
• Detect unknown devices
• Back up more items such as My Documents and Registry
• Restore more items from backup
• Get detailed information of the hardware drivers
• Clone all drivers to an auto-setup package (.EXE), so you can restore drivers without installing Driver Magician

Download Driver Magician 3.30 in Softonic

You probably never really go through the hassle of saving your documents regularly. Unfortunately, when one day you lose all those critical files, you’ll be the only one to blame. Creating backups is far from thrilling, but should never be overlooked, no matter how trustworthy you think your PC is.

Backup4all makes copy creation a breeze by automating the whole process. The key is to properly setup your backups so that the application takes care of it all for you. When you launch the program, simply select the files or folders you'll need to backup. You can create individual backup profiles with a description, an icon and scheduling when Backup4all should save a copy. Set up filters to specify the type of file, the date and size of documents to save. Enable sounds and email alerts to notify you if a backup is successful or not.

We were generally satisfied with the product but worried that it only really targets a particular type of person who needs frequent copies of particular documents. Once you get familiar with the program, the whole copy creation process will flow nicely. However the first time we launched the program we had to click around a bit to understand how to use it. The program does feature a wizard to guide you through the backup creation process, but it would have been nice to see it pop up right when you launch the program.

Backup4all is an intelligent and effective way of managing your copies. However, the majority of PC users will only backup once in a while and should be content with a simpler alternative. If you need to recover and save everything from your PC, Norton Ghost is a good choice. If you want a simple and free backup solution, take a look at Cobian backup.

Download Backup4all 3.10.285 in Softonic

Creating disk images is the easiest way to back up and restore lost data or just to give you peace of mind.

The problem is that usually, such software is not that straightforward, such as Norton Ghost, which does a thorough job but isn't exactly the easiest program to use. O&O DiskImage meanwhile is a free software that enables you to image your entire computer and restore single drives in relatively few steps.

O&O DiskImage allows you to image all drives including drive information and system partitions but it can also be used to restore just single drives. It's the ease of use that really appeals about O&O DiskImage though. It's divided into two simple functions - create an image and restore an image. You can also check for image information and updates for O6O DiskImage. However, you won't be able to restore with this version - you'll need to upgrade to the Professional, Workstation or Server Edition of O&O DiskImage to do that.

O6O DiskImage is one of the easiest disk imaging programs you will use and is a great starting point for imaging beginners.

Download O&O DiskImage 3.0.730 Express Edition in Softonic

We constantly hear about the importance of creating backup copies of all our important documents, in case someday our computer happens to die. So if you've finally decided to follow this wise piece of advice, you can start with Uranium Backup.

This backup application will help you create security copies of selected files and documents and save them in different locations, including network units, USB devices and removable hard drives. Of course, you can also backup to another folder in the same drive, but that wouldn't be very smart (if you lose that hard drive, you lose both the original and the backup copy).

The most outstanding feature in Uranium Backup is that you can schedule those backups to be run at specific days and times. The scheduling menu has lots of options so you can easily have your backups done when you're not using the PC and thus it doesn't disturb your work.

On the downside, this freeware version doesn't include other interesting features like the ability to save backup copies to an FTP drive, a CD or a DVD.

Uranium Backup is a simple, easy-to-use backup tool you can use for your security copies, provided you don't need FTP support.

Download Uranium Backup 6.8.0.2531 in Softonic

PC technology has come a long way in the last few years, but the sad fact is that they are still prone to crashes and system failure. Unfortunately, few of us have adequate protection to prevent losing all our valuable data.

That's where Selkie Rescue Data Recovery comes in, allowing you to ensure that if everything goes wrong, your data doesn't go down with the ship. I think many people are often put off of disaster recovery software because they think it's too complicated or that it's not worth the effort because 'it'll never happen to me'. However, anyone who's been in the position where they've lost their university thesis, an important business project, or even their entire web site's files, will tell you that it's vital for you to take these precautions.

Selkie Data Recovery is designed to make the process of protecting your data quick and simple. All you need is a blank CD, a crossover cable, your broken computer (obviously), and a working computer.

You start by creating Selkie rescue disk, and the program includes its own built in burning tool to help you do this without any fuss. It's a hassle-free solution, but you don't get as many writing options as you do with a burning app such as Nero or Roxio. You can still use these programs to create your recovery disk if you like, and Selkie includes instructions on how to do this.

Once you have your magic rescue disk, you're ready for anything. If your operating system crashes you simply reboot your machine and insert the CD into the drive. The interface is coded in DOS and is a far cry from the graphical user environments you'll be used to. Beginners may get a little overwhelmed by this at first, but if you follow the steps on screen, the program will find your files within a few clicks.

Then it's just a case of inserting the CD and copying your files to another computer over a network or via a parallel connection cable. This is a painless enough process, unless your machine is part of a complex LAN, in which case it can take some fiddling around to find the right network directory to copy to.

On the whole though, Selkie Rescue provides a fast and reliable way of recovering your stuff when your computer gives out on you.

Download Selkie Rescue Data Recovery 3.5 in Softonic

Despite the growing popularity of portable USB memory devices, some people still prefer to store their files online so that they are available from any PC. If you're among them, then this program is for you.

IDrive is a free online storage service that grants you up to 2 GB of space to store any kind of files. Its main purpose is to create backup copies of your most important documents, but I guess you can use it to save just about anything. It's a great way to share files between remote computers, or a desktop and laptop PC.

IDrive is very easy to use because its interface is very similar to that of Windows standard File Explorer. Data is categorized in a tree-like structure, and you only need to check those folders and files that you want to backup. The backup process can take a while (we uploaded about 45 MB in 20 minutes during our tests) but the good thing is that you can leave the program running in the background and even limit the amount of bandwidth used by it. Besides the Explorer-like interface, IDrive also adds a new mapped drive to your "My PC" folder where you can check the contents uploaded to the IDrive storage service.

Generally speaking, IDrive is a great idea. I think it's a good alternative to offline backups and other removable storage solutions such as USB devices or even recordable CD. On the downside, the program lacks a faster response when moving between options and menus.

A free, easy tool that enables you to have a backup copy of your files always available.

Download IDrive 2.0.9 in Softonic

Digital cameras make photography so easy and fun that you usually end up with thousands of images on your hard drive, many of them being unforgettable memories that you want to keep as safe as possible. Now you do it with Backup Photo LE.

This tool creates backup copies of the selected images and burns them on CD, so that you always have an extra copy of your pictures in case of a computer disaster. The backup process is very easy, as Backup Photo LE uses a wizard to guide you through the steps. You can choose the folders manually or let the program do it for you, although this usually takes much longer. The backup copy can also be scheduled to be performed at a given time.

Photo Backup LE includes all the necessary tools to burn the CD and also generates an HTML index with the backup contents. It's a pity you can't create backups on other target drives: I'd like to be able to use a spare hard drive or a portable memory device.

Download Photo Backup LE 2.5.0 in Softonic

Digital cameras make photography so easy and fun that you usually end up with thousands of images on your hard drive, many of them being unforgettable memories that you want to keep as safe as possible. Now you do it with Backup Photo.

This tool creates backup copies of the selected images and burns them on CD or DVD, so that you always have an extra copy of your pictures in case of a computer disaster. The backup process is very easy, as Backup Photo uses a wizard to guide you through the steps. You can choose the folders manually or let the program do it for you, although this usually takes much longer. On the upside, the program has support for a large variety of picture formats, including PSD and camera RAW files.

Photo Backup includes all the necessary tools to burn the disc and also generates an HTML index with the backup contents.

Download Photo Backup 2.6.1 in Softonic

A couple of months ago a friend contracted a particularly nasty virus on her PC and after many hours spent trying to resuscitate the machine, I had to break the bad news that she had lost everything on there. If only she'd had backed up her system using Carbonite, she would still be watching those dubiously-downloaded James Bond films today.

The software allows you to keep a backup of your entire hard disk on the company's servers, so that if the worst ever happens, you've still got a copy of everything safe and sound. After registration with the site and installation of the client, Carbonite connects itself to the Net and automatically begins uploading your data to its backup server. This process can take a long time so you need a quick Internet connection to make it as painless as possible.

The great thing about Carbonite is that it's so simple to operate and you get unlimited storage capacity for your backups, although I noticed you cannot backup personal video files over 2Gb. Once your data is uploaded onto the Carbonite servers it can perform regular backups at a rate of 2Gb per day. Provided you're comfortable transferring all your data to an external server, Carbonite makes for the perfect way to ensure you never lose any of your data.

Download Carbonite Online Backup 2 in Softonic

The world of FTP can be a little confusing for anyone new to it or unfamiliar with what it's all about.

Basically, FTP servers are a quick and easy way to remotely back up or store any data on your PC. To use one, you'll need an FTP client such as Save2FTP, which is a free and easy-to-use utility designed to automatically back-up your most important data to remote FTP servers. Of course, you'll need an FTP account which Save2FTP can't provide - this you can obtain from a web hosting company or other dedicates online storage host.

However, Save2FTP doesn't just act as a go between for you and an FTP site. It actively prompts you when you need to make backups based on your own time schedule and preferences. In this way, Save2FTP can actually help you organize your backups and schedule automatic backups. Generally FTP client interfaces aren't complicates and Save2FTP is particularly easy to use making it suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

It would have been nice to have had some sort of browser extension for Save2FTP but as a general FTP server, it hots all the right notes.

Download Save2FTP 2.1.2 in Softonic

Are you worried about the security of the data you store on your PC? If so, start using Syncplicity and you'll always have a synchronized backup copy to hand.

Syncplicity is an online free storage service which includes a 2 GB virtual hard drive where you can keep a copy of all your important files (with a maximum size of 300 MB each, that is). This copy is updated in real time, meaning that if you change the contents of the folder on your local PC, these changes will be immediately synced with the Syncplicity virtual drive.

What I liked most about Syncplicity was its ease of use. The program can be configured in a couple of minutes, just by following the step-by-step wizard that runs the first time you launch it. Plus, you can set up Syncplicity to use with Facebook, Scribd and Google Docs.

On the downside, I missed having a built-in file manager, and therefore being able to check my synced files without having to open the web browser. Also, I found Syncplicity quite slow: it took me about an hour to sync a hundred photos, and my connection is not precisely a slow one. Oh well, I guess the trick is to leave the program working in the background and move on to something else.

If you're worried about the security of your files, keep them backed up and synced in real time with Syncplicity, an online storage tool with 2 GB of free space.

Download Syncplicity 2.0.3114 Beta in Softonic

Create image files of any disks and back (USB Flash Drives, Floppy Drives, Hard Drives, etc). Save the image file compressed, uncompressed or as a highly customizable self-extracting EXE using a wizard-like interface. Mount image files to drive letters using Virtual Drive Manager. Create bootable USB Flash Drives to replace your bootable floppy disks. Wipe disks 100% clean using secure methods. Create ISO image files from CD/DVDs. Create exact duplicates of any disks. Logically recreate bad sectors when writing floppy disks, allowing for an exact duplicate of your source disk to be created. Supports all known file systems. Full support for drag-n-drop.

Download All Image 1.2.3 in Softonic

Sharing files online can be a pain if you don't have a proper web space or the people you want to share them with don't know how to access an FTP server.

SpiderOak is the perfect solution for these situations, as it provides you with the necessary space and tools to store and share your files online in an easy, safe way. After creating a personal account for free, SpiderOak lets you select which files and folders you want to share and uploads the content to a 2GB web space you're given for free with your account. Then you can simply go on with your work while SpiderOak uploads all the data to their server.

Besides being a storage and backup service, you can also use SpiderOak as a way to share files online. After uploading content to your SpiderOak account, you're offered the chance to share it (all of it or just selected items) on a personal page hosted in the SpiderOak servers. In this way your family and friends can access your photos, videos, documents or any other files you want to share.

The best thing about SpiderOak is undoubtedly its simplicity of use, together with the fact that is cross-platform; that is, it can be used in Windows, Mac and Linux. And if I have to point out any weakness that would be that it takes way too long for SpiderOak shared spaces to be available online – even if it's only a few pictures you're sharing on them.

SpiderOak is probably one of the easiest ways to store and share any kind of files online, no matter what operating system you're using.

Download SpiderOak in Softonic

MozBackup is a simple utility for creating backups of Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Mozilla Suite and Netscape profiles.

It allows you to backup and restore bookmarks, mail, contacts, history, extensions, cache etc. It's an easy way to do Firefox backups and Thunderbird backups.

Download MozBackup 1.4.8 in Softonic

AllSync is a professional application designed to meet your data synchronization and back-up needs on individual workstations, laptops, or throughout your entire network. The package performs synchronization, updating, duplication, archiving and backup of files and directories under Windows.

It supports all storage media which can be accessed via drive letters or an UNC path. AllSync offers a variety of features to help you perform copy tasks more easily and give you everything you need to back up your data.

Download AllSync 3.0.41 in Softonic