Creating backup copies in Norton Ghost is really easy. The program runs a step-by-step wizard the first time you launch it, which walks you through the process and provides you with all the available options.

You can configure as many different backup tasks in Norton Ghost as you need, each one of them with its own settings. The backup copies can be conveniently scheduled and restored at any time, should the worst happen. Of course, Norton Ghost lets you change any of these settings later on in the program’s configuration menu.

Norton Ghost can also create an exact copy of your hard drive (with all the existing files, programs and settings). When backing up the whole drive, Norton Ghost will also create a restoration point that will enable you to recover your system in case something goes horribly wrong.

As efficient and easy to use as it is, Norton Ghost requires just one thing: patience. Backup copies can take a long time, so you should probably leave the program running in the background while doing something else – or even better, schedule backups to take place when you don't need to use the PC.

Norton Ghost is a reliable, powerful and easy to use backup tool that prevents you from losing any important files in the case of a computer disaster.

Download Norton Ghost 15 in Softonic

ODIN stands for Open Disk Imager in a Nutshell, which is a pretty self-explanatory name for this utility. With ODIN you'll be able to create exact images of any of the hard drives on your system, including external drives, USB memory drives and other removable media.

Using ODIN is very easy and hardly takes a couple of minutes. Simply select the drive you want to create the image of and open the Settings menu to tweak the image options: you can choose whether you want to compress the image file or not, split it into several parts or not and limit its size to an exact number of megabytes to make it fit a CD or DVD.

From this point on, however, ODIN's not that fast. Image disks take a while to be generated, though the total elapsed time will vary depending on the selected settings and, of course, the size of the drive you're working with.

ODIN is probably the easiest way to create an exact image of your hard drive, and also allows you to compress the resulting file.

Download ODIN 0.3.4.308 in Softonic

Opera Backup 2011 can be used as a once-off tool, allowing you to create a profile back up for storage somewhere secure so you can restore it when things are safe. This backup is easy to retrieve, and can also be encrypted, in case it contains passwords and other sensitive data.

One of Opera Backup 2011's best features, however, is that it allows you to automatically schedule a daily back up. This is fantastic, as it means your backup will always be the most recent version of your profile, which is ideal if you are very active online. The only problem with Opera Backup 2011's scheduling is that you can only pick the hour - it's a daily backup by default.

If your life is in your Opera profile, then Opera Backup 2011 is the tool you need to safeguard it.

Download Opera Backup 2011 2.0.3.10 in Softonic

The detailed wizard interface in Acronis True Image makes the whole backup process pretty straightforward. If you already have a backup file of all your data, Acronis True Image can create a differential file and update your backup with all the latest changes instead of creating a new file from scratch. The Snap Restore function will allow you to use your system while it is being restored.

Acronis True Image also introduces a “Secure Zone” feature where you can create a protected partition on your hard drive and save sensible information and backups. The “Secure Zone” can be resized at will to accommodate more files.

Let’s move on to the recovery features in Acronis True Image. Creating bootable media ensures that you have an external solution to reboot your PC in case of a major breakdown. This process is as simple as working with the backup tools. You can choose to create a safe or a full version (twice as big as the safe version), but it is probably best to create both. Acronis offers many bootable media possibilities like FTP, CDR or DVD. You can clone multiple hard drives and add extra partitions to make more space on your PC. If your operating system fails, easily boot and start the recovery process simply by pressing F11.

Naturally, Acronis True Image comes with a scheduling feature to automatically handle these tasks for you. It also offers password protection for your files and folders. Acronis True Image will log all the actions that you undertake, making it easy to check the last time you did a backup or what files you saved.

Overall, we were impressed by the speed, simplicity and choice of actions present in Acronis True Image. The only downsides to it were the lengthy installation process and not being able to handle multiple tasks at the same time.

Download Acronis True Image 2012 Home in Softonic

Nero BackItUp & Burn, included as part of Nero Multimedia Suite 10, is a worthy choice. Not only because it's a Nero app – which always guarantees a high quality product – but because it features all the tools and functions you need to backup your sensitive data in a very easy, efficient way.

With Nero BackItUp & Burn you can create backup copies on demand by manually selecting the files and folders you want to include in them – even the complete hard drive - or set the program to do it automatically without user intervention. These automatic backups can be scheduled according to a certain period of time or set to run every time you change a certain file or folder on the system. As well as backups, you can synchronize folders and choose whether to set up regular tasks or not.

All the processes in Nero BackItUp & Burn are done step by step, and are really accessible and easy. At the same time, there is nothing in the setup process that will irritate seasoned users. It has a fast, clear and concise interface that's a great improvement over the previous version 4.

Nero BackItUp & Burn is a complete backup utility that provides you with all the tools you need to create, restore, schedule and manage data backups.

Download Nero BackItUp & Burn 1.4 in Softonic

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 8.6.0 in Softonic

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

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 3.68 in Softonic

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. Cobian Backup 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).

Cobian Backup 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, Cobian Backup has limited compression and strong encryption methods available if you need to reduce the size of your files and protect them at the same time.

Cobian Backup is a very convenient program that backups quickly, quietly and without any further prompting from its user.

Download Cobian Backup 11.2 in Softonic

Sometimes you might install something you wish you hadn't, that messes up your PC. Comodo Time Machine allows you to save snapshots of your system, which you can easily return to after any accidents like this. As well as your setup, Comodo Time Machine can also be set up to restore files and folders if you want.

The biggest advantage with Comodo Time Machine is simplicity. The interface is split into easy-to-understand tabs, where you can view or take a snapshot, restore your system and more. All of the features are easy to use, and the Comodo Time Machine is refreshingly light on resources and quick to take system snapshots too.

The developer claims this is a safeguard against virus infection, but we would still recommend an antivirus program as a first line of defense. Comodo Time Machine is certainly useful for undoing unwanted installations, and for keeping your PC clean in general. If you have a shared PC, this is a neat way of spring cleaning! Unfortunately, Comodo Time Machine is very difficult to uninstall, and it's pop up notifications can not all be turned off.

Comodo Time Machine would be a neat solution for backing up and spring cleaning your PC, but unfortunately it is so hard to uninstall it is hard to recommend.

Download Comodo Time Machine 2.8.155286 in Softonic

This is when FavBackup comes in handy. FavBackup is a powerful tool that lets you back up and restore bookmarks and user preferences. It works with all major web browsers: Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari and Flock, so it covers a significant portion of the browser market.

FavBackup is really easy to use. To begin with, it doesn't even require installation. Double click the EXE file and you'll be presented with a clearly-designed interface with two toolbars: one to pick the browser you want to work with, and another one to select the task to perform: backup, full backup, restore, or full restore. The difference between full and non-full is that the first one backs absolutely everything up, while the latter lets you select which exact elements you want to save: bookmarks, cookies, stored passwords, browsing history, etc.

FavBackup works just as it says on the tin. It's fast and efficient, and has been greatly improved since earlier versions. It doesn't feature any configuration options (except for the choice between three interface skins) and also lacks documentation – though you do have a link to an online Help page.

With FavBackup you can easily back up and restore bookmarks, history, cookies, user preferences, and other elements in all major web browsers.

Download FavBackup 2.1.1 in Softonic

With EASEUS Todo Backup you can protect your files in an easy and effective way. EASEUS Todo Backup helps you create a full backup copy of your system, including not only your personal files, but also the operating system, user settings and applications. If your computer is attacked by viruses or corrupted due to unstable software, you'll be able to restore the system with this backup copy in no time via EASEUS Todo Backup.

EASEUS Todo Backup is also useful in case you want to upgrade to a larger hard drive or a newer operating system: you can clone the contents of your current hard drive and transfer it bit by bit to the new one. No more lengthy system reinstallations, thanks to EASEUS Todo Backup!

Having tested other similar tools, I have to say that EASEUS Todo Backup is fairly easy to use and includes a complete user guide, though some basic knowledge about disk partitions is strongly advised. In any case, remember that backup copies should always be saved on a different drive from the source disk.

Better be safe than sorry: install EASEUS Todo Backup and create backup copies of all your important data today! It's fast, easy and free.

Download EASEUS Todo Backup 3.5 in Softonic

By creating a one-to-one map of your PC's entire hard drive, Clonezilla Live allows you to capture your computer at a specific moment when it is virus-free. Clonezilla Live can also map out individual partitions on your PC. The open-source program is based on Linux and works with most CD burning hardware.

The first thing to do is burn the ISO image file to a CD. Before starting up Clonezilla Live afterward, you can tweak the BIOS in the boot options of your PC's CD drive. Once you've opened the CD on which the copy of your hard-drive has been burned, you can use Clonezilla Live to copy it either to a full disk or to individual partitions. Basically, your back-up location can be stored both locally on your computer, as well as on an external hard drive for added protection. One of Clonezilla Live's most unique features is that it clones only the sections of your hard drive that have actually been used. Any empty folders simply don't get copied, which is convenient and a great space-saver.

In the event you suffer a hard drive failure, you can perform a complete system restore via disk or by way of an external hard drive. You can also transmit the image you've taken onto different computers other than the one you originally copied it from.

Although Clonezilla Live is reliable and quite fast, it does not offer quite as many options as paid disk imaging programs tend to. Its interface is also a little plain.

Just the same, Clonezilla Live is a reliable and easy-to-use disk imaging tool for PCs.

Download Clonezilla Live 1.2.6 in Softonic

EMC Retrospect Express HD helps you create backup copies in a very easy way. The program works as a wizard that walks you through the whole process, step by step. You'll be able to select the type of backup, set the schedule for automatic backups and select the folders and files you want to include in the backup. EMC Retrospect Express HD supports incremental backups, which means that only new or modified files are copied over – so there's no need to do a full backup every single time.

Once you've configured EMC Retrospect Express HD for the first time, you'll be able to do a first backup – which may take a while. This also creates a first system restoration point, a basic element to recover your system in case of disaster.

EMC Retrospect Express HD does what it says on the tin. It's also one of the easiest backup tools I've ever tried. On the downside, this ease of use is probably the reason why the program lacks some advanced options that you find in other backup tools, such as more complex filters to select data or more scheduling options.

EMC Retrospect Express HD is a simple, step-by-step backup system that will enable you to recover your data if disaster strikes.

Download EMC Retrospect Express HD 2.0.214 in Softonic

Download BackUp Maker Standard 6.4 in Softonic

No matter how safe and stable your system may be, it’s always possible you might suffer a computer disaster that causes you to lose valuable data. And the only way to prevent that is to use a backup tool to make copies of the files that are most important to you.

GFI Backup lets you easily create and manage backup copies, not only of individual files and folders, but also of email, registry keys and user settings. You can save those backup copies to different locations with GFI Backup, such as an external hard drive, a networked drive, a CD, a USB memory stick or a remote FTP server. GFI Backup also has compression and encryption options as well, requiring you to use less space and protecting your most important data from prying eyes.

GFI Backup is really easy to use and offers lots of options. You can schedule backups so that they're done automatically according to a certain time interval and make the program warn you in case something goes wrong. The program also includes a special syncing module that enables you to keep two different folders up to date, with exactly the same content. Both backup and sync tasks can be easily managed from a special area in GFI Backup.

GFI Backup is a complete backup utility that helps you create copies of important data and sync content between different locations.

Download GFI Backup 2011 415 in Softonic

You never know when disaster will strike, so you’d better be prepared. Norton Online Backup is a handy tool for these purposes, as it lets you automatically create a backup copy of all your important documents on a regular basis. All files are stored online, in Norton's servers, from where you can download them at any time just using a standard web browser.

Using Norton Online Backup is piece of cake. All you need is a Norton account, which can be created during the installation process. The computer where you install Norton Online Backup is automatically added to your account, but you can add more if you want to. Then simply log in to your Norton account and configure the backup’s settings to your liking. Note that the program doesn't have an actual interface - it's all done in your web browser.

You can set up Norton Online Backup to back up certain file types (music, images, email, internet favorites, office documents and so on) or selected folders, and also select a custom schedule for backups. Other than that, the program doesn’t really have any advanced settings.

Norton Online Backup is a handy, comfortable way to secure your important files in case something happens to your computer.

Download Norton Online Backup 2 in Softonic

With a nice-looking and relatively straightforward interface, UpdateStar Drivers is easy to use and has a decent amount of features. First, it will perform a scan on your computer. UpdateStar Drivers looks for all the drivers currently installed on your PC and, once found, it will let you know that number, as well as how many happen to be out of date. The scan is quick and takes between three and ten minutes, depending on the size of your PC and how many drivers UpdateStar Drivers actually finds.

A nice available feature is the ability to download updated drivers in a few simple clicks if the utility finds that there are some that are out of date. The program should automatically install any new driver updates once you click the download button. All you have to do is sit back and wait. UpdateStar Drivers will also back-up your drivers and restore them if they are damaged or lost after a reformat or system restore.

Unfortunately, the free version of this tool lacks the features of the licensed version. Particularly of note is the lack of an automated driver update option on UpdateStar Drivers's free version.

Overall, UpdateStar Drivers is a great tool for quickly locating and updating the drivers on your PC.

Download UpdateStar Drivers 4.1.0.0 in Softonic