I recently tested the latest shipping versions of two popular backup packages: NovaStor's NovaBackup Professional 7.2 and StompSoft's BackUp MyPC 6.0 2005 Edition. Both have undergone minor face-lifts and feature lots of small, worthwhile improvements. But NovaBackup goes one step further by adding disaster recovery features, and now this application is barking with the big dogs.
NovaBackup 7.1's lack of a disaster recovery feature left it an also-ran in our September 2004 "Better Backups" roundup. Version 7.2 takes care of this oversight, enabling you to restore the contents of your hard drive--even when you can't boot into your operating system--if you use Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, or Windows XP.
Kudos to NovaBackup's visual makeover, too: The new graphics are classier than the old HTML look, yet the interface retains its predecessor's intuitive overall design and workflow. It's as easy to use as BackUp MyPC and far easier than the powerful but occasionally challenging Dantz Retrospect Professional 6.5. It supports an array of storage devices, too: tape drives, hard drives, optical media, and now double-layer recordable DVDs and Iomega's Rev drive.
My only complaints about NovaBackup are decidedly mild: It can't perform uncompressed native file backups, and you have to manually edit (using Windows Notepad) the lists that include or exclude files from a backup.
Minor Upgrades
The changes to StompSoft's BackUp MyPC are less far-reaching. BackUp MyPC 6 also features a new look; but while first-time users may appreciate the friendly icons and the direct access to wizards on the new startup screen, I'm left wondering why the program's designers (StompSoft publishes the product for Sonic) chose to mess with a good thing. In handling the utilitarian task of backing up, the old tabbed interface worked virtually to perfection. Now, reaching the backup page entails performing an extra step, and your options are needlessly restricted to the task at hand.
All told, the tweaks to the interface make the new version of BackUp MyPC marginally easier to learn--yet slightly more difficult to use--than previous versions were; still, it's far better than Dantz's Retrospect on both counts.
Beyond the altered interface, this is a relatively modest upgrade of version 5, contributing support for new devices such as dual-layer 8.5GB DVD burners as well as improved disaster recovery for PCs running on Windows XP (with Service Pack 1 or SP2) or Windows 2000 (with SP4). Other new perks include the ability to resume DVD backups interrupted by a bad disc, and the option to create backups that span multiple hard drives.
Alas, there's still no uncompressed native file backup for hard-drive users, though the company says it will address that shortcoming in a future version. But BackUp MyPC now has a more-than-worthy competitor in NovaBackup 7.2, which offers broader support for storage devices and costs about the same. Most users will be fine with either application, but NovaBackup 7.2 is the one I'll be using.
Intuitive backup program gets a minor face-lift but still lacks uncompressed native file backup.
Price when reviewed: $69 download, $79 boxed, free upgrade for current users
Current prices (if available)
Lower price plus new disaster recovery features make NovaBackup a good value.
Price when reviewed: $70, $25 upgrade for current users
Current prices (if available)
