• PCWorld
• » Software
• » Utilities

... And a Backup Tool, Too

1Safe backs up more than just its own catalog, however, which brings us to the second half of this handy software package. All too often, backup software is hard to configure and confusing to use. 1Safe is particularly easy to use, though, because of its commonsense approach. To set up a backup, you select your primary backup device by clicking the Backup Now tab in the 1Safe application window. You can select a device (such as a removable media drive) or a specific piece of media (say, a Zip disk labeled "Backup"). If the correct media isn't in the device, 1Safe will ask for it.

You can define different settings to control your backup routine. For example, you can choose to automatically back up specific folders, specific files, or entire disks; in addition, you can opt to back up all files, or just the modified files, under your selections. By clicking on the Backup Schedules tab, you can also set the backup to run at timed intervals. Scheduled backups can range from minutes apart to once a month. If you have the correct media in the backup drive, 1Safe can run automatically and then shut down your PC when it is finished (your PC must support software-driven shutdown). All of the options are clearly marked in the 1Safe application window and are easily selected with radio buttons or from drop-down lists.

Typically, you have to use a backup utility to restore any backed-up files to your hard drive before you can access them, which makes for a somewhat tedious process especially when you're restoring individual files. 1Safe takes an entirely different approach, allowing you to access any backup file with the application that created it. While the files are compressed to promote more efficient use of storage on your media, the process of compression and decompression is transparent.

In our tests, 1Safe worked smoothly. We set the backup to run on a specific set of folders at a specific time and named the drive we wanted to save to, and then 1Safe tucked our data away safely. To test the program's smarts, we inserted a different LS-120 disk and tried to run the backup. 1Safe ejected the disk and prompted us to insert the disk designated as our backup disk. If you don't want that level of automation, you can just assign the backup to a drive letter, and 1Safe will store files to whatever disk is inserted.

1Safe is a lot more expensive than the free backup utility included with Microsoft Windows--or the one bundled with your removable drive. But between its file management capabilities and its facile, intuitive backup, its price is well justified. 1Safe will go far in satisfying your archiving and backup needs across multiple media.