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Genie Mail Backup 8.0 is a slick but functionally limited version of the company's Genie Backup 8.0 that backs up only Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Mail (Vista's version of OE) files plus some common Windows settings and data.

Though you can easily back up your e-mail messages without special programs if you know where the files are or use the export function, doing the same for the things that help you read your e-mail is another matter. Backing up the message rules, accounts, and settings for Outlook Express and Vista Mail is a registry task that's a colossal pain for advanced users and beyond the ken of most. GMB 8 will of course handle both the messages and the more esoteric chores, but it's from the latter that it derives its real usefulness.

By and large GMB is easy to use, though the GUI occasionally gets a tad confusing, such as when you're selecting what to back up. GMB performed fine for the most part, but trying to restore a massive self-restoring Vista Mail account backup on a different PC initially failed. Only after I talked to tech support and upped the maximum self-executing file size did it succeed. This isn't something an end user should have to worry about.

GMB 8 is of most use to Outlook Express and Mail users, but the company also offers an Outlook Express backup program that does the same thing--for free. Also, you can get a full version of Genie Backup Home 8.0 with the same wizards plus the ability to back up everything and create a disaster recovery disc for only $15 more--a much better buy for most users. Genie Mail Backup 8.0 is best suited for a small niche of business users who want to keep client costs down or the rare Vista Mail user with deep pockets and an existing backup program that won?t handle the chore.

A feature comparison of all the versions of Genie Backup can be found at http://www.genie-soft.com/differences/us/whatproduct.html.

--Jon L. Jacobi