Thread: Backup, Tune-Up, and More

Backing up provides the ultimate in security. Whether a virulent Trojan destroys your data or a giant hairy elephant sits on your computer, if you've got a recent backup, you can bounce back. Look for a solution that lets you store backed¬up data away from your computer-on DVDs, on removable drives, on a network share, even online.

Ease of use is essential. The utility should automatically back up common file types from common locations without any complicated configuration work on your part. The ability to back up open files is important, as is some means of
recovering an earlier version of a file. Probably keying off OneCare, many suites now include a tune-up or "performance enhancement" module. All too often, though, these are just puffery, offering nothing that you can't do using tools built into Windows.



There's no special value in a tool that merely launches the Windows defrag¬ger, System Restore, or Disk Cleanup. You'll occasionally find such a module with more power, like the McAfee suite's QuickClean. But, in general, don't count on these components for much.