Thread: GENIE BACKUP MANAGER PRO EDITION v8.0

GENIE BACKUP MANAGER PRO 8.0 IS A heavy-duty backup-and-restore pro¬gram that performs almost any file storage and rescue task you can imag¬ine. This is the program to choose when you've got a few thousand files you can't manage without, and when you need to be able to restore your Windows settings instantly.
I was really impressed by the program's depth of features and the thoughtfulness that has gone in developing the options. The menu system is a fine example: It looks simple enough already, but clicking on a Switch to Easy Mode button makes it even simpler.

The utility let me create automated, scheduled backup jobs and provided useful options-for instance, one that automatically adds the date and time to the filename of the backup. I appre¬ciated that I could also choose backup locations ranging from local drives through writable DVDs to FTP sites to Genie's online backup service. My only disappointment was the absence of secure FTPsupport.
In deciding what to back up, I could choose from prebuilt categories (like My Documents, Outlook, and the Windows Registry) or, of course, select any combination of folders and exclude certain types of files older than a user-specified date or larger than a user-specified size. A plug-in even let me back up and restore settings of dozens of applications!

Advanced options include incremental back¬ups with rollback. The convenient rollback fea¬ture preserves earlier versions of files rather than overwriting them. I also admired the unique Swift Restore option, which creates a self-restoring backup-no software needed. Well, this is per¬haps the most important feature of this software.



Genie's restores are just as customizable as its backups. For example, when I restored my Win¬dows Mail messages, the program let me choose between merging my backed-up mail messages with my existing ones or simply overwriting my current messages.

The program includes an advanced feature for creating an emergency restore disk. One option first creates a bootable CD or DVD, then a backup that saves the full set of your Windows and pro¬gram files on removable media or any external or network hard drive. The carefully designed disas¬ter-recovery backup let me easily restore a fried Vista system.

I still use drive-imaging software to back up my main system, but Genie Backup Manager Pro 8.0 may be a better way to go when you want to back up a limited number of files. For a file backup program, I don't know of a better choice to make. This flexible, exceptionally well-designed, reli¬able backup utility should be part of everyone's toolkit