backup

Recall -- Following with our recent theme on " backup software ", I announced last week that I be compiling an in-depth review on a disk imaging software. In a subsequent newsletter, I asked Infopackets Readers to send me their opinions (good or ... bad) on their favorite imaging program. Responses have been strong, with about 60 opinions to date. Based on those opinions, the consensus is that Acronis True Image is ranked as the favorite recommendation, providing best overall feature set and the least amount of bugs and incompatibilities. One other strong point brought to my attention ... (view more)

The next few feature articles of our newsletter will spotlight 4 editorials written by Kevin J. Vella of UniBlue, and provides an interesting and in-depth view of choosing a backup solution. -- It was Sunday, the 23rd of November 2003 at 4 PM, and I ... was in my final months of Graduate Business School. Two chapters of my research project were stashed on my hard drive -- no hard copies, just bits and bytes of hard work compiled over the last three months. I was punching away at my keyboard -- when all of a sudden, my notebook slowed dramatically. I started closing down open applications in hopes ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Judy R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am looking for a laptop that would support an online business. I have a decent computer at home, but would like to have a separate computer for the business. I was thinking of a laptop; are there ... any you would recommend? I would need some ability to back-up. We have DSL High Speed Internet at home and would like to go wireless. We're a little lost on how to do that, though we have the parts. PS: I enjoy your newsletter -- some of it is way over my head, but I am getting some good basic information. Keep up the good work. Thank you. ... (view more)

Last Friday's article touched upon the importance of backing up an entire computer system (including Windows itself). As you may recall, disk imaging is mentioned frequently in this newsletter, as it is an important part of 'disaster recovery' ... planning. Over the weekend, I received a number of comments and questions from Readers: many of which referenced the fundamentals of disk imaging. Since the questions were similar in nature -- and because disk imaging is such an essential topic -- I have decided to repost an article which illustrates the basics of disk imaging versus 'regular file ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'SweetImage' writes: " Dennis is there any way to get rid of the Mirar toolbar once and for all? I have searched sites where I have found loads of people having the same problem. I have used at least 8 different Adware-blocking ... programs to remove the toolbar from my system, but none of them can get rid of this rotten thing! Mirar support has not answered my emails and I am going absolutely crazy trying to remove it from my system. I cannot use the Windows System Restore because it won't allow me to roll back (except for today's date) -- and furthermore, Dell can't help ... (view more)

I live in my MS Outlook Inbox; at least 75% of my computing day is devoted to reading RSS news feeds and responding to emails. If my system crashed and I lost all my MS Outlook data, my business would be 'up a paddle without a creek', so to speak. ... Thankfully, WinGuides (makers of Registry Mechanic ) created a program called Email Saver Xe with email Inbox protection in mind. Side Note: RSS is an acronym which stands for Really Simple Syndication. You can subscribe to RSS news feeds using a news reader application like NewsGator (compatible with MS Outlook as a 'plugin') to receive automated ... (view more)

Are DVD backups illega l? On February 20th, "a federal court has ruled that 321 Studios must stop making software that allows users to copy DVDs ... [The] St. Louis-based [company] said it would appeal the ruling by Judge Susan Illston of U.S. ... District Court in San Francisco ... [The court] has barred 321 from selling its DVD copying software within one week [ending February 27th, 2004]. " (Source: Reuters.com ). Despite the ruling, "321 stands firm ... to fight the Hollywood Studios in their effort to take away our customers' digital rights,' said Robert Moore, Founder and ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Steve S. from Kentville, Nova Scotia writes: " Dear Dennis, Why is it desirable to backup windows driver files when I can use Windows System Restore to go back to a previous state of my computer's configuration in which everything ... was working fine? Is it because System Restore does not always restore all the necessary drivers? " My Response: As far as I understand, the Windows System Restore feature focuses primarily on restoring a working copy of the Windows Registry. As programs, operating system updates, and drivers are installed to a system, the Windows ... (view more)

Update 02 / 23 / 2005: Registry Mechanic 4.0 has just been released. Click here to read the newest review of Registry Mechanic 4.0 (including screenshots), or continue below to read Jake Ludington's review of Registry Mechanic version 2.0. -- The ... most common cause for system instability, crashes, and performance degradation is a poorly configured or un-optimized Windows Registry. Maintaining the Windows Registry using WinGuide's Registry Mechanic can avoid erratic system behavior, while improving overall PC performance. Let's start with the basics: What is the Windows Registry? The Windows ... (view more)