Symantec Norton Ghost 12: Norton Ghost performs both Selective Backups and Drive Cloning. Additional features include integration with the Google Desktop for improved file searching capability, and event based back-ups (such as a new program being installed). Norton Ghost is available for Windows XP—Vista for $69.99. Symantec also produces (but seldom advertises) Norton Save & Restore 2.0, a less feature packed back-up program which also performs both Selective Back-ups and Drive Cloning. Norton Save & Restore is available for Windows XP—Vista for $49.99, www.symantec.com/norton/products/index.jsp.

Acronis True Image 11 Home: As with Symantec’s programs, Acronis True Image 11 Home performs both Selective Backups and Disk Cloning. Additional features include “Boot-time Restore,” which allows you to start working while your hard drive is still being restored in the background, a large selection of back-up scheduling options, and “Try & Decide,” which allows you to install new software or browse the web in a protected environment. After doing so, if you experience problems, you can simply discard the changes made to your system. Acronis True Image 11 Home is available for Windows 2000—Vista for $49.99, www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/.

EMC Insignia Retrospect: All of EMC’s back-up products perform both Selective Backups and Disk Cloning. EMC Retrospect Express HD 2.0 also supports the ability to rotate 2 or more back-up disks. This can be particularly useful if you accidentally delete a file from your back-up drive (it can happen), or if you want to keep a second back-up disk off-site, in case of computer theft, fire or flood damage. Retrospect Express HD 2.0 is available for Windows 2000—Vista for $49.99. EMC Retrospect for Macintosh Desktop, which can back-up your Mac, plus 2 networked Mac, Windows, or Red Hat Linux computers, sells for $119. The Windows version, EMC Retrospect for Windows Professional, which protects your Windows computer, plus 2 networked Windows, Mac, or Linux computers, also sells for $119, www.emcinsignia.com/products/homeandoffice/.

Conclusion
No article on backup would be complete without a brief mention of Apple’s new back-up utility, Time Capsule. Time Capsule combines networking connectivity with a 500GB hard drive ($299) or a 1 Terabyte hard drive ($499). It’s able to send and receive data wirelessly at up to 300Mbits/sec, and also has ports for wired network connections, which run at up to 1000 Mbits/sec (1GB/sec).

Time Capsule works with OS X Leopard’s Time Machine software, it can also be used with your choice of back-up software, and is compatible with OS X 10.4.8 (and higher), and Windows XP and Vista. Apple promises simple network connectivity on both operating systems.

At press time, Time Capsule is simply too new for us to know how well it will work out. However, if you’re looking for wireless backup, or 1Gbit/sec networked backup, you may want to check it out. www.apple.com/timecapsule/.

Backup and Restore can be a complicated topic, my goal with this article has been to provide information on the hard drives, software, and strategies available to make it as painless as possible. You’re a photographer, and you want to spend your time being a photographer, not a system engineer. In helping to achieve that goal, I hope that you’ve found this article helpful and informative.

Contacts
Acronis
23 3rd Ave.
Burlington, MA 01803
781-222-0920
www.acronis.com

Addonics Technologies
2466 Kruse Dr.
San Jose, CA 95131
408-433-3898
www.addonics.com

Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-996-1010
www.apple.com

EMC Insignia
6701 Koll Center Parkway
Suite 150
Pleasanton, CA 94566
925-600-5305
www.emcinsignia.com

NTI
9999 Muirlands Blvd.
Irvine, CA 92618
949-421-0720
www.ntius.com

Symantec
20330 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
www.symantec.com