Backup Utilities: What are the Differences between File Backups and Hard Drive Imaging?

There are indeed a great many backup program varieties available these days and it may seem overwhelming trying to make a decision.

If you don't create a backup of your files you risk losing money and time restoring your system in case of a computer failure or virus attack. Setting up your system from scratch will take quite some time and potentially cost you a lot, particularly if you use your PC for business or work. Imagine all the hours you spent setting up your computer, installing all the software, and working on your files.

Can you afford losing all your digital camera pictures, or losing all records needed for your tax records? Can you afford losing all your valuable files and do you have the time to re-invest several days setting up Windows on your PC?

Of course you can't! So, which of all these technologies is the right one for you? There are two groups of backup tools you need to know about: drive imaging and document file backup

On systems with plenty of files, such as servers or professional workstations, it makes sense to go for a file-based backup program. When you apply this backup method for the first time, it takes more time because the software processes each file separately; however, incremental backups (each successive time you run the backup again) are expected to finish quickly because the tool will spot what has changed and skip files that remained unchanged.

File-based backups offer the strength of a configurable, directed backup; you can select exactly what you want stored and how you want it done. This is usually important when you have a lot of documents to manage. For instance, you might have stored tens of gigabytes of digital pictures on your computer for a birthday party preparation. But maybe you are just experimenting with them and you do not want to clutter your USB backup disk with unnecessary images that you will never need to restore. With file backup-based software, you can easily leave out these images from your backup to avoid filling up your backup drive with files you do not wish to keep. In addition, you can speed up your backup process by setting up your file backup software to not compress your MPEGs and images at all since media files usually do not compress that much.

Another benefit of disk imaging over file backups is that it backs up your OS and all your programs as well. While file backups guarantee your valuable files are safe, disk imaging allows for a full system restore including Windows and Office. This is especially useful when you cannot find the original program CDs and will save you a lot of grief when restoring your computer.

It may seem that disk imaging is the way to go but it really depends on the circumstances. Disk imaging is significantly slower and more wasteful with storage than file backup; hence, efficiency and time are crucial distinguishing aspects between the two backup methods. Before choosing the product for your home PC or business, you may want to evaluate the pluses and negative effects between each backup strategy.

USB backup is another strategy often used by users to ensure there data is not lost. USB devices are the main platforms for the USB backup process.