Acronis True Image 8.0

I bought Acronis True Image 8.0 initially so I could replace a deteriorating hard drive with a much bigger new one. The Disc Clone feature worked perfectly, everything transferred without a squeak from Windows. I've now extended it's use so it will start the PC even if Windows is dead and I've taken a copy of each PC's discs onto a detachable hard drive so I can rebuild a dodgy or infected PC right down to operating system level. No more having to reload Windows then all the programs that it can no longer see I hope.

For years I have tried backing up files and seldom been able to open backups when I have needed to. I got Acronis True Image PE free on a magazine cover and gave it a go. I was so impressed I ordered a full version within a few days (the PE version does not include scheduled backups, but the full version does).

The only slight niggle I had was difficulty in always being able to get Acronis to recognise its own 'Secure Zone'. This is a special partition that it creates which can't be seen by Windows and which it uses to save all of its files.

Upgrading to the latest build (ver 937 at the date of writing) solved this and it has worked like a dream ever since.

I have scheduled backups once a week: it can create a full or incremental backup each time.

Restoring a backup is so simple once you've installed the 'Acronis Startup Recovery Manager'. Simply press F11 on boot up when prompted and you are presented with the main Acronis screen. Select Restore Image and follow the prompts.

BUY IT! Buy it and save yourself hours if and when you need to restore a partition or insert a new hard drive.

Easy and cheap (about £15 from Amazon) but highly effective. Oh and it does more than I've explained here - features I've never used but might be of use to you. Check out the Acronis website for full technical details, but don't be put off if the details seem too technical! It really is easy to use with a little limited knowledge - but do read the manual.

I had read heaps of good reviews of the Acronis Acronis True Image 8.0 so I downloaded a trial then purchased it. I had used Ghost and Drive Image in the past but True Image 8.0 beats them hands down. Is very easy to use with an excellent user interface. I've been impressed with the speed of backup and recovery. It has saved my life twice already. I had really messed up and it restored my system in a few minutes.

Acronis Acronis True Image 8.0: Anyone who wants to back up their hard drive on a separate disk or partition may use this software.