Pico Backup

PicoBackup is an easy-to-use, award-winning backup utility packed with many powerful features to back up all your important data like documents/files, Outlook/Outlook Express e-mails, registry settings, favorites, etc. PicoBackup can be easily extended to support other types of backup by installing plugins.

Various methods of backup like full backup, incremental backup and multi-generation backup are supported, giving you full control on how to back up. Features: Flexible integrated scheduler, CD/DVD burning and spanning, 256-bit AES/Blowfish encryption, backup to remote FTP server, standard ZIP compression, e-mail notification, detailed logging and more. Many different types of media are supported, including flash/thumb drives, Zip/Jazz drive, floppy drive.

 


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Visual Synopsis

Windows 98 UpgradeWindows MEWindows 2000 ProWindows XP HomeWindows XP Pro  
Creates automatically a set number of backup volumsSends email eport after backup or errorCan encrypt or password protect backupKeeps detailed logRuns Schedule runs only when loged infits large backup over mutilple CSs  
Backup to CD-R/RW without 3dr party supportWill backup to another hard drive on your systemWill backup to DVD without 3rd party supportbacks up to firewire devicesWill backup to flash drives Floppy drives supportedBacks up to remote internet location via FTPWill backup to any network deviceCan backup to zip drives  
Handles FAT 16 and FAT 32Backs up data from Windows compatible storage devises.  
Backup to a fileMake a copy of selected files on the backup devicebackup to one zip file on the backup device  

Restore file foldersRestore individual files

 
Saves your desktopSaves your data in My documents  
For average computer usersFair price for the features offered Exellent & great features  
License for one computerPrice cut when you buy more than oneFull featured trial for 10-30 days Download the program click here  
Buy PicoBackup - Single User License  
Single License $39.93 Outlook / Outlook Express plugin $ 9.95 Registry backup $14.95  



What our tester has to say...

PicoBackup installed without any issue and I encountered no limitations in the rail. The wizard steps through all the important information the backup program needs in order to do a successful backup. I tried both a DVD and an FTP backup. Pico completed both without any outside assistance, and the FTP client had no compatibility issues with our server. There are a few shortcuts for things like My Documents. I really don't consider that a feature. If you read the vendor's advertisement, you may expect shortcuts for Outlook and Outlook Express. These are available only at extra cost.

Like several other backup programs, Pico uses its own scheduler. But nowadays, with a large share of Windows 2000 and Windows XP installation, a backup program should offer the use of the Windows scheduler, which would allow unattended backups without the user being logged in. This has a lot of advantages, including a lot fewer issues with locked files because most programs are not running when the user is logged out. PicoBackup does not have a shadow backup solution for locked files, and it cannot close applications like Outlook before backing up. You can run programs before and after the backup however.

Overall, Pico seems to be a program crafted after others like Handybackup. It does not seem to do any more or less. I rate the DVD backup a plus at the $40.00 price tag. But due to some shortcomings I found here and there in the program, I would definitely do another round of testing before depending on it as the program that will rescue me in the hour of need.

Another plus went to a minus. I like the idea of pointing to problems in the log with color. It makes sense when you have to look through a lot of lines. However, when I took a look at the log from an aborted Outlook backup, it was all green. It even listed the "user abort" in green. In my book, that should be a red. Just imagine you're an admin. who has to check the backup log on several machines. You probably would miss that green line and not realize that the machine is not backed up. Especially since you expect to see trouble in red.

For an additional fee, you can purchase plug-ins for Outlook, Outlook Express and your registry. I tried the Outlook shortcut (an additional $9.95) and was less than impressed. It only listed my current PST file and not even included the Archive PST file. Also, the files containing account information, rules and signature were not on the list. Your current PST file contains all your messages, calendars and contacts. But I'm sure you would like to have the rest of the Outlook settings backed up too.

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What the vendor has to say...


Acubix PicoBackup is an easy-to-use backup utility packed with many powerful features to help keep your data safe. Its advanced architecture allows it to support many types of backup by simply installing plugins. There are plugins to backup files, registry settings, Outlook/Outloook Express e-mails and many more.

 

Features:
Intuitive user interface makes it very easy to use
Integrated CD/DVD burning capability
Supports spanning multiple CDs/DVDs
Strong 256-bit AES/Blowfish encryption
Simple and flexible file/folder selection
Backup to remote FTP server
Flexible integrated scheduling
Industry standard ZIP compression
Advanced plugin architecture
Allows full or partial restoration from backup
E-mail notifications on backup
Comprehensive help system
Compatible with PicoZip backup feature


What the user has to say...

 

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