Overview

Acronis True Image Home 2009 allows you to backup your entire PC including the OS, Applications, Pictures, video, settings, email and everything else.  It protects your computer with one-click utilities and makes it easy to recover from viruses and other malicious software.  Users can do full and incremental backups along with select files.

Walk Through Review

Installation – 8

Installing Acronis True Image is very easy using the installation wizard where you can check for updates, read the user guide, and contact support for any help needed.

After installation is complete a reboot of your PC is required.

Features – 8

There are a lot of features and options in True Image to handle any of your backup or disk imaging needs.  You can choose to backup individual programs and settings or an entire disk sector for sector including the unused space.

The main overview screen is where to find and execute different options and settings.  Everything is in a nice easy to use interface.

True Image offers a “set it and forget it” feature with One-Click backup protection which makes saving your system data extremely easy.  If the backup destination drive is not connected during a scheduled backup it will automatically run the backup after the drive is connected.

True Image includes the ability to encrypt backups for drives you have with top secret files.

Another great included tool is their Try & Decide feature which allows you to test new drivers and other software applications without risk to your current operating system.  Simply launch the Try & Decide utility and start the timer and while it is running try out new software.

After you have determined if the new software will work out or not just stop the Try & Decide timer and choose to keep the changes or not.

If you choose to discard the changes reboot your computer and it will be restored to its original working state as if you never made any changes.

They also offer an easy to read chart where you can see the status of your system protection.

Ease of Use – 8

Even beginners will be able to easily use most of the backup features in True Image.  Features and options are laid out in an easy to understand interface.  Let’s take a look at how easy it is to image a hard drive.    Click on Backup and Restore from the left menu then My Computer in the data to back up section.

The Backup Wizard will open to guide you through the imagine process.

The Wizard will walk you through optional steps you can configure with the image.  You can choose the type of backup with Full, Incremental, and Differential.  Most home users will probably want to use Incremental.

A progress screen is displayed while the backup or imaging is taking place.

Performance – 8

True Image is surprisingly efficient with system resources even while running a backup.  In fact it will allow you to do a “live backup” meaning you can continue to work and do your normal computing while running a backup.

Product Support – 8

Acronis offers several support options on their website including FAQ, Knowledgebase, and downloadable user manuals.  They have live representatives available 24 hours a day and they offer priority service through their Per-incident Support which allows live phone, email, and web based support.  I contacted their customer support a couple of times and received an answer within 24 hours each time.

Conclusion

Acronis True Image 2009 is one of the easiest backup tools to use on your PC.  It offers great performance, tons of options, and easy to follow wizards for different tasks.  True Image works with Windows XP and Vista, they offer a 15 day trial period and a license costs $49.99.  If you are looking for an affordable easy to use backup utility that simply just works then True Image is definitely worth a look.

Download Acronis True Image 2009

Rating

• Installation: 8
• Ease of Use: 8
• Features: 8
• Performance: 8
• Product Support: 8