Easy PC backups from Clickfree (ClickFree 320GB Portable Backup Drive)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	ClickFree 320GB Portable Backup Drive
Date:	13/09/09 (241 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Automatic operation. Silent and fast in use.

Disadvantages: Hard drives are not the best backup devices.

Do you back up your PC?

Do you have any precious, irreplaceable, or important files on your PC?

If the answer to the first question is no, and the answer to the second question yes, then you, like many people have a PC disaster waiting to happen.

Many people only back up their PC after such a disaster, by then it is, of course, too late. I was fortunate, a false alarm with my hard drive made me realise that the thousands of family photos stored on my PC were too precious to risk not having a backup.

I initially started backing them up to recordable DVD. This works, but is a bit tedious (I have about 60Gb of photos so needed plenty of discs to store them all).

I happened across the Clickfree automatic backup system during an internet search. This seemed to offer an easier way to back up (and, I reasoned, if it was easy, I'd be more likely to do it).

I bought the 320Gb Clickfree model from QVC at a cost of £110 six months ago. The inevitable march of technology means that a 500Gb system is available now for around £10 more than I paid for mine.

The Clickfree is simply a portable hard drive (5400 rpm) with a USB interface and some clever software to make backups automatic.

The unit is quite attractive looking, with a blue metal case with bright edges. There are two lights on the system, one indicating power, the other that the hard drive is in use.

To use, the unit is simply connected to a USB socket. The computer will recognise the device, and then indicate that the drivers have been installed. A Windows dialog box then opens with several options. Click on 'Start Clickfree backup' and the software launches.

The software interface is quite neat (but then there are few options available, so it can be). A message indicating backup commencing in 25 seconds is shown and counts down, after which the backup process starts.

Firstly, the hard drive(s) in the PC are searched for files. Clickfree does not back up Windows or program files, just data files such as Office documents, music, pictures and videos.

Once the files have been identified, the files are backed up to the Clickfree hard drive. Depending on the number of files, this may take a while, but as Clickfree is a hard drive, it's a relatively fast process. The drive is silent in use, the only indication that it is working is the flashing hard disc light on the unit.

There is a link on the Clickfree interface to the manufacturer's website where comprehensive support files are available.

Once all of the files have been backed up, the procedure is finished and all that remains to be done is to remove the Clickfree box from the PC.

Future backups will, of course, be quicker since the unit identifies only new or changed files to backup.

In the event of a loss of data on the PC, the process of restoring files to your PC is straightforward. Once the PC is up and running again, connect the Clickfree unit and click on the restore button at the bottom of the screen. Your files will be copied back onto the PC.

This is an incredibly simple to use backup device. It is relatively cheap, is portable (so can be used to backup several PC's), and is fast and silent in operation.

Having such an easy to use system means that users are more likely to back up their PC's. This can only be a good thing. It's worth noting, however, that the Clickfree is itself a hard drive. Because of this, it is not the most robust backup system (hard drives can, of course, fail). The limited use (once per week) should mean that it's relatively reliable and is far better than no backup at all.

If you're looking for a backup system for your PC, then there are worse solutions on the market than Clickfree; it is well worth a look.

Summary: An incredibly easy backup system.

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