O&O DiskImage 5 ($50)

Protecting your data constantly against danger is not half as time-consuming as it sounds. The easiest method is making a manual copy. However, this not only takes up a lot of space, but also a lot of time as every single change has to be manually backed up. Technically adept users therefore opt for a Backup Software that does the copying automatically. An image of a computer does many things that all these copying methods cannot. It backs up files, programs and settings, yet requires much less space than a copy and is much quicker, saving time too. Should a user experience sudden loss of data or a defective operating system, their usual computer environment can be restored simply and quickly with no need for time-consuming new installations of the operating system and applications.

O&O DiskImage 5 from O&O Software GmbH offers users an easy way of securing their data. The new One-Click Imaging enables an entire computer to be backed-up with just one click. The Information Bar leads users step-by-step through the process offering many useful tips along the way. Restoring an image is equally simple, with single files for example being copied using Windows Explorer so they can then be restored easily when required.

O&O DiskImage doesn’t however just secure data, but whole computers too. Restoring an image means the old computer setup is quickly brought back to life, regardless of whether it is onto the computer where the image was created or onto another machine. O&O DiskImage 5 can restore a system image or duplicate onto both identical hardware and onto different hardware, for instance where the Motherboard or the Processor has been changed. When moving to another computer, the old system configuration with all settings is transferred to the new system. Thanks to the O&O DiskImage 5 Boot CD based on Windows PE – a self-contained operating system – users can also swap defective drivers or modify dead systems so that they boot up once more. This function is even possible without having to recover an image created using O&O DiskImage 5.

New and enhanced functions

• Clear user guidance: The new Information Bar leads the user clearly through each stage of the procedure and provides helpful tips. Various options are displayed before imaging begins, and advanced options are available during the procedure, such as closing down the computer upon completion of the image.
• One-Click Imaging: The new One-Click Imaging is the quickest and easiest way to make an entire image of data and settings, including the system partition. It is particularly useful when using O&O DiskImage for the first time or when a user has yet to make an image of their system.
• Restoration onto different hardware (M.I.R.): With the integrated function "Restoration to different hardware” (M.I.R.: machine independent restoration) it is now possible to restore an image of an operating system onto different hardware, and to make a dead system bootable again. After the image has been restored, the new hardware can be adapted and the system is once again start-capable.
• Various imaging methods: The complete imaging option lets users choose between a space-saving used sector image and an all-encompassing forensic image for the purposes of a data recovery later.
• Substantial space is saved using an image of the changes (incremental or differential image): Only those data sectors which have changed will be imaged.
• Restore single files: O&O DiskImage image files (OMG) can be mounted as virtual drives. This enables direct access to individual files or folders through Windows explorer, without having to restore the whole image.
• Virtual Hard Disc (VHD): O&O DiskImage 5 can convert images of virtual hard disks from Microsoft (VHD) into image O&O DiskImage image files and vice versa. A virtual hard disk can therefore be directly restored.
• Visualization of data: Hard disks and drives are displayed graphically, similar to the storage volume management from Microsoft, providing an intuitive way of selecting those volumes to be imaged or restored. Managing the data is made simple thanks to graphical displays of free and used memory and the size of the partitions.

Prices and availability
O&O DiskImage 5 Professional Edition costs US$ 49.95 as a full version single computer license, with an introductory price of US$ 29.95. An upgrade from a previous version or competing product costs US$ 19.95. Customers can purchase O&O DiskImage 5 Professional Edition from resellers and retails stores such as Amazon. Resellers can obtain O&O DiskImage 5 from the O&O Authorized Distributors, who can be found online.

Interested users can download a free trial version of O&O DiskImage 5 Professional Edition from the the company’s Web site. The 30-day trial version lets users create images and test the various functions and performance attributes the program has to offer.