Recommended

Acronis has built an impressive and deserved reputation in the system backup and security market with its True Image series, and has built a range of worthwhile improvements into the latest version.

True Image 11 is far more than a straightforward backup solution, with additions such as message level Outlook restore, system level backup and, most innovatively, the �Try & Decide' sandbox feature. You'll also find privacy tools to protect sensitive data and you can ensure files and system activity are permanently deleted to protect against fraud. These are just some of the new features that sit atop an already capable array of functionality which goes a lot further than just protecting important data.

If there's one thing that doesn't appear to have been improved much it's the interface, which, while accessible and clear enough to use, does appear a little bland. This isn't too concerning from a usability point of view though, since you'll find instant access to both individual tools and the four main categories of software available through the suite.

The basic functionality is contained within �Backup & Restore', which uses a wizard-based approach to help you select individual files and folders, system state, file categories and extensions, Microsoft Outlook backup or application settings. The last of these stores the current operational configuration of any applications installed on your system, allowing you to restore them at a later time if new software or system changes cause problems. Backups can be validated for peace of mind or mounted as images for quick access, so the degree of control here is extremely good.

In addition to its backup capabilities, perhaps the most innovative new feature on offer in this latest version is the �Try & Decide' feature. This works almost like an on-the-fly system restore utility. By creating an Acronis Secure Zone on your hard drive, a protected partition which cannot be accessed by ordinary applications, you'll find that all alterations to your system will be performed on this virtual replica.

This allows you to experiment with system alterations or new software without running the risk of doing any damage to your Windows environment. If and when you decide that you want to keep any changes, they can be applied to your actual system to synchronise the two configurations. This works well, and will be a boon for anyone who frequently alters or updates their operating system with new software or settings.

Features like this, along with small but worthwhile advantages such as the ability to continue to use your system while it's being restored, boot-time recovery, disk cloning and the system clean-up utilities mentioned earlier, establish this latest version of True Image as the backup and recovery suite to have.