Active@ Disk Image is a PC backup solution for an entire computer or any sets of PC disks, including OS, applications and user files. A disk image may be stored on a USB drive, network storage, burned directly to CD/DVD/BR discs, etc.

Pros: The application has a pretty user interface. One can operate through the drop down menus or the set of icons provided. What’s really nice is a small window in the interface clearly tells you what the selected operation is going to do exactly.

What you could do exactly is back up windows files or create an exact image of the disk (a sector by sector copy, including blank sectors also). This raw image would be useful in backing up non-windows systems.

There’s a verify image that goes through the image file created and tells you if everything is readable and hence can be restored when the time comes. Data can be compressed at two levels and there’s password protection. Creating back up is easy too, the wizard takes you through the steps. The back-up device could be any other drive on the system or the network or the CD/DVD disks. Multi volume back up and the corresponding file split could be defined. Back up can be scheduled, which is a nice tool. Setting up the scheduling is easy too. There’s a log that is maintained too.

Restore wizard lets you look through the directory structure and lets you restore selectively if you want. Raw image back-up obviously would not let one do that.

Cons: Nothing adverse noticed.