The bane of every computer user isn't just losing data, it also includes having to reinstall everything again after a format. Many of us have stuck to tape or floppy backup, while others have employed specialist recovery means like Norton Ghost, rather than move on to optical storage options.

The NTI Backup Now Deluxe DVD version takes advantage of the ubiquity of CD burners, and the growing popularity of DVD burning, to deliver a competent backup and crash recovery tool.

Last year we looked at the CD version of this package (November 2002, page 62), which has now been revamped and improved to work with DVDs as well. This is an intelligent package that is very easy to use with a wizard-type format. It only backs up the used sectors on your hard drive, thus saving time and space. Backup files can be automatically compared and verified to ensure accuracy, and can also be scheduled to run automatically to save vital data records when not being used.

There are two programs in the package: Backup Now Deluxe and DriveBackup. Backup Now offers part or selective backup and is quite flexible. It also has a powerful Include/Exclude feature that allows you to select specific file types. For large backups, disk spanning is available across one or more drives.

DriveBackup on the other hand allows you to create an emergency recovery CD or DVD that will be bootable in the event of a serious crash. It also allows you to create an image disk for normal restoration and password security is available to protect against unauthorised use.

It supports a wide range of CD and DVD formats, and it also has network support, allowing backups from all networked computers through a single burner, and support is provided for a range of backup platforms including Zip, Jazz and USB drives.

Overall, this is a great package that capably does the job of backing up your system. It could have done with a hardcopy manual, but its wide support and smart price make up for this.