Norton Ghost - 12.0

Norton purchased this version from powerquest (drive image) and made it even slicker with a clear, clean interface. Installation took 2-3 minutes. (I had to install Microsoft .net as it was needed (it alerts you, and it is included on the cd) to allow ghost to run) I also opted to install Adobe acrobat reader 6.01 which wasnt already installed, also included on the CD which I thought was handy. I installed it on a new HD on a fresh install of XP. Backup was a snap! I loved the option to choose the size of the backup segments, I chose CD sized segments for burning to CD later on. You can save to a folder on your hard drive, or an external or network drive. Simple, and blazing fast. Whole drive was imaged in roughly 5 minutes. More options include copying an old drive to a new drive (small drive to a larger new drive), and incremental backups. So after getting a new PC set up, all the updates installed, your applications, email and settings adjusted to the way you like, image your drive. Then at any time returning to a pristine and fresh install is a very simple step. Add incremental backups of your data (also has the ability to schedule these) and you are really looking at a safety net worth looking into. (Im an IT guy)

The price could be a bit lower to provide this level of security to the home user, a printed manual would be welcome but is sadly gone the way of most things nowadays. Does include a demo on the CD, but why when you have already purchased it is beyond me. The ease of use shines. Hope this helps others looking (as I have) for a way to get a small business or home's PC's back up and running with some degree of success.