As our digital media collections grow and all of our memories are translated into ones and zeroes, the importance of backing up our data also grows. For many of us, the complete destruction of our music, home video and photo library is just one catastrophic hard drive failure away. We all know we need a back-up solution. We're just too lazy to do anything about it, or we think that deploying a solution to back up our computers will be too complicated.
And that's where Storage Application Corporation's ClickFree line of automatic back-up solutions comes in, including the ClickFree HD701 Backup Software with 120 GB USB Hard Drive, the subject of our review today.
This could have been a very short review:
And it would have been accurate. But there's more to it than that.
Let's Back Up a Little
Yes, the ClickFree software does back up a PC automatically with 0 clicks (you agree to the End User License Agreement by opening the package). But it also allows you to back up nine additional PCs, and it allows you to selectively restore one file or the whole shooting match in case of a hard drive or computer failure.
To perform a back-up on any PC, simply plug in the small end of the provided double-USB cable into the 120 GB hard drive and the other ends into two available ports on your PC, and the software will start up automatically. One USB plug is used to provide power to the drive, and the other is to transfer files back and forth. The ClickFree software should load automatically shortly after the drive is attached and will present a 30-second countdown timer before it begins backing up files.
The ClickFree software identifies each PC by its internal computer name, but allows you to override this default for a more user-friendly name if you so choose. The ClickFree software runs with intelligent defaults, in terms of which files to back up, and allows you to change these defaults as well, adding custom file types, excluding (or including) specific folders.
The one odd thing that I noticed during the initial backup was that that only about 35 MB of the drive's 120GB capacity was used, even though 96 GB of space was in use on my laptop. I found out that the ClickFree software was automatically omitting any folders with "temp" as the folder name (and any sub-folders), which I had been using for some less-than-temporary files (mostly movies and music). So I renamed the folder to something different and these files were included in the next back-up. The software also omits all Windows system files and program files - it backs up your data but as far as the operating system and applications, you're on your own.
Hey, Give That Back!
After performing a back-up, you can retrieve individual files or an entire PC's worth of data by simply plugging the drive into the original PC or any other PC and selecting "Options" before the back-up software's start-up countdown expires. To retrieve the files, you can view by file type, browse the original folder structure, or search for files that meet specific criteria.
During the review process, I had occasion to use the restore function myself, to restore this very review document. My main laptop's Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) failed, and the required motherboard is still on back-order, lo these two weeks later (thanks for nothing, Dell!). Fortunately I had backed up the document on the ClickFree drive, and was able to retrieve it from a new computer quickly and easily.
Miscellaneous Features and Functions
Assuming your PC is connected to the Web, the ClickFree software can get automatic updates whenever improvements or enhancements are made to the software. If you perform an update, the software will ask you to unplug and re-plug in the device after update is complete. By the way, you can do other things with your PC while it's doing its backup or restore thing, so its use will not disrupt your regular work.
In terms of compatibility, the software is billed as being compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. I tried the software on three laptops: two running XP, one running Vista. The XP machines ran the software as planned but on the Vista machine, the software never made it past the initial loading screen. After a Web update of the ClickFree software, I tried the Vista machine once more and this time it ran as expected. It wasn't technically "click free" due to Vista's built-in security features, but it took only one click to load up and start the software.
The ClickFree system's greatest feature is also its greatest weakness. It does not actually install any software on your desktop - it runs directly from the drive itself - so you don't need to install anything in order for it to run. But this means the ClickFree software cannot be run from your PC's "Start" menu. If you leave your ClickFree drive plugged into your PC and you wish to do a fresh back-up, you'll need to unplug the drive from the USB port and plug it back in, in order for it to re-load the ClickFree software and run the back-up process again. There is no way to have the drive automatically back up new or changed files, nor to do a scheduled back-up at a particular time every day. I'd like to see this option added in the future as it would beef up the features of this otherwise excellent device.
Turns-Ons
Turn-Offs
Final Thoughts
As digital media proliferates in our lives, the danger of losing precious memories in the form of our photos, music, videos and other documents, grows. But still many people have nothing in place to back up these files, perhaps because back-up systems seem too complicated. ClickFree effectively comes to our aid by providing a truly click-free backup system that will create copies of our irreplaceable data and media files with a minimum of fuss. Those looking for a more advanced solution that supports scheduled back-ups will have to look elsewhere. But if you're looking for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your data and files are protected without having to install software, ClickFree makes a great choice. It couldn't be much simpler.
Where to Buy:
HD701 Specifications:
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Hard Drive: |
2.5 inch SATA |
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Capacity: |
120GB |
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RPM: |
5400 |
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Cache Buffer: |
8MB |
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Interface |
USB 2.0 and 1.1 compliant |
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Dimensions: |
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Requirements: |
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Manufacturer's Contact Information:
Storage Appliance Corporation
30 West Beaver Creek Road, Unit 115
Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 3K1
Canada
Tel: +1 416 484 0009
Fax: +1 905 370 0044
On the Web: www.goclickfree.com
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