Prior to buying a backup program, you should always reflect over a critical question: "If my PC was stolen tomorrow what data would I really miss or lose?"

Now, a few of us, a minority, would have the courage to say "I wouldn't really lose anything." However, a large majority would answer:

• I'd lose all my e-mails
• I'd lose my Word Documents
• I'd lose my ICQ files
• I'd lose my downloaded programs
• I'd lose all my vital personal tax records, business files, etc.

Those who employ a PC to enable their business might add as an injunction:

• I'd lose my invoices
• I'd lose my customer list
• I'd lose my computer programs
• I'd lose my product catalog
• I'd lose my tax records

And a lot more would follow ...

There is a huge possibility of losing out on all the valuable information once your hard disk breaks down. If you haven't got a back-up ready, then it is lost for good. It can't be put more simply.

BackupNext is about saving the significant information and data, so that you can restore it fast and with no errors.

If you require bringing back your Windows operating system and any installed software such as Microsoft Office, this program is NOT meant for you. The program that is strongly recommended would be a product called Acronis True Image. It's the easiest to use and implement in its category and offers many features to please even the most complex users.

Full - Each chosen file or folder is backed up

Incremental - Files that have been altered or modified since the last backup are backed up. Archive is reset to denote 'file saving'. Deleting the older version of a backed up file is refrained from and simply a copy of the newest version is added.

Differential - Altered files are backed up and missing files are deleted. Older versions of files currently to be backed up are also deleted.

"Mirror" - The backup set of folders is constantly coordinated with the source set of folders. Change in source is reflected in backup usually instantaneously.

"Snapshot" - Identical as Full, files are not marked as saved.

When you back up information from your hard disk to a different source such as a CD, floppy disk or another hard disk drive, you have to be honest to yourself about the information holding capacity, security and suitability of the source you are restoring from.

Generally, the most feasible solution is a combination of removable media and permanent media backup.

BackUpNext uploads your backup files without your help and therefore insures an FTP server while saving a backup zip file at the specific destination that you design for it. In the final run, it is a wise decision to have a backup of a backup.

This is a difficult question to answer. It is determined largely by the usage time of your system, types of data that needs backing up, and the frequency of alterations in the data you want protection for. For the laidback computer user who hardly has a thing stored, which needs backup, the answer might be "once a month". For more serious types like myself, the doctor's prescription is "daily" and perhaps even "hourly" for the vital, often altered files.