Idle Backup could be used to backup your data after your system is in idle state for some pre-decided time period. Choose the folders you want to backup and leave the program hidden in system tray and this will start the backup when you are out for lunch or busy buying a gold chain for your girl friend.

Idle Backup performs incremental backup so it only copies files that have changed since the last time you did the backup. Some features as given in their website are:

• Very easy to use backup program.
• 1-1 copy (mirror backup),therefore easy browsing with explorer through the backup set. The first backup is a full backup, then each next backup will copy only changed files, add only, no files are deleted.
• Manual or Automatic backup (at a set interval time) during idle time of the computer. In Automatic mode Idlebackup can work invisibly in the background, status is still visible by icon color in sytem tray.
• Can also copy large files > 2Gb.
• Backup mail data of Thunderbird, Outlook, Outlook Express (see usage examples).
• Backup medium = harddisk/usb-stick/usb-drive or network.
• Normal windows installation/deinstallation.
• Ideal for making backup from multiple computers.
• Stores the source path and computername.
• No restrictions, nagware or spyware, just freeware.

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Even tried creating copies of an original DVD? If yes then you must be knowing that this isn’t any easy job. A DVD containing movie is copyright protected and the security feature won’t permit you to create copies easily. But that is why I write this blog. Workarounds to make life easier.

Official laws do not do not permit you to create copies of original movies and I request you to use this method to create backups for your personal use only.

DVD shrink is the best freeware available to backup your DVD on your hard drive or use it simultaneously with your DVD burning software to replicate the DVD on another empty DVD.

Usually movies in a DVD come in two formats - the regular DVD5 single-layer DVD, or DVD9, also called dual layer DVD, which has almost double the capacity. Movies in DVD9 format cannot fit on recordable DVD5 (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, or DVD-RW). DVD shrink compresses the video files and omits the unwanted files (like trailers and making of movie etc.) so as to fit the DVD9 format in your empty DVD5 DVD.

From the website:

Most DVDs are designed to prevent you from making copies.

The first preventative measure is encryption. Commercial DVD titles are often encrypted, which prevents you from either copying them to your hard drive, or if you manage to do so, being able to play the resulting files. DVD Shrink overcomes this problem with built-in decryption algorithms.

The next problem is not so easy. Most DVD video titles are simply too large to fit, without modification, onto a single recordable DVD-R disk. DVD Shrink overcomes this problem by compressing or “shrinking” the data from your original DVD.

DVD Shrink also allows you to re-author your DVD. You can make your own compilation from one or more source DVDs, or select only the parts of a DVD which you intend to view, thus preserving more space on your backup for the highest quality viewing.

Last but not least, why use DVD Shrink? Because DVD Shrink is free!

You can backup your DVD in two ways - Full Disc and in Re-Author mode.

Full Disc Backup (default)

This is the default option and here you can remove the files which you do not need in your backup to reduce the final file size. You are permitted to change the compression settings to no compression, Automatic or Custom Ratio. Check Edit > Preferences > Target DVD Size to change the default options for automatic backup.

Re-Author Mode:

This mode gives you better control over your backup files and it allows you to build a compilation from more than one movie DVD source.

When you click on the backup icon to view the backup dialog box you will find a Target Device tab where you can choose where to store your backup. Under the DVD Region tab; you can choose your backup to be region-free. The quality settings tab is very useful considering you are compressing the file to 4.3 GB. There is Deep Scan Analysis option, which encodes your DVD in two passes - this will improve video quality but will take time. In addition when video is compressed some errors can creep in which are removed by comparing the original video with your final compressed video.

DVD Shrink will open the DVD writing application if you had chosen to backup your DVD in another DVD.

Download DVD Shrink

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Data loss is regular issue for those who rely highly on computers. And when it comes to die hard internet nerds like you , online backup seems to be the only solution. People will argue using hard disks for backing up there data but sometimes you would need your data and you won’t have the access to the hard disk. In that case Internet is the only solution IF you had backed up your data online.

IDrive online backup provides a software which could be used to backup your data with just few clicks. Few of the lucrative features of IDrive service are:

• Enhanced security with 128-bit SSL encryption on transfers, 256-bit AES encryption on storage with a user defined key that is not stored anywhere on IDrive servers
• Continuous Data Protection - Automatic backup of modified files at almost real time (every 10 minutes)
• Remote backup - Hands-free automated and Continuous backup. No complicated scheduling procedures
• Web based view of summary and detailed status of backup logs.

These and many more such attractive features could be used by users for FREE. And if you think 2GB isn’t enough for you, than pay $49.50 per year and enjoy there limitless service.

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WinDirStat is a nifty little application which points out the files which are hogging your hard disk. It uses awesome graphics to explain to you which section of files are using what space. This app is compatible with every version of windows and is very small in size.

Sometimes the question which arises is why should one think of optimizing the hard disk space when now a days hard disks are available in sizes of tetra bytes. The reason is that more the number of files in hard disk more time the computer takes to get to the required file. Simple!

WinDirStat reads the whole directory tree once and then presents it in three useful views:

• The directory list, which resembles the tree view of the Windows Explorer but is sorted by file/subtree size,
• The treemap, which shows the whole contents of the directory tree straight away,
• The extension list, which serves as a legend and shows statistics about the file types.

The various color codes indicate the space which is being used by a particular file type. All the coding is properly explained while the application runs as shown in the image above.

WinDerStat when combined with CCleaner can become a great pair which could be used to clear a lot of space from your hard disk thus increasing the processing speed too.

Download WinDerStat

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This one is the common problem which my friends face every now and then. They have lost there Windows Drivers CD and when they re-install Windows than they scratch there heads for drivers (I am good at saving my drivers CD ) . Later they end up installing from a already built in image of Windows (that is another story..forget it if you do not know what image of Windows is!). But using this way they have to install the settings which were present in the image CD (again another story).

To overcome such and many other problems related with installing drivers to Windows when you do not have the drivers CD here I present a solution: DriverMax.

You can use this FREE utility to backup all your drivers or choose to store some particular driver in a folder so as to later install it in the newly installed system.

After installation you will first see the window saying 30 days left to evaluate this program. Don’t worry dude, you can get a free activation key from there website so as to use the app for the rest of your life.

[click on the images to enlarge them]

Continue and you will see the first necessary screen which will mark the beginning of the ‘end of your driver problems’. Select “Export Drivers” option.

The very expected warning message will appear next which eases your heartbeat. The app will just copy your required drivers to a folder and will make no changes to your settings.

Click continue and after some processing the software will list the complete list of available drivers in your system. Select all the drivers if you want to backup your drivers or else select the particular drivers which you wish to transport to other machines.

The nifty app will ask for the folder where you wish to store all the drivers and the necessary process to backup your required drivers starts.

Done! The necessary backup process must have taken hardly few minutes and there you go all your required drivers backed up at one place.

While installing these drivers to another system choose Import drivers and give the path to the folder which contains the necessary drivers.

With these easy steps you can easily backup your drivers and to add to this you can also check for any driver updates, in case your new system where you imported the drivers does not supports the old drivers. Who knows!

[Download DriverMax Here And Invent Driver Solutions]

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