Following a recient O/S firey crash and burn, I decided that some sort of data backup and recovery software had to be avaliable which would at least allow for recovery from such software induced horrors, so, after a diligent search, I took the easy way out and asked an expert on such matters--one of the local kids, who kindly recommended a product from Roxio, named "GoBack 3". Never one to dispute with experts, I ordered it and 5 days later, it arrived.
The first thing I noticed was that it installed quickly and easily. No lock ups or glitches. The second thing I discovered is that it works. Before describing the torture test I gave it, a little description of what it does is in order.
Without going into details which are mostly over my head, this software doesnot do a backup of data per se--it actually takes a snap shot of your disc(s) and copys it to a secure area of the drive, then constantly updates it. Should a problem arise which prevents you from starting Windows or other odd things begin happening while running your computer, you simply activate the software and press the revert button. About a minute or so later, after selecting a time to revert to (before the trouble started) you are up and running. Basically thats all there is to it. Sounds good, but does it really work?
Not being one to flinch, I promptly loaded the software which had crashed my computer so elegantly before and was surprised at the sudden and violent response the computer had to it. Lock up, freeze up, omnious error messages. A quick file check showed at least 34 files changed or corrupted. This software would make the writers of viruses green with envy. Ok...now I had a really messed up computer..time to "GoBack".
Upon clicking the "Revert" button, the process began. About one minute later it was done, the computer was working fine, no problems and the offending software was gone.
Very nice. There are more bells and whistles incorporated in this program and by going to the Roxio site you can read up on them. I am very impressed with this program. While it is not a complete protection,and the literature describes what it cant do, I am very happy with it. Its worth a look. Tom
http://www.roxio.com/en/products/datarecoverypc.jhtml

I have Go-back version 2.1e, I was lucky I accidentally got sent an applications disc from Gateway. The were supposed to send me a bios update but sent the application disk instead and one of the applications was Go-Back. Gateway didn't want the disk back so I have it among a few other programs. I've used Go-Back a couple of times and it works like a charm. I wouldn't be without it now.

So what happens if your aberrant software corrupts the 'secure' area made by GoBack?

I'm interested because I got a free copy with my Norton Utilities, but didn't bother to install it. I have no cdrom, or any other storage device large enough to backup my hd, so I figured I didn't need it. (but I do backup daily over my lan to another computer's hd, just as it backs up daily to mine).

Does it have some way of enforcing the 'security' of an area so no other software can trash it?

My understanding is that the program actually creates a secure partitioned area amounting to around 10% or so on your drive(s) and copys the "snapshot" to it. Supposedly (according to the literature) this area is immune from "invasion". The details are beyond my level of understanding. However, the software which caused me all the grief a while back corrupted the entire drive, necessitating a complete erase and repartition/format of C drive as well as complete reinstall of all software. Using GoBack, the drive was restored to working order within around a minute with no trace of problems. As I indicated, the mfg. of the product does not claim it will solve every problem but for problems related software conflicts,accidently erased or overwritten files it sure has worked well for me.

Go Back doesn't claim to be perfect, and doesn't claim to remove the need to back up your data.
It sure does make life simpler. I do beta testing for several different types of software, graphics and OS mostly----which means I'm practically inviting trouble.
GoBack does take up a percentage of your hard drive--they recommend 10%, so if space is a problem you may not be able to use it effectively. If you haven't enough space on your system to back up your entire hard drive(s), you still can selectively back up. My rule is that anything I CAN NOT replace from other sources is what gets backed up.
Keeping up to date programs AND the serial # and keys needed for installation can save a whole lot of headaches when disaster strikes (& I DO mean when, not if.)
I use a nifty little FREE software cataloging program which quite simply stores all the info you could need to reinstall, if anyone's interested...
Remember, even if everything on your PC works the way it's supposed to, the OS, especially if it's any version of Windows, evolves over time. Gurus recommend that every few years, regardless of problems, you reformat and reinstall your OS to keep your pc running at peak efficiency.:)

That cataloging program sounds interesting. Do you have a link to its home? Tom

FREE Software cataloging link (http://www.fnprg.com/softcat/softcat.html)

Thanks for the info. Tom

I have used GoBack for a long time, now using 3.1. It has saved me a number of times when new software I loaded caused my computer to crash. I also make use of GoBack's ability to rever to an earlier version of a file or to recover a file that has got deleted by mistake, which I have done a few times. Well worth the $49.00 I paid for it.

George

GoBack 3 has been given some excellent reviews over here. As you stagger from the wreckage of an OS crash do you have to get back into Windows to initiate the rollback or if things have really bombed can you activate GoBack from a command prompt ?

By the very nature of it's work (disaster recovery;), Go Back (Rescue Disk, and others) anticipate that, for all intents and purposes, Windows is inoperable. A Start-up, i.e. bootable floppy, gets the rescue started. Your OS may determine how it then proceeds since from Windows ME on, a command prompt no longer exists in its true form.

Chris:

When I turn the computer on (running windows 98SE) I get a GoBack menu which allows me to click on the space bar to open it up. From there I can go back to a previous time, before the OS crash and select the day or time (of those shown) that I want to revert to, hit the enter key and it loads up.

Very easy. Worked great for me a number of times when the software or patch I was loading crashed the OS. I just shut down, select a previous time when it was working normally, and start up again. Usually takes about 5 to 8 minutes, since it also scans the harddrive when starting. I then open GoBack from windows, and select any files that I had loaded between the time I selected to revert to and the time of the crash, that I wanted to also reload and load them back.

This works well for me after my last crash I lost the image file that I had worked on for about a day. After reverting to a previous day and restarting, I was also able to reinstall the image file.

Hope this helps you better understand it.

George:)

Crystal clear and I note the program gets its foot in the door as things start to load. I attempted an upgrade to 98se from 98 a couple of weeks ago and alas I had to take to the lifeboat with all the re-installing to do. Even if you don't lose data its a long job getting everything going again. (Scottish power plant nearly mutinied Tom) Thanks again George.

This has been an interesting thread. Once again, Tom gets a gold star for starting it! It sounds like a must have.

Ed

But you gotta hurry.
Roxio is offering free shipping til December 31! Heck you've got more than 48 hours left!
Roxio GoBack3 is also available electronically for $40 --$10 less than if you have it physically shipped (but available only in the US)
(and I don't work for Roxio, know anyone who works for Roxio, etc etc. Crashes are such a nuisance...and waste of time

Thank you for sharing such great information. I would never have learned about this until I had a crash. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!