HP SimpleSave: Backup solution for dummies

(Credit: HP)

Backing up a computer can be tricky for many people, especially those who access data via the software applications without knowing where the actual data files or folders reside on the hard drive. I have some friends who used to believe that you could back up all your office documents just by dragging and dropping the icons of Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook over to an external hard drive.

This is where products such as the SimpleSave external hard drive series, like the SimpleSave Portable that Hewlett-Packard made available Monday, comes into play. (The other drive in the series, the SimpleSave desktop, will be available in September.)

HP SimpleSave photos

The series is a collaboration between HP and Western Digital. The hard drive is just a simple USB-powered compact external hard drive, much like a My Passport external hard drive, but with HP branding and HP's SimpleSave feature built-in. This SimpleSave software only works with computers running Windows.

The SimpleSave external hard drive series make backing up your documents as easy as plugging the hard drive into your computer.

The only time you need to interact with the SimpleSave software is the one click it takes to accept its License Agreement. After that, the software will automatically look for data that needs backing up and save a copy of that on its external storage. The SimpleSave backup software, which resides on the external hard drive, runs by itself as soon as you plug the drive in. It shows a countdown before it performs each of its two simple steps, which you can interrupt in case you want to further customize the backup or start a recovery.

By default, the SimpleSave software automatically makes a copy of popular known data files, including hard-to-find ones such as the Outlook archive, which is buried deep in your profile folder. After the first full backup, it will only back up files that have been changed since the last backup. The backup is simply the duplicate of the original files, making restoring very fast and easy.

When I first tried the SimpleSave Portable on my work machine, I had to leave my desk for a meeting as soon as I clicked to agree with the License Agreement. By the time I returned, all 130GB of my data was backed up. (Check the included slideshow to see how the SimpleSave backup software works.)

The SimpleSave Portable has about the same data transfer speed of most USB-powered external hard drives. However, it's the first one that you can literally plug in and forget about it--and still be sure that your data will be properly backed up.

The SimpleSave Portable is available now and costs $120 for the 320GB version and $150 for the 500GB version. The 3.5-inch-based SimpleSave Desktop, which is bigger and require a separate power adapter, will come in two 1TB and 2TB variants that cost $150 and $330, respectively.

[diver-1]

Sounds great but how do you restore data, can it be done for one application etc, Please finish the article.

[ngodong]

It is complete now. Sorry we had some issue with the publishing process.

[yipcanjo]

"it's the first one that you can literally plug in and forget about it--and still be sure that your data will be properly backed up."

Really? How do I *know* that my data is properly backed up? Just because it says it did?? Although it may do a fine job (I've never used it) and is certainly better than the backup process *most* folks are using (none), I would prefer something a bit more hands-on, personally... just so I know what its backing up.

There is NOTHING worse than thinking you're backing up your important data, only to lose it and find out that your backup system was capturing it... for whatever reason.

For my money, I choose a product such as Mozy. An off-site backup is really the most logical, since you will likely lose your data *and* your backup if your house is robbed or destroyed by fire.

[Lerianis3]

No, you will not likely 'lose your backup' if it's in ANOTHER place and fires? Get real, how many people do you know who have had even one fire in their home? I only know one myself, and their home was a rat-trap and packrat's heaven.

[zain0014]

i use it and i think it did a very good job backing up my data because it automatically saves everything that is in your computer..and about the "hands on" thingy, you can still choose the location of things you want this thing to back up, such as your D: or even some specific file..you should try it first before trying to condemn it..grow up man..

[sunthedeep]

I am pretty sure this is meant for your average computer user who has no mozy exists. If you are reading this article, this product is probably not meant for you.

[nottechsavy]

How does this compare to the ClickFree Portable Backup Drive?

[Oshkosh4321]

This is a total rip off of Clickfree! They're missing some of the best features, but they clearly tried to copy the simplest backup out there. Clickfree still has a load of products these guys don't have.

[bostonmom77]

Another big company taking credit for something they just copied from the real inventors.

Cnet must have been told not to mention the obvious knock off. Sadly advertising money beats the truth every time.

[explorer5]

Does this do a system state backup - or is it just the individual files? Also, i don't see any information about how it restores data.. Can you elaborate?

[ngodong]

Just files, the restore is straightforward and you can also just browse for files and copy them back manually.

[Lerianis3]

These 'just the files' things are useless. What computer users REALLY need is something that does a system-state backup, so that if their hard drive crashes (which is the USUAL THING THAT THEY NEED THE BACKUP FOR), they can immediately restore their hard drive and get going within an hour, without having to re-install all their stuff on the computer.

[brookbend]

Does Mozy or Carbonite do a system state backup?

[gary85739]

Well, I've ordered the 500G version and when it arrives, will give a review.

Hoping to simply backup data on a laptop and a desktop.

Hoping it really is "one click"...

[gary85739]

Well, I've ordered the 500G version and when it arrives, will give a review.

Hoping to simply backup data on a laptop and a desktop.

Hoping it really is "one click"...

[ramonray]

External drives which can backup files are great. Also good is online backup solutions. I use Carbonite.com

Ramon Ray, Editor & Technology Evangelist, Smallbiztechnology.com

[pat12]

If you want to back up data from 3 computers ...How does that work? Does it remember the folders from each machie? having a HP name for this back is helpful & gives some confidence..

[tech-no-phob]

Is there a device (external) like this that permits simple backup of the entire hard drive, i.e. programs plus user's data?

[plas686]

I just purchased an HP SimpleSave 1TB external hard drive.

It's only automatic the first time you plug it in. When you restart your computer it becomes a completely manual system that tries to start over from scratch each and every time you manually start it. You must either navigate to a certain directory and know what file to execute, or unplug the drive and plug it in again in order for monitoring to start. Even then you must be alert and cancel the impending full backup or the system will spend the next several hours doing a complete backup (again).

There is no way to start only the monitoring software by itself, much less automatically.

If you are a novice computer user you would probably not even know that your system was unprotected. Nowhere in the documentation are you alerted to this procedure.

HP customer service says this is normal operation.

A true automatic backup system would start the monitoring software each time the computer is started and perform incremental backups as files are modified. Apparently HP can't read a dictionary to understand the definition of "automatic".

[Hopper1967]

I just bought the HP SimpleSave 1TB external hard drive at Costco, and it says that everything was backed up EXCEPT my Outlook archive (pst file). How do I make sure it gets backed up? And, reading some of the other posts here...am I to understand that this WILL NOT back up each day on its own? I have to ask it to do it manually? And, when/if the computer powers off, then I'll have to backup everything AGAIN? I guess I'm confused and NOT computer savvy, but I was really hoping that my data/pictures/Quicken would just magically be backed up each and every day in case my PC dies...

This software completely missed my TaxCut tax info. Fortunately I noticed it BEFORE I needed to restore it.

There is NO help on the main menu page.

Since this thing does incremental backups, you would think it would do a full backup of the whole drive, the first time, at least as an option, and then do incrementals from there. My PC has only 29GB on it. The SimpleSave drive has 160GB. I tried to tell it to do that by adding *.* as a custom file type, but it wouldn't accept the wild cards in the file type.

Some applications use a range of file types, e.g. .tr0, .tr1, .tr999. How am I supposed to get it to back these up??

[eiemagic]

I received the 1 Tb SimpleSave as a gift for Christmas... I'm pretty computer illiterate as far as things not dealing with surfing the internet or typing documents, etc...

Can I erase all my music files that are stored for iTunes and Limewire now that they are backed up on the SimpleSave and then iTunes will locate them on the external drive?

What about the same with my picture files, etc.?