What it does.

Backup Toolkit backs up files, folders, volumes or drives by three different methods and then restores the originals from the backups if need be. It also synchronizes the contents of any two folders, volumes or drives. The backup actions can be done immediately or they can be programmed to occur at selected intervals and times. The backups can also be compressed and password-protected automatically.

One can backup to any media that one can drag-and-drop copy a file on, including a CD or DVD. However, Backup Toolkit will not automatically burn the CD or DVD. That has to be done manually so Backup Toolkit works easiest with magnetic media.

The three backup modes are: mirrored, evolutive mirrored and incremental. Mirrored mode is the simplest. It keeps the backup files as identical copies of those on the main computer. Evolutive mirrored mode keeps the previous files in subfolders in the backup along with the new or added ones--the number pf previous copies retained can be selected. Incremental mode is the most secure, adding all new files in a new folder at each backup and keeping all previous ones as well. The latter two modes benefit most from compression to minimize the size of the backup which grows substantially over time.

Synchronize mode makes the contents of two folders, volumes or drives identical. It is useful for keeping files on a PowerBook and Power Mac, or among computers, the same.

Compression can be done automatically or immediately. The compressed format is proprietary so BackUp Toolkit is needed to uncompress them.