Ridiculously simple backup is how Rebit bills their back up solution. In this case, the claim is not P.R. hype. From start to finish, this is no doubt the easiest way possible to safeguard the contents of your computer.
Backing up usually comes as a last consideration right after picking up a decent sound system, or a wireless mouse. Usually it takes a mishap to realize how essential having a reliable solution is.
In the high stakes business of computer software, there are serious contenders for the title of best backup solution. In the case of the big names, there are a few with at least one industry standard that make literally flawless copies time after time. The only downside to many of the higher end full featured backup programs is their steep learning curve. Some of the best are about as user friendly as neurosurgery, and some almost as complex.
Between archaic terminology and cluttered interfaces that are about as easy to figure out as a 14th century byzantine political murder, several not exactly user friendly. In fact, some seem almost user hostile.
Offering a relief from the confusion, Rebit provides both the software, and the hardware for a full turn key backup solution. The price points for a 500 gig portable drive and software comes in at $109.95 and two desktop drives with 1 TB and 2 TB versions, software included, weighing in at $ 124.95 and $ 179.95 respectively. When you consider that the software alone can run $70, and up, the price points here begin to make sense.
What differentiates Rebit from other backup programs is its ease of use. In place of offering bewildering options and confusin screens, the set up process is a model of simplicity. The program walks you through a very brief set up, and then begins a comprehensive back up process that includes a complete replica of your hard drive.
An excellent feature is that Rebit can restore data to a larger hard drive than the original, a feat a number of products cannot do. If you saved a hard drive to rebit, but need to replace the old drive with a larger one, you are protected, datat restored in tact. You cannot restore data to a hard drive smaller than the original.
With simplicity and ease of use being its greatest assets, those same positive qualities are its Achilles heel. While back up is simple, there is no way to exclude files from being saved. It is all or nothing when it comes to backing up a hard drive. There is no way to schedule a backup either.
Considering that it offers continual backup on the fly, your one level of control is to suspend backup and resume it as needed. Being that it stores everything, a backup can fill up quickly, so you may want to consider when you want to back up and how often so as not to fill up your storage area.
Be prepared for an initial backup that can take up the better part of a 24 hour period. In my informal test, backing up 162 gigs of data took well over ten hours. So be prepared for along set up that you may want to run overnight. The one plus, is that you can use your pc while it is backing up, but that may slow the backup time to a degree.
Once the intial backup is complete, the subsquent ones are short in duration and have a minimal impact on system performace, which is a plus. For those times when you need every bit of power, consider not running it and picking up where you left off, which you can do.
In terms of restoration, Rebit has an excellent easy to use process. Just open the Rebit drive created on your pc, locate the file and simply drag to the hard drive, and bam, you have instant access.
Compression is actually very good. My 162 gigs of data from my 1.5 TB machine racked up a slim 106 gigs of storage on the Rebit drive. Not a bad compression ratio, and again, restoring files is extremely easy. If you need to delete the data and start over,expect a lengthy time to do so, roughly around five hours or so.
If you are wondering why a green frog and name Rebit are connected with backup storage, the pun is almost painfully easy to connect. Should your hard drive "croak" Rebit is there restore it. This may not be what that company had in mind, or maybe, but anyway you size it up, there is easy backup found here.
Verdict
For busy people interested in an elegant, simple easy to use backup solution, hands down Rebit does it better than anyone. The software is user friendly, the price points are good and the software works smoothly. The only down sides are the painfully long periods it takes to backup data and the lack of configurability options. These are downsides, but not necessarily deal killers. Factoring in the overwhelming options and complexity of many backup devices and software, Rebit makes a compelling solution for those that want to backup their valuable data and go about their business without being shackled to software with a steep learning curve and convoluted interfaces.
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