Review: Resco Backup

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For the longest of time, when it came to backup applications, it was a tossup between Sprite Backup and Spb Backup. Each functions pretty well from what I hear (I am an Spb Backup user and have not experimented with Sprite Backup for over 2 years) and so it’s more a matter of choice than anything when it comes to choosing between either. But now that playing field just widened with Resco Backup joining the picture.

Intro

The newest entry to the game, Resco Backup adds some rather interesting features missing from the 2 behemoths. It was actually released in March 2008 (on the 7th to be exact) but that was beta (although it had a version number of 1.01). Now the first official release, and the one used in this review, v1.10 has surfaced for just 2 weeks now which gives me more than enough time to sort things out.

Resco Backup currently only supports Pocket PC devices running Windows Mobile 5 and higher. It comes with a 14 day trial for you to test out and if you are satisfied, you can purchase a license for $19.95. So how does Resco Backup perform?

First Look

Installation was pretty straightforward and it’s rather small footprint of under 700k (for a backup application) makes it not too painful to install on the Main Memory (which is where it is recommended, especially so if you want to use scheduled backups).

After that was where the problem started. Out of 5 attempts, only 1 completed backup properly while the other 4 hung my Eten Glofiish X500 during the backup process. Then again, I am not sure if it hung because the screen turned off and did not respond to my commands so it could still be continuing with backup.

A few emails were exchanged with Resco support and I finally got a version that was working. Funny thing is that while this version works great with my device, it has the same version number as the error-prone one. As long as it works right?

Compression Options

When it comes to backup, Resco gives you choices. There’s normal, fast and maximum. When you choose Fast, your backups are done relatively quicker, at the expense of compression and maximum is the other way around (smaller backup filesize but takes longer). Normal is the middle ground between the two.

I did a test on my device which was recently hard-reset (about 3 weeks back) and using Fast, my backup was 23.56MB in size. With Maximum, I got 22.26MB and 22.31MB with Normal. Not much difference some would say but I guess that’s because I did not have too much files on my device. For those with larger PIMs and/or files on board, the difference might be even greater.

Update Backups

Don’t like doing backups because they take too long? Me too but after lesson learnt many years ago with WM2003, I have not been without a backup since. But now, backups don’t have to take too long with Resco Backup because of it’s Update Backup feature.

What this means is that you can get the application to compare the files it has in a current backup with that on your device and to replace those that has since changed. This way, the process is much faster while still getting the protection of a backup. Of course those of you interested in only doing Full Backups every time will also have that option.

Content Based or Time Based

Here is one cool feature of Resco Backup. Choose to have your backup content or time based. While this would only affect Updates (because Full Backups will get all the files on your device), it is definitely useful. What this means is that you can tell Resco Backup to compare files and update them only if their timestamp is different (Time based) or if their content is different (Content based).

Obviously Content based would be the safer option but it is also slower because it has to access each and every file. With Time based, it just compares the timestamps (I assume). So why would you need Content based then? According to Resco, they said that sometimes your files might be accessed (modified) but the timestamp is not changed and in such cases, only the Content based backups would be more accurate.

Security

Need to secure your backups? Resco Backup let’s you do just that with a password. Set it once and all your backups from then on will have that password. It allows you to choose between the default zip encryption which is fast (but not as secure) and the slower but much safer AES.

Verify Backups

I never thought that I needed to verify my backups because I thought if the backup process completed successfully, then the file should be fine right? Boy was I wrong one day but thankfully I had 5 days worth of backup so I could choose the day before that and thankfully that worked (this was with another application by the way).

Resco Backup takes the guesswork out has a built-in feature to verify any and all of your backups. It does this by comparing the files in your backup and those on your device and should be there be any difference, you can choose to update the backup.

The thing is, all my backups were never on par (in terms of content) with my device. I would do a backup, then soft-reset it when Windows Mobile booted up, I would run the verification and I would still get differences. So is my backup not valid?

Not really. When Windows Mobile boots up, some files are accessed and thus, their timestamps are bound to change so Resco Backup thinks that an update might be necessary. So while the verification feature is a nice addition, you have to make the final call if you really need to update it or is it good enough. I say it’s good enough.

Sets & Projects

Resco Backup calls each of your backup a set and sets make up a Project. You see, your backup does not consist of one file (like what most other backup applications create) but rather a group of ZIP files (more on that shortly) which thus gives it the name Sets. Makes sense? The screen shot on the left are the sets that I have created with Resco Backup. As you can see, rather than showing a long list of the various ZIP files, it shows me the Set. From here, you can go to the Menu option to update, verify, check the integrity and even delete your sets if you choose too. There are also other options available which you will want to check out for yourself.

Projects though are a compilation of Sets. So you could have have all your daily backups as one project and say all your PIM-only backup as another. And even another for Email-only backup. Get what I mean? You could do a full backup on a daily basis, then keep on updating your PIM-only backup throughout the day. Not only will it be much faster, you can now choose which one to restore. Resco takes it one step further and actually has predefined projects for you to choose from (as you can see from the screen shot on your right) but if you have a special blend in mind, by all means, go ahead and create it.

Zip Files

Back to the ZIP files I mentioned earlier. Yes, all your backups are stored as ZIP files but you already know that. What you might not be aware of is that, because they are ZIP files, you can open them on your desktop and access the files you need. Pretty cool eh? The only problem is that these files are named in a format that does not make sense (numbers and letters) (refer to the screen shot on the left to see exactly what I mean) so if you are looking for a particular file, all I can do is wish you good luck. Another one for the ‘This can be a useful feature but I might have to jump through many hoops to get there’ book.

Schedule

What’s a backup application that does not let you schedule your backups? I mean, the process can take a really long time so it let’s me schedule it for say the middle of the night, then I can rest assured that my device will always be backed up while I sleep. And Resco Backup let’s you do just that.

But that’s not all. Besides choosing which days of the week and what time exactly to start the backup, it only lets you backup on based on hourly (if you choose) basis. This means that you can get your device to do backup updates every 1 hour (up to a maximum of 12) and you can choose when it does these backups. So now your device could be doing updates on the hour but when you knock off work, it stops. How great is that?

Did I tell you that it also has a countdown timer before it starts a scheduled backup? That way, if you are in the middle of something important and the countdown starts, you can just postphone it and continue on with your work. Nice work Resco.

The sad thing is that you can only setup one type of schedule. I would have loved it if I were able to set up 2, one for Full Backups at night and the other periodically throughout the day. That’s when most of the data on my device changes anyway.

Basic/Advanced Mode

Basic Mode	Advance Mode

Now if all this is above your head and you are wondering, can I use this program easily? Sure you can. There’s a Basic and Advance Mode that you can choose from. With Basic, you just get 2 buttons and a line above which shows when the last backup was completed and if it was successful (green tick) or not (red cross). Advance Mode has a lot more buttons and settings to play around with and it’s not really that hard to navigate because they are all well labeled.

Need An Update?

You no longer have to go through the hassle of visiting the site to download the update because Resco Backup comes with it’s own update utility. While you manually have to check if there is an update, from there on, getting and installing it is a breeze. And if you are on the lookout for more applications to try out from Resco, you can do so from the same update screen as well. I like!

No Auto Reset

This is possibly the biggest deal breaker to me. The application does not auto reset after completion of backup (or restore for that matter). Don’t be fooled by the popup box that says your device will now reset because you can wait till the cows come home and it still wouldn’t. You have to do this manually.

Which means scheduling backups in the middle of the night is not a good idea unless I always remember to reset my device when I wake up. Otherwise, my device is as good as dead (since I choose to stop all applications before running the backup).

I did ask Resco why they missed out such an important feature and they have mentioned that they do plan to include it soon. I hope by soon, they mean the next upgrade.

Not Able To Choose Filesave Locations

Not really a deal breaker but it did bother me because I have setup the folders on my device just the way I want it. That means having a folder called Backup in the root of my Storage Card. Naturally I would want all my backups to go here right?

Well, with Resco Backup, I can only choose 2 locations: Internal Storage and Storage Card. And if I choose Storage Card, it will create a new folder called Resco Backup in the root of it.

Again, it might not bother some folks and it might with others. For me, I would prefer an option where I can choose exactly where my backups end up.

Slow Restoration

I can deal with slow backups since almost every backup application out there is rather slow. But in terms of restoration, I think Resso Backup can do a lot better.

For example, restoring my almost-fresh setup took them almost 30 minutes to complete. That’s about 20 minutes longer than some other applications which I’ve tried. Thank goodness we do not have to do restorations on a regular basis so this should not bother folks too much.

What I Like About The Application

• Finger friendly.
• Allows updates to be made to backups.
• Several compression choices.
• Good security options.
• Able to verify backups.
• Good organization in terms of Sets & Projects.
• Backup saved as ZIP files which allows for access on desktop (it’s a double-edged sword though).
• Awesome scheduling features (though it can be improved).
• Choose between Basic and Advance mode for operations.
• Built-in update feature.

What Could Be Improved

• Able to schedule more than 1 type of backup.
• Name the ZIP backup files into something more understandable. It doesn’t matter if I can open them on my desktop if I have to go through each and every one to find a file I am looking for.
• Auto reset feature.
• Let me choose exactly where to save the backups.
• A quicker restoration process.

Conclusion

Resco Backup is what I would call a rough diamond. It functions well for what it’s meant to do that is backing up and restoration. It’s also got some really great features that are packed into one application. When you are given the option to verify your backup and do an update on it if necessary, it’s a real timesaver and saves you the pain later on of finding out you have a corrupted backup.

However, the fact that it does not reset automatically after a backup makes it an application that you cannot just install and forget which is something that we have come to expect of backup applications. Also, the ZIP files, while a nice touch, is currently not usable, at least not in a way I can figure out.

Resco has a an application here that has the potential to be one of the best in it’s category if they can work these things out. To give it a go, you can download a 14 day trial or those interested in making a purchase, can get a license for $19.95.

Have you tried Resco Backup?What do you think of it?

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