Acronis True Image 2013 Review

Dennis Faas's picture

Update 2013/05/16: We've just received news direct from Acronis that they've discounted True Image 2013 by a whopping 60% off (upgrade) and 35% for the full version -- but only for the next two weeks, ending May 31st. This is the best deal on True Image to date! Acronis True Image 2013 is powerful backup software, now with new features, bug fixes, and Windows 8 compatibility. Proceeds of the sale of this fine software program support our web site and staff of writers; full 30 day money back guarantee. This program comes highly recommended. Details are at the very bottom of page - click to go there now, or continue reading the full review below. Don't forget: deal ends Friday, May 31st, 2013 at 11:59PM EST!

It's not unusual when second-tier products try hard to improve. But it is unusual - and worth noting - when the best goes to great lengths to get even better.

That's the story of Acronis True Image 2013, for many years in a row the leading disk-imaging backup software.

Now for 2013 - in time for Microsoft's release of Windows 8 - Acronis has added a raft of new features that make this powerful data-and-system-backup software faster, easier, and more comprehensive than ever before.

For those who haven't tried Acronis True Image, or have tried it and found it wanting, there's great benefit in experiencing this new version.

Acronis True Image 2013 is literally a whole new product that revitalizes the software's helpfulness and extends its capabilities beyond anything ever seen before.

For those who liked any of the earlier versions of Acronis True Image, all the added functionality the developers at Acronis have given the 2013 edition will seem amazing and impressive. Yet the software uses the very same interface, which flattens the learning curve and allows anyone to put these new capabilities to work within minutes of booting up the software.

Acronis True Image 2013 adds new synchronization technologies, mobile device file access, non-stop backup, cloud computing features that offer double protection, and greatly expanded hardware compatibility.

Two Backup Strategies: Simplistic and Comprehensive

Fundamentally, there are two very different types of backup software.

The simplest systems back up individual files. They allow backups to be made of specific documents, entire folders, or even all files of a particular type. They work well enough, but users naturally worry about having excluded some important file from the backup. Also, a computer's system settings, options and installed applications generally can't be backed up with this approach.

Even with such a backup, any hard drive failure or serious virus can force a complete re-creation of the system, step by tedious step, taking hours, days, or even weeks to get right.

Acronis True Image 2013 takes a fundamentally different approach: it makes a complete copy of a computer's entire hard drive and stores it on an external drive, CD, or DVD.

In doing this, it copies all the same data files as a simple backup system, and it copies everything else, as well: system settings, installed programs, passwords, and all the little bits of information that make a computer run the way the user wants it to.

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Comprehensive Image Backups

In addition to restoring only individual files (if specified by the user), Acronis True Image 2013 is capable of restoring every detail of a computer system's operation, including its look and feel, its programs, its data, and its settings, just as they were when the backup was made. This is referred to as an image backup.

After a crash, Acronis True Image 2013 restores a computer as if the crash had never happened. No more time-consuming reinstallation, hunting for software license numbers, or wasting time reorganizing files the way they were before.

Acronis True Image 2013 also offers a beautiful balance between simplicity and control. To make a one-off backup of an entire drive, it's nothing more complicated than click and go.

Acronis True Image 2013 automatically searches for existing backup files. Once that's done, a single click tells the software to backup the computer, restore from a previous backup, or backup the computer to Internet "cloud storage".

Alternatively, it's easy to schedule regular backups at specific times to run in the background without needing attention or slowing down the computer.

There's also a great feature called Try and Decide. When trying out a new piece of software or even visiting a website, one click tells Acronis True Image 2013 to remember the current state of the computer.

If the new software turns out to be a dud, or if the website deposits a virus into the computer, Acronis True Image 2013 can quickly bring the computer back to the way it was before the problem occurred. It's the closest you'll ever get to a time machine!

The best just got better

To some, such a fundamentally simple backup system can't be improved. But in fact, Acronis has added many new capabilities that enhance Acronis True Image 2013 and make it a better, easier, faster, more capable system.

Take the software's mobile file access. Users can now have True Image make any or all of the files within a backup available for remote access. With a free app for a smartphone or tablet, the files and documents become securely available on the mobile device. That's a convenience previously available only from expensive single-purpose applications.

Acronis True Image 2013 also provides a synchronization feature, so a document begun on a desktop, for example, can be reviewed and edited on a laptop, then displayed on a smart phone - without the need to dig out USB sticks or cables and make sure to copy the latest file from one machine to another.

Another new feature in Acronis True Image 2013 is its non-stop backup. Now the software not only makes a complete copy of a computer's hard drive, but it maintains a record of every change made to every file - minute-by-minute.

The biggest change in Acronis True Image 2013, however, is a whole new service: "cloud storage." Designed to deal with the nightmare scenario of losing both a computer and its backup at the same time - for example, due to a theft or a fire - Acronis True Image 2013 now provides up to 250GB of online storage space for the system's backups. For $5 a month, this is cheap and easy peace of mind.

Should a disaster strike, backup files are available instantly, just as if nothing had happened.

Of course this cloud storage is secure. Acronis uses the gold standard encryption method (AES-256), the same as the government uses for confidential files.

Download Acronis True Image 2013 Now!
Save 35% to 60% off the Full Retail Price
Expires May 31st @ 11:59PM EST
Click Here to View Details

An Answer For All Windows 8 Users

Naturally, Acronis True Image 2013 supports every version of Windows, from XP (Home and Professional editions) and Vista to Windows 7 and now even Windows 8, Microsoft's newest operating system.

Not only does Acronis True Image 2013 work perfectly with Windows 8, but it runs in the traditional desktop mode. So there's no requirement to use the new touchscreen-oriented interface in Window 8.

Conclusion

We've written a lot about Acronis True Image here and gone into detail on its many innovative features. But you need take only one thing away from this review: the software just plain works great, and has been in development now for well over 10 years.

Acronis True Image 2013 scores high marks for reliability, functionality, and compatibility with virtually any combination of hardware and software. There's no point buying dozens of features and fancy graphics if you can't trust the software to do its job.

"Tech-heads" sometimes forget that software isn't about the complicated code that makes it run. It's about the people who use it and the problems they need solved. Acronis True Image 2013 isn't just a product. It's a solid source of personal peace of mind: freedom from the worry of losing important files or wasting time rebuilding your system from scratch, and dealing with the complicated options those processes require.

True Image lets you get on with making the most of your computer. Simply put, it's an insurance policy for your PC's functionality.

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For Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP | 32-bit or 64-bit

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Acronis True Image 2013 *FULL* Version
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