What you should know before upgrading to Retrospect Express
Retrospect Express was designed more recently and operates in quite a different manner than DiskFit. New or changed files are added to the end of the backup set, rather than replacing existing files. This is safer, since perfectly good files are never replaced by corrupted ones, makes file compression possible, is better for unattended operation, and is best for backing up to cartridge drives such as those from Iomega or SyQuest. We'll cover each of these benefits in turn.
Retrospect Express keeps older versions of files in the backup set.
DiskFit reclaimed space from your backup media by replacing older versions of your files with the most recent version. That meant DiskFit would delete a file from your backup set if you deleted the file from the computer, even if by mistake. And if a file was corrupted, DiskFit might replace the existing good file from the backup set with the corrupted version.
Retrospect Express keeps a copy of every file you back up until you reset the backup set. This gives you a history of your files so you can restore your entire hard drive exactly as it was at the time of your last backup, or access any version of any file ever backed up. This is very useful in the event that you accidentally delete a file or want to revert to a previous copy of a document.
The original reason DiskFit reclaimed space was to save media costs. Retrospect Express saves media cost by using compression, covered in the next topic.
Retrospect Express uses compression and DiskFit could not.
Retrospect reduces the size of most files stored on the backup media by using a very reliable and well-tested software compression engine. Unfortunately, DiskFit could not support compression since the eventual size of the compressed file cannot be known with enough certainty to determine if it would fit into reclaimed space.
Compression has been the most requested single feature by DiskFit owners.
Retrospect Express does not ask for a piece of media again after it is filled.
DiskFit might ask you to insert every piece of media in your backup set during a backup. Retrospect Express will not ask you to insert filled pieces of media during normal backups. This makes unattended backups possible with Retrospect Express in cases where it was not possible with DiskFit.
Retrospect Express' EasyScript schedules your backups for you, even launching and running completely unattended. Or, simply create a shortcut file (called a Run document) that you can leave on your Desktop or put in your Apple Menu Items folder. Open that run document and your backups begin immediately.
There are other differences between Retrospect Express and DiskFit:
Retrospect Express has its own backup format.
DiskFit stored files in Finder format while Retrospect Express uses its own format.
Storing files in Finder format on the backup media was convenient because you could see your files and folders, but gaining access to files for restoring was actually quite limited and awkward--the folder hierarchy was flattened out on SmartSet disks and there was no way to retrieve files directly from the backup report.
Retrospect Express gives you fast, easy access to all the files in your backup sets, whether you want to search for a file by name or view the entire contents of a hard disk at the time of your last backup. Since Retrospect Express keeps a separate catalog of all the files stored in each of your backup sets, you can quickly and easily search through your backup sets to find the data you want to restore.
Retrospect Express uses the same backup format as Retrospect, which has proven to be reliable for more than 2,000,000 Macintosh and Windows computers.
Retrospect Express supports CD-R and CD-RW drives.
Retrospect Express supports all of the drives DiskFit supports plus it includes drivers for most of the popular CD Recordable and CD Rewritable drives.
Retrospect Express uses file selectors to control which files to back up.
DiskFit required you to go into the application to add (or remove) folders from your backup.
Retrospect Express gives you much more flexibility with less effort by allowing you to choose "All Files", "Documents and Preferences" or "System Folder" selectors.
You could also use the "Exclude Cool Items" selector and any file or folder marked with the cool label in the Finder will be excluded from backup. The "Hot Items" selector backs up only files or folders marked with the hot label. Even if you move a file or folder in the Finder, you'll know it will be backed up. There is no need to launch Retrospect Express and re-specify which folders you want to back up.
Retrospect Express is faster than DiskFit.
Retrospect Express is faster at scanning and copying data than DiskFit. Further, since you start an incremental backup by inserting the last piece of media used, Retrospect Express saves you time lost with DiskFit inserting and removing several disks or cartridges.
Retrospect Express Remembers Settings
Retrospect Express leads you through the process of setting up your first backup. For subsequent backups, Retrospect Express remembers your settings from the first backup, so your next backup takes only three mouse clicks.
