Does SafeBack differ from commercial computer backup programs?

First of all, SafeBack is not file-oriented. It knows nothing about the file structure or content of the drive that you're processing, nor does it need to. It reads the entire hard disk or hard disk partition and stores it away. This means that you can't selectively backup files or restore just a piece of a hard drive. But it also means that you can back up just about any hard disk that can be read by your system.

Second, SafeBack doesn't require the use of a hard disk to run. It can be run from a floppy and it will never write to your hard disk (unless directed to). Incidentally, this is also why SafeBack is a DOS utility, and not a utility that runs under Windows or other operating systems. As part of their normal operation, Windows, OS/2 and other large GUI-type systems must write swap and initialization information on a hard disk--and this is the first place you want to look for evidence!.

Third, SafeBack processes are validated mathematically for a very high degree of accuracy. This is because SafeBack is primarily used to preserve computer related evidence and a high degree of accuracy is required or the data cannot be used in court.

Forth, SafeBack does not compress relevant data. This is a design feature of SafeBack to avoid legal challenges that the software may have altered the data through translation or decompression.