Hamburg  - Many data backup programs are either difficult to use or not completely reliable, testing has shown. In the worst cases, the software suffers from both defects.

That was the finding of a recent study by the Hamburg-based Computer Bild magazine. It tested six pure backup programs, as well as four security suites and two CD/DVD burning programs that offer data backup functionality.

Only one of the pure data backup programs earned a grade of "good." Of the remaining programs three earned "sufficient" and eight "unacceptable."

The fundamental point of criticism for many of the programs was the way they forced the user to decide whether to create an image of the entire hard drive or whether to back up individual files or folders. In some cases, the programs failed to register when a backup process had not yet completed. In other cases, the entire process lasted intolerably long, the reviewers found. (dpa)