Redo Backup and Recovery is an easy-to-use backup tool that will quickly back up or clone local or network drives.

The program comes in the form of a Live CD (based on xPUD and partclone), an ISO file. Burn it to a CD or DVD with your disc mastering software, and Redo Backup and Recovery additionally contains a further tool that will create a bootable USB drive for you, if you prefer.

However you start the program, it's straightforward to use. A simple wizard walks you through the backup process, choosing the source and destination drives (shared drives on your network are automatically detected), and restoring a backup is just as straightforward. So no need to worry if you're a total Linux novice: we've seen many Windows-based backup tools that are more difficult to figure out.

Redo Backup and Recovery also provides a simple file manager, allowing you to manually browse your system, copying or editing files - perhaps a lifesaver if your PC won't boot.

And an assortment of other useful tools on offer includes a powerful partition editor (GParted), undelete program (PhotoRec) and web browser (Firefox).