Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): Having an automated, secure, off-site backup solution is a great idea, but for many folks, burning their data and system files to CD and DVD is just more manageable. Free indexing app Virtual Volumes View (VVV) helps you keep track of exactly which file is located on which of those numbered DVDs. Once you've let VVV take a look at each of your discs, it can show you them in a physical view (each disc and its contents), a virtual view (one giant file system), or let you simply search through files, including MP3 metadata, to find that certain folder or file you need to restore. The app helps you make sense of large folders you have to break up into multiple discs, and is smart enough to properly index a newly-burned, updated disc it already is tracking. Virtual Volumes View is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems; Linux users, hit the Linux.com link if you need help installing.

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Windows only All platforms: Free boot CD EASEUS Disk Copy copies any disk or partition sector-by-sector for an exact copy of the original. Disk Copy is a perfect tool for upgrading your operating system to a new, larger hard drive, or just making a quick clone of a drive full of files. With support for virtually any drive type or file system and an easy-to-use interface, this app is a fast, effective tool for quick drive copying. I haven't cloned a full drive with it, but according to reader Jason, it copies files significantly faster than previously mentioned HDClone. On the flip side, if you're looking to hot image your hard drive continuously, check out how to do that with DriveImage XML. Disk Copy is freeware, works anywhere you can boot from a CD. Thanks Jason!

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Those of us who have forgone a fancy BlackBerry, Treo, or iPhone know a standard mobile phone is probably the most non-interactive, un-tweakable device in the gadget stable. But for many phones, there's a way around overpriced cables, intentionally weak Bluetooth software, and lack of good syncing software. The multi-tool of phone data, BitPim, is a free, open-source, cross-platform solution that can back up all or most of your phone's data, put your home-baked ringtones on your phone for free, and sync calendars and contacts between your apps and your vanilla phone. Let's take a look at how to get started with BitPim on any system and make the most of the device you take everywhere.

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Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): The FEBE Firefox extension backs up all of your existing Firefox extensions with the click of a button. We've featured FEBE before, but it's improved significantly since then, and the latest update has added support for automatically uploading your extension backups to file-sharing web site Box.net. FEBE can schedule automatic backups, and in addition to your extensions, FEBE can also back up and restore themes, bookmarks, preferences, passwords, and virtually anything else in your Firefox profile. In fact, if I didn't know any better I'd say FEBE is venturing toward full Firefox profile syncing (we can only hope). FEBE is free, works wherever Firefox does.

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USB drives are an essential backup tool for road warriors, but occasionally Windows Vista tricks you by not assigning them their usual customary drive letter. I regularly use SyncBack, a perennial Lifehacker reader favourite for backup and file syncing, and it doesn't work if drive E: suddenly shows up as drive F:.
Fortunately, you can remap drive assignments in Vista, though it's a well-hidden option. Right-click on the Computer icon on your desktop or start menu, then click Manage (and go through all the User Account Control confirmation malarkey if you have it switched on). Expand Storage at the right, and select Disk Management. Right click and select Change Drive Letter and Paths, then select Change. Choose the letter you want and click OK. You may get an additional warning or two saying the drive letter is unavailable until you reboot, but press on regardless -- I've found it nearly always works. If you do have multiple drives or devices plugged in, you might also need to reshuffle the existing mappings to make the one you need available. For a more permanent method of assigning a letter to your USB drive, check out this method for creating shortcuts.

You've got backup religion on your computer, but how about on your web server? Your hosting plan may offer some sort of backup, but to be sure, you might as well take matters into your own hands. Tech site Webmonkey runs down how to back up your web server using command line tools like tar and pg_dump to archive your HTML files and export your database, then schedule the whole shebang to happen automatically with cron. Personally I use a combination of a daily MySQL dump (for my database) and a weekly rsync job. If these UNIX commands leave you cold and you just want to back up your hosted blog, here are a few tools to do so.

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Windows only: Backup utility Double Driver lists all the hardware drivers installed on your system and creates backups of both the actual drivers and lists of the driver names. While handy with any computer, Double Driver really shines if you have a computer that came with pre-installed drivers that are hard if not impossible to come by. With a few clicks you'll have those archaic laptop drivers backed up and ready to put back to work after a fresh install. Double Driver is a free download for Windows only.

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Windows only: Free virtual archive tool Pismo File Mount can help you cut down on unnecessary CD burning and folder space by mounting compressed and ISO files as virtual drives. There are lots of utilities and means to do this, of course, but Pismo offers the simple route. Just right-click on a disc image or zipped file and choose "Mount" or "Quick Mount," and you can assign the folder to, say, drive Z:, or just have its contents pop up in a window. Grab what you need, close it down, and you're done. Pismo File Mount is a free download for Windows systems only.

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Admit it—even if your desk could be the cover shot for Organized Worker Monthly, your data is all over the place. Between desktop apps, online networks, and webapp tools, it's easy to lose track of data and duplicate tasks, simply because it's not all accessible, or it takes too much of your time to keep it all synced up and together. Conduit, an in-development program for the Linux desktop, makes it simple to link your web data, desktop files, and other information all together, then synchronise them all with a single click. Follow along as we check out how Conduit works, peek at its potential, and try out a few examples (and solicit your own clever ideas).

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Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): Online backup utility SpiderOak is notable for its true cross-platform availability, but it also offers (like Mozy) 2 GB of non-expiring free storage space and the ability to run in the background, making persistent backups as you change the contents of any folders you want to watch. The creators boast of a compression algorithm that speeds up both uploads and restoration, and unlimited bandwidth for paying customers, but its real value comes in its simple interface and set-and-forget nature. For any user—but especially Linux newcomers—who doesn't quite feel comfortable setting up their own automated backups, SpiderOak is a viable option. SpiderOak is free to download and create a 2 GB account; each 10 GB increment after that costs about $US5/month.