HP SimpleSave Portable 320GB review

In terms of file copying performance, HP’s 320GB SimpleSave is just like any other portable USB2 hard disk. What distinguishes it is the included software which aims to greatly simplify the chore of backing up your files. The software is actually a re-branded version of Storage Appliance’s Clickfree software.

The program runs entirely from the external hard drive itself. Once you’ve chosen which folders or which particular file types you want to back up, this will be done automatically every time the SimpleSave is plugged into your computer’s USB port. The software supports space-saving incremental backups, but won’t keep old versions of files.

The SimpleSave can back up different sets of files from different computers, but once the 320GB disk fills up, older files aren’t discarded automatically to make space – you have to do this manually. Backed up files are stored in an unnecessarily complex folder structure which makes restoring them using Windows Explorer very tedious. It’s a breeze with software, thankfully, but be careful not to accidentally erase the partition that this is stored on.

HP’s SimpleSave is ideal if you don’t have very sophisticated backup needs. It’s no more expensive than a standard 320GB portable USB2 disk and is cheaper than the otherwise identical Clickfree-branded disks. More demanding users should invest in a standalone backup application, such as Acronis’ True Image Home 2010, and a separate USB disk, such as Iomega’s eGo Portable.