Unlike traditional backup programs, Diino won't back files to your PC's hard disk. Instead, they're saved on the internet, in what Diino promises is a secure environment.

Diino is free to download, and there's even a free version of the service, which offers 2GB of file storage. Free users can't opt out of marketing emails, however.

The software uses a folder view, into which files are dragged and dropped. The speed with which they're stored will vary depending on your internet connection, but in our tests it used the full speed of our line.

It can be scheduled to perform regular backups of certain files or folders. It's not possible to exclude a particular file from the backup, so it's worth taking care which folders are chosen for backup.

Files can be shared once uploaded – with the usual caveats about sharing copyright files, and there's even a blogging tool, which seemed pointless to us, but provides an easy way to put pictures online if nothing else. There's a secure email service, but it only works between two Diino users.

The free edition is excellent, but anyone with more than 2GB of files will need to upgrade to one of the paid ones, which start at £51 per year for 10GB, which is a little on the expensive side, but that depends on how serious you are about preserving files.

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