Thought I'd try something different... rather than try some blanket explanation of how Paragon & similar disk/partition image apps work & can be used, I'm taking a look at the suggestion box for what may be more common questions?
Many suggestions make a good point, though some do refer to features that are already available from Paragon [though not always in their GOTD version. e.g. "Include a network option so that you can centralize the backup and recovery of your Local Area Network."]. I don't mean to make light of any suggestions, but singled out those where I felt my comments might hopefully be useful/helpful.
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Q] Export backups to other drives including SSD
You can do that now -- you have the choice of where to restore a backup, with the caveat that you may/may not have to use something like EasyBCD to adjust/set Windows boot menu since Paragon software will often adjust Windows for the newly restored drive partition. The Compact version on GOTD does not have the "Copy Partitions & HDD" found in their Home version [per the comparison on Paragon's site], but personally I've most always just used backup/restore because 1) it's more flexible, & 2) I had a full backup in case something went wrong -- whenever I've [in effect] copied a drive/partition it was just one part of doing something else, & there's always a risk of failure... the example that comes to mind is replacing the system hard drive -- read reviews & those new drives that fail [not DOA] often do so in the 1st couple few weeks of use. By that time the original drive is no longer connected in the PC, but restoring that backup to a 2nd replacement is trivial.
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Q] Backup the registry
In win7 use System Restore, in XP use ERUNT. The registry's spread over several files that are of course backed up with a complete disk/partition backup. In win7 it's also only a part of the picture, with complementary data stored elsewhere in Windows. In win7 if you restore a registry backup using ERUNT [a free utility to backup/restore the registry] it may not work out perfectly because there's a mismatch between data stored in the registry & elsewhere -- System Restore takes that into account, restoring prior versions or copies of files holding that complementary data. To do the same thing in win7 using a disk/partition image backup program [i.e. backup all relevant & needed files/folders to restore the registry], you'd have to backup the Users & Windows folders -- while that's certainly possible, you're then performing a file rather than image backup, & the resulting drop in efficiency dealing with files vs. raw data means it often takes longer than backing up the entire disk/partition to begin with.
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Q] Enable recovery options during system boot
Paragon makes backup tools that do just that, but for the most part, & IMO, having Restore in the boot menu is far from an ideal solution, though it may seem to be easier from some people's perspectives. One problem is adding a generic boot loader to the one(s) already installed on your system -- it does not always work, & it will necessarily delay the boot process. It also usually means having disk space dedicated to storing backup archives, which may not be the best place to store them [depending on how much disk space you have available]. And in case of hard drive failure you should have backup archives [or copies of them] stored elsewhere. OTOH booting from a CD/DVD/USB &/or eSATA storage & running the restore program takes no more time, & has no comparable downsides.
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Q] Enable saving incremental backups when the system's idle
There are apps that can backup when idle, including from Paragon, with the trade-off that were you to run a complete backup 1st thing that morning, you're done & have that backup should you need it -- performing that backup only when the system's idle may mean you don't have that backup completed until much later in the day. In practice, if you're already prone to run the minimal amount of background apps/processes it's something else to get in the way, something to shut down before firing up a game for example.
Incremental backups are also [IMO much] less efficient... their only advantage is if you have limited bandwidth available to the drive where you're storing your archives, since you may be moving less data from point A to point B. An incremental backup starts with a full backup archive -- the 2nd backup will look at that 1st archive, check all the files inside, compare them to current versions, then backup just those that have changed -- the 3rd backup may look at the 1st two or be set to just replace the 2nd and so on. Backups 1 & 2 will take up less space for storing archives than 2 complete backups, but more space than if you just kept one current backup archive available on disk. Backups take longer because of the comparison step. Restoring an incremental backup takes longer because you're not just restoring one backup, but the base + subsequent changes.
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Q] Backup Drivers, Operating System, Registry, Emails / Address Books / Bookmarks, and Documents in discreet individually recoverable groups
E-mails, docs, bookmarks, & address books are all more-or-less separate entities that can be fairly easily duplicated, backed up/restored etc., & there are dozens of ways of backing them up, including redundant &/or remote storage. That's not to say Paragon couldn't include related, specialized features in whatever app, should they decide there's room in an already somewhat crowded market for that sort of thing. You cannot effectively separate installed drivers, installed software, and [in Vista onward] the registry & the OS -- if you can't separate them you can't back them up or restore them individually. There are apps that allege to backup drivers, but in practice it's hit or miss depending on how complicated whatever driver set is, how deep it sends its roots into Windows. Separating Windows from everything installed is called re-installation :).
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Q] Perform continuous backup
This is the best method when everything is critical &/or when you don't have time for restoring disks/partitions, but you don't do it with backup software -- you simply write (mirror) all data to two or more drives at the same time. It's usually done with a type of RAID setup -- look for a non-RAID version of it in win8.