Back up is a dull subject we'd all rather not think about. Trouble is, with so much stored on our PCs and laptops, we don't have a choice, unless you're happy to gamble with your photos or to spend hours re-ripping CDs.

Online backup that stores everything offsite is the safest approach, but expensive. 

We spoke with Databarracks today, which has just launched a free service for home users that encrypts your data and saves it on a friend's machine.

Called BuddyBackUp, it uses a buddy system, so they can store stuff on your's as well, but does mean your backups are kept elsewhere.

We think it's a smart idea - there's a 5GB restriction to the free service, but the full service is unlimited and only costs £10.

What happens, we asked, when you find your mate has been saving hardcore porn to your PC and the police are knocking on your door. No worries, we were told. It's encrypted, so as long as you didn't know what they were storing, you are in the clear.

If curiosity is too much, you can try and crack that 128bit encryption, just to prove your computing skills. Otherwise, it's a neat way of keeping as many backup copies as you want on different machines.

We'll be testing it over the coming week, and post a review as soon as it's ready.