Leopard's new Time Machine is great, but there's more to a secure backup strategy than turning on Time Machine and hoping for the best. Plus, a lot of people are wondering how to integrate Time Machine into an overall Leopard backup strategy. The answers are now available in "Take Control of Easy Backups in Leopard," by backup guru Joe Kissell.

Joe's strategy for a complete Leopard backup system - including archiving, a bootable duplicate, and offsite backups - is designed to protect you from mishap while minimizing the amount of time you spend making backups. You'll find thorough, step-by-step instructions for Time Machine, bolstered by helpful details that you won't find in Apple's documentation, but you'll also learn about alternatives for seven cases where Time Machine won't provide the backups you need. Most importantly, Joe explains clearly how to recover your precious data in case of a deleted or corrupted file, a dead hard drive, or a stolen laptop.

Because of the many questions we've received about Time Machine and backing up in Leopard, we've decided to release this ebook in preview form so you can take advantage of Joe's research and advice right away. If you buy now, you will receive a three-page PDF. The first page contains the all-important red starburst, which you click to access the Web-based preview (you can also make comments and ask questions within the preview) and to access the final PDF ebook when we're done with it. The second two pages are coupons for 50% off Data Backup (save $30) and 10% off on CrashPlan or CrashPlan Pro (save $2 or $6). We hope to release the PDF in December or January.

If you own (or purchase) the second edition of Joe's best-selling "Take Control of Mac OS X Backups," click Check for Updates on the cover to access "Take Control of Easy Backups in Leopard" for free. Owners of the first edition will find a discount on an upgrade to the second edition. We're bundling the two like this because we updated "Take Control of Mac OS X Backups" in September 2007, and its next update - with coverage of Time Machine - is scheduled for 2008.