Copyright: Made with Shalom Help Maker www.danish-shareware.dk/soft/shelpm/


Topics index

Introduction

Introduction

Features Summary

What edition to choose

Feature Matrix

System Requirements

Installation

Version history

Notice to Backup4all 1.5.0 users

Getting Started

Quick start

Manage backup items

How to restore from a backup

How to Test a Backup

Passwords

Tray icon

Keyboard Shortcuts

Backup Types

Backup Types

Full Backup

Differential Backup

Incremental Backup

Mirror Backup

Backup Types in Backup4all

Backup to CD/DVD

Backup to CD/DVD

Using the built in burner

Using packet writing

Main Window

Commands

Backup List

Add/Rename/Delete backup groups

Explore View

Statistics View

Summary View

Running Backups

Test

Logging

New Backup Wizard

General

Sources

Destination

Type

Filters

Scheduler

Advanced

Summary

Restore Wizard

General

Versions

Filters

Preview

Summary

Backup Item Properties

General

Sources

Destination

Type

Filters

Scheduler

Advanced

File Filtering

File filtering overview

Filter restriction

Filter override

Advanced

Advanced Settings

Advanced Settings

Command line

Options

General

Backup

Logging

Language

Frequently Asked Questions and Hints

General

Backup and test

Restore

Hints

License and Contact Information

Purchasing and Registration

End User License Agreement

Contact


Introduction

Backup4all is an award-winning backup software for Windows. The application was designed to protect your valuable data from partial or total loss by automating backup tasks, password protecting and compressing it to save storage space. This backup software is feature rich and offers an intuitive interface making all features easily accessible for both beginners and professionals.

The application performs all four backup types: full backup, differential backup, incremental backup and mirror backup. Using the wizard you can easily set up any backup configuration you wish. You can define powerful file filters and schedule your backups any way you want. Once a backup is performed, you can see what files have been changed since the last backup using the explorer-like tree view or you can read the statistics about the next backup execution. You can use the context menu from the tree to run standard actions associated with the file type.

Backup4all creates standard zip files. This means that your data is not at the mercy of the utility itself. You can access it with any zip compatible utility.

Backup4all keeps track of file versions. You can easily restore any version of files or a whole folder. You can filter files to be restored.

Backup4all tests the backup files automatically to ensure the backup is safe and correctly executed (uses CRC32).

Backup4all works with any drive letter, including mapped network drives and UNC paths. It comes with its own built-in CD/DVD burning support. Just set the destination on CD/DVD and execute the backup item. However, if you prefer, you can use UDF format (using products such as DirectCD or InCD).

It is compatible with Windows 95/98/Me or Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP and requires approximately 6MB of free disk space.


Features Summary

Intuitive Interface - With the help of the file tree, you can see all files that are in the backup and the new files that will be stored at next backup execution. You can sort and search this file tree. You can start the application at Windows startup or minimize it to the system tray.

Flexibility  - Backup4all is very flexible, allowing you to run almost any backup type or style you might require.

Manage multiple backup items - The application allows defining multiple backups and saving them for future use. On the main form, you have an overview of all defined backups organized in groups. You can create shortcuts to any backup item and execute them with a double click from your desktop. The application comes with several predefined backup items: "My Documents", "My Pictures" and "Internet Favorites".

File Context Menu - Integrates available file operations into the Backup4all interface, multiple file selection is possible.

Statistics - You can actually see the number of files that will be processed at next backup (very useful when you have a large number of files). Other information refers to the size and date of the executed backups and the available free space on storage destination.

Summary - Textual description of all configurations made to a backup item.

New Backup Wizard - Provides step-by-step definition of a new backup item.

Easy File and Folder Selection - You can browse a folder tree to select individual files and folders as source of the backup or you can include or exclude them individually.

Backup Destination - You can store the backup in a local folder, LAN paths, CDs/DVDs or other removable media.

Built-in CD/DVD Support - The application comes with its own built in CD/DVD burning support. Just set the destination on CD/DVD and execute the backup item.

UDF support - However, if you prefer, you can still use UDF format to burn your CDs and DVDs.

Backup Types - Plenty of backup types to choose from: full backup, differential backup, incremental backup and mirror backup.

File Filters - Powerful filtering engine with lots of options (filter by attribute, size, date, name and type). You can build filters using a combination of restrictions and you can define separate filters for inclusion and exclusion.

Built-in Scheduler - You can easily setup a powerful scheduler using the available scheduler configurations to make unattended backups.

Extra Actions - Perform extra actions before and/or after backup execution.

Test backup - The application tests the backup automatically (uses CRC32). This ensures that the files have been backed up properly and the backup is safe. You can also test the backup integrity at a later time from the application main menu.

Standard Zip Compression - Backup4all creates standard zip files. This means that your data is not at the mercy of the utility itself; you can access it with any zip compatible utility.

Customized Zip Names - You can customize name prefixes for the zip archives, which store your backup versions.

Password Protection - You can protect your ZIP files by setting a password to each backup.

Snapshots - Mirror backup type makes an exact copy of selected files and folders.

Disk Spanning - Automated support for splitting your backup between many removable disks or even on the same media. You can specify the maximum size of the zip archives.

Multi-Thread - The application allows you to start more backups at the same time, to execute a whole group of backups at once, show the progress of each backup.

Logs - The operations performed by the application are logged.

Command Line - There is a command line version of the application available. Use Windows scheduler (or third party) to schedule backups.

Restore Wizard - Restore backed up data step-by-step. Allows you to choose the version of files, filter and preview files that will be restored.

Restore - You can quickly restore any file version, the latest version of the files or a whole folder from the backup item.

Compatibility - Restores can also be done via any standard zip software, giving you more flexibility if you need to restore on a different computer.


What edition to choose

There are three licensing options: Mirror Edition, Classic Edition and Professional Edition.

Both editions implement the basic functionalities of a backup application: easy file and folder selection, file filtering, multiple backup item configurations, intuitive interface, built in CD/DVD support, disk spanning, backup statistics, backup summary, etc.

The major difference between Mirror, Classic and Professional Editions are the supported backup types. Professional Edition implements all four backup types (see Backup Types for a full description of backup types), Classic Edition does not implement incremental backup type and Mirror Edition implements only the mirror backup type.

See Feature Matrix for a more detailed comparison between Mirror and Professional Editions.

Related Topics
Feature Matrix
Backup Types
Command line


Feature Matrix

Detailed Feature Matrix for  Mirror, Classic and Professional Editions

Features	Mirror Edition	Classic Edition	Professional Edition
Interface

Start application at Windows startup	Yes	Yes	Yes
Minimize application to system tray	Yes	Yes	Yes
Browsable file and folder tree of the backup sources	Yes	Yes	Yes
Add sources with drag-drop	New	New	New
Browsable file and folder tree of the backup contents	Yes	Yes	Yes
File finder in Explore View (by name)	New	New	New
Sort files in Explore View (by name, size or date)	New	New	New
Multiple selection in Explore View	New	New	New
Backup statistics	Yes	Yes	Yes
Show available space in destination on Statistics View	New	New	New
Backup summary	Yes	Yes	Yes
Manage multiple backup configurations	Yes	Yes	Yes
Group backup configurations	Yes	Yes	Yes
Create shortcut to predefined backup configuration for easy access	New	New	New
Default backup configuration templates for "My Documents", "My Pictures", "Internet Favorites"	Yes	Yes	Yes
Resizable windows. Store window position and size.	New	New	New
Store column positions, size and visibility	New	New	New
Backup

Backup wizard	Yes	Yes	Yes
Browsable file and folder selection	Yes	Yes	Yes
Select individual files and folders to be backed up	Yes	Yes	Yes
Inclusion and exclusion filters for files	Yes	Yes	Yes
Override filters	Yes	Yes	Yes
Built in scheduler	Yes	Yes	Yes
Run program/action before and/or after backup	Yes	Yes	Yes
Run program/action only once	New	New	New
Clear backup action with parameters	New	New	New
Assign volume labels for removable media	New	New	New
Assign label for each backup version	New	New	New
Set backup thread priority	New	New	New
Create backup log	Yes	Yes	Yes
Backup Types

Mirror backup	New	New	New
Full backup		Yes	Yes
Store multiple versions for full backup type		Yes	Yes
Differential backup		New	New
Store multiple versions for differential backup type		New	New
Incremental backup			Yes
Store multiple versions for incremental backup type			Yes
Limit number of backup versions		New	New
Backup Format

Compress backup files (zip format)		Yes	Yes
Support for zip64 technology		New	New
Choose zip compression level		Yes	Yes
Password protected zip files		Yes	Yes
Customize zip name prefix		New	New
Split zip files		New	New
One to one copy	New	New	New
Customize destination folder name (for one to one copy)	New	New	New
Backup Media

Backup from/to network drives	Yes	Yes	Yes
Backup from/to ZIP drive	Yes	Yes	Yes
Backup to CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW (using preinstalled UDF drivers)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Backup from/to CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-R/DVD+R/DVD-RW/DVD+RW (without any extra drivers installed)	New	New	New
Backup execution

Show backup progress	Yes	Yes	Yes
Execute all backup configurations in a group	Yes	Yes	Yes
Perform unattended backups using built in schedulers	Yes	Yes	Yes
Command line	New	New	New
Test

Test backups (uses CRC32)	New	New	New
Test after backup option	New	New	New
Set test thread priority	New	New	New
Create test log	New	New	New
Restore

Restore wizard	Yes	Yes	Yes
Restore specific backup increments		Yes	Yes
Filter files to restore	Yes	Yes	Yes
Restore to different folder	Yes	Yes	Yes
Restore selected file	Yes	Yes	Yes
Restore selected version of a file		Yes	Yes
Restore selected folder	New	New	New
Restore preview	New	New	New
Set restore thread priority	New	New	New
Create restore log	New	New	New
Languages

Multi-language support	New	New	New
Legend

	"New" means the feature is new and is available only from Backup4all ver. 2
	"Yes" means the feature was already available in previous Backup4all versions


System Requirements

To install Backup4all you need Windows 95/98/Me or Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP and approximately 6 MBytes of free disk space.

Because the application uses ZIP compression, additional disk space is needed for the temporary directory. The amount of free space depends on the size of files to backup.


Installation

Install

To install Backup4all on a computer, you need to have administrative rights.
The installation process does not take much time.
All you need to do is to follow the instructions of the Installation Wizard.
There is no need to reboot, so you can run the program right after it is installed on your machine.

If you have already installed an older version of Backup4all, you can install the new version on top of the older one, no need to uninstall it.

Uninstall

First you need to close the application.
Then go to "Backup4all" application group from Windows "Start" menu and click "Uninstall Backup4all"
You can also uninstall the application using "Add/Remove programs" from Control Panel.


Version history

What's new in version 2.2.1 (7-Sep-2004)
   Optimized zip testing
   Choose ASPI layer to use (internal or external)
   After backup program/action was executed between backup and test. Now is executed after test.
   Help file adjustments
   WinXP SP2 compatibility
   Fixed writing large zip files to DVD
   Fixed merging backups
   Fixed backup statistics
   Fixed "List index out of bounds" problem that happens when there were only excluded files
   Other minor bug fixes

What's new in version 2.2.0 (11-Jun-2004)

   New Backup4all edition (Classic)
   Added DVD support. Extended CD support
   Test/verify files automatically after backup (uses CRC32)
   Posibility to test/verify backup item integrity with a click of a button at any time
   Preview files before restoring
   Possibility to keep multiple versions for full and differential backup
   Possibility to limit the number versions for full and differential backup
   Switching between full, differential or incremental backup types does not clear the backup data anymore
   Copy files directly into destination folder for mirror backup
   Set backup, test and restore priorities
   New Backup Wizard, Backup Properties and Restore Wizard dialogs are now resizable
   Log system has been improved. Added log for restore and test actions
   Remember columns width, position and state (visible/invisible) for all grids inside application
   Option to make each backup on a new (removable) disk
   Improved statistics

What's new in version 2.1.0 (3-Mar-2004)

   Unlimited zip file size (zip64 support), faster zipping algorithm, compatible with all zip applications
   CD burner updated to support more CD writers
   Separate description for each backup increment
   Multi language support
   Multiple selection in the explore view
   Clear backup action has now parameters
   Backup errors are separated from the backup warnings
   Minor bug fixes

What's new in version 2.0.1 (15-Dec-2003)

   Drag-drop support for adding files and folders as sources
   Option to show a warning message before erasing removable media
   Option to keep the CD ejected after burning
   Daylight saving fix for NT file systems
   "Check all" and "Uncheck all" commands to easily select/deselect all sources
   Override file filters for root sources
   Minor bug fixes

What's new in version 2.0.0 (3-Nov-2003)

   Differential backup type: faster than full backup, backs up only new and modified files
   Incremental backup type: added the possibility to limit the number of backup increments that are created
   Disk spanning
   Disk labeling
   Customize and preview zip names
   Mirror backup type. Options: customize destination folder name, recreate sources folders structure in destination folder, fast mirroring
   Handle data volumes larger than 2 Gbytes
   Built in CD burning support. No need for third party drivers
   Show file sizes and modification dates in Explore View. Sort files in tree by clicking on column header
   Easy restore of a whole folder by right-click menu in Explore View
   Command line support
   Create shortcut to execute one backup item
   File finder in Explore View (by name)
   Show available space in destination on Statistics View
   Added possibility to run program/action only once

What's new in version 1.5.0 (23-May-2003)

   Execute all backup items in a group
   Backup item properties: added support for .bmp files
   Restore latest file version directly from the tree, Explore view
   Corrections made in displaying backup progress status
   Options to view backup item and application log in View menu
   Optimized Expand All process in the Explore view
   Always use absolute path for destination and temporary folders

What's new in version 1.4.0 (30-Apr-2003)

   Password protection
   Improved statistics
   Open .bkc files from main menu
   Option added to sort backup items in backup groups
   Improved .bkc file structure. Existing .bkc files will be converted to the new format
   Delete non-empty backup groups
   Corrections made in scheduler
   Add "Expand all" and "Collapse all" for the Explore View
   Corrections made in showing the tray icon

What's new in version 1.3.0 (19-Mar-2003)

   Help file has been added with support for context menu
   Corrections made in file filter configuration
   Enhanced support for browsing Explore View during the backup process
   Improved statistics
   Corrections made in handling .bkc files
   Improved backup logging; error log added
   Corrections made in scheduler
   More precise progress status when backing up
   Warning dialog if the backup size exceeds 2 GBytes
   Optimized access to removable media

What's new in version 1.2.0 (7-Feb-2003)

   Backup speed was drastically improved
   An option to minimize on tray was added
   Backup summary was improved in both layout and content
   A new option is available for hiding background image on the left side of application's main form
   You can add individual files to the backup source, not only folders
   Corrections made for incremental backup
   Shut down problem for Win2000 was corrected
   A visual sign is shown for backups that are currently executed. Active backups window was added
   A new option to hide scheduler warning
   Cosmetic changes to the user interface, new shortcuts


Notice to Backup4all 1.5.0 users

Version 2 brings some changes to the basic functionality of Backup4all (that you should be aware of).

1. The default CD file system is not UDF anymore. Backup4all 2 has built in CD burning capabilities, so your CDs will be recognized on systems, which do not have InCD/DirectCD installed. When you upgraded to Backup4all 2 your current Backup Item settings were preserved (meaning your CDs are still burned with an UDF file system). To change this you should go in the Backup Item Properties(for all the Backup Items that have the destination set to CD) press the Advanced button (CD/DVD Advanced Settings) and choose: "Burn using built in driver".


Quick start

This section describes how to quickly make a backup item and execute it.

To start creating a backup item click on the toolbar button [image]. For each backup item you must specify its name, sources files and folders and a valid storage destination.

This button starts the New Backup Wizard:
     1.  Enter the name of the backup on the first page and click next.
     2.  Select the files and folders you want to backup (sources of the backup) and click next.
     3.  Select the folder where these files and folders will be stored (destination to the backup) and click finish.

Note
When a new backup item is created, the default backup type is differential

Backup4all provides extended information about the backup, which can be consulted before doing the backup. You can switch between views by pressing following buttons on the application toolbar:

   "Explore" view - shows files and folders for the backup item
   "Statistics" view - shows statistics about the number of files and folders processed or to be processed
   "Summary" view - shows all configuration info for the selected backup

To start backing up, click "Backup now!" button [image] from application toolbar. Or, you can go to the Explore View and press the backup button below the folder tree.

While a backup item is executed, the following icon appears in front of the backup item:

The backup item's icon will be restored when the backup is finished.

If one or more files could not be backed up (not enough user rights, files were locked by other applications, etc), then the following image appears in front of the backup item, after backup completion:

Read the log files for details about the files that were not backed up. The icon will disappear when the backup is executed again and all files were backed up.

If an error occurred during backup and the backup was aborted, the following image appears in front of the backup item:

Read the log files for details about the errors. The icon will disappear when the backup is executed again and the execution is successful.


Manage backup items

Backup item

In order to backup your data you need to define a backup item.
For each backup item you specify:
   Name
   Group
   Sources - files and folders you want to backup
   Destination - the place where you want to store the copy of your files
   Type - what type of backup should be: full, incremental, differential or mirror
   Filters - indicate what files and folders to be included or excluded from backup
   Scheduling
   Advanced options - setup before and after backup actions

All defined backup items are visible in the left side of the main form.

Backup views

There are three views for a backup item:
   Explore view shows files and folders in backup item
   Statistics view shows statistics about last and future backup process
   Summary view shows all information about backup item configuration in a textual mode

Create a backup item

Defining a new backup item is done using the New Backup Wizard. You can start the wizard by pressing "New backup" button [image] in the application toolbar. Follow the instructions of the wizard and click "Finish" when ready. Only first three steps of the wizard are mandatory: General, Sources and Destination.

After this, an .ini file with the same name as the backup item is created in the "IniFile" directory (subdirectory of the application home directory). In addition, a backup catalog file (.bkc) is created in the specified destination.

Attention
Do not try to manually modify .bkc or .ini files, as it can lead to corrupted backup item and to the impossibility of restoring.

Note
A backup item is automatically created when double clicking on a .bkc file. You can also restore the backup item by opening the .bkc from the main menu.

Once the backup item is created, it will be displayed in the left side of the application main window. In the right side, you will see the content of the backup (files and folders).

Note
You can use "Create like" button [image] in the application toolbar to create a duplicate of the current selected backup item. You can then edit the configuration of the newly created backup item.

Edit backup items configuration

First you must click (select) the backup item you want to edit. Then press on "Properties" button [image] in the application toolbar. It will open the "Backup Properties" dialog.

Another possibility is to choose "Properties" from right-click menu on the backup item you want to edit. Then go to the tab with backup properties you want to modify.

Delete a backup item

Select the backup item you want to delete and click on "Delete" button [image] in the application toolbar. Another possibility is to choose "Delete" from right-click menu on the backup item you want to delete.

Note
Files and folders from source location and destination location will not be deleted.

Related Topics

Main Window - Commands
Main Window - Backup List
Main Window - Add/Rename/Delete Backup Groups


How to restore from a backup

Backup4all allows you to do:

   full restore
   filtered restore
   restore all the files from a folder
   restore the latest version of a particular file
   restore the latest version of multiple selected files
   restore any version of a particular file

To make a full restore or a filtered restore, just start the "Restore Wizard" by pressing "Restore" button [image] from application toolbar. The application allows you to make a restore in the original location or in a different location that you specify.

You can restore all files from a folder by selecting the folder in the Explore View tree, right-click and select "Restore Latest Version" or "Restore Latest Version To...".

You can restore the latest version of a file or several selected files by selecting them in the Explore View tree, right-click and select "Restore Latest Version" or "Restore Latest Version To...".

If you want to restore a particular file version, switch to the Explore View, select the targeted file in tree, right-click on a file version on bottom of the window and choose "Restore" to restore in the same location or "Restore to..." to restore in a different location.

Note
Beside files, folder information is also added to backup, so that a restore process will be able to reconstruct the original path of a file.

Related Topics

Restore Wizard - General


How to Test a Backup

Backup4all allows you to:

   test one or more versions of a backup (you can select any version for testing)
   automatically test latest version of a backup at each backup item execution

To test a selection or all the versions for the selected backup item, open the  Test Backup window by pressing "Test" button [image] from application toolbar. In the test dialog , select the versions you want to be tested and press "Test" button.
During the test execution, the following icon appears in front of the tested backup item:

To make the test automatically after backup, open the Backup Item Properties window by pressing "Properties" button [image] from application toolbar. Go to the "Advanced" tab and check the "Test after backup" option.

If the test was executed automatically after backup and it has failed, the following image appears in front of the backup item:

To see what was the error, go to "View" menu, choose "Item Logs" and then "Last Backup Log". The icon will disappear when the backup item is executed again and there were no errors.

Related Topics

Main Window - Test
Backup Item Properties - Advanced


Passwords

Passwords are used to protect your files/backup from unauthorized access.

Setting the password

The following dialog is used to enter a password:

The dialog is shown when pressing "Set Password..." button on the "Type" page of Backup Item Properties dialog or New Backup Wizard dialog. The button is available only for full, incremental and differential backup types.

Please manually enter the new password two times in "New password" and "Confirm password". This way typing errors are avoided.

"Old password" field is activated only when there is already a password for the backup. By giving the old password, only the owner of the backup will be allowed to change the password.

Attention
The system makes it possible to set different passwords for the same backup item, so the backup can contain zip files with different passwords. The application does not store passwords. Make sure that you remember exactly all passwords that have been used for the backup item.

How to remove the password

In the above dialog enter the old password and leave the new password/confirm new password fields empty.

Using passwords when restoring

During restore of backups with password protection, the following dialog will appear:

Enter the right password and press "OK". If you do not know the password for this backup number you can:
   press "Skip backup" to go to the next zip - the restoration may be incomplete.
   press "Stop restore" to stop the whole process - the restoration may be incomplete because only a part of the files are restored.

Related Topics

How to restore from a backup
New Backup Wizard - Type
Backup Item Properties - Type


Tray icon

When is Backup4all minimized on system tray?

Backup4all is minimized on system tray when "Minimize on tray" option from application option dialog is checked and the user minimizes the main window.

Tray icon popup menu let you:
    "Open Backup4all" - shows application main window
    "Exit" - close the application completely and remove it from system tray.

Active schedulers

If there are schedulers active, the tray icon hint contains the number of active schedulers like in the image below:

If there are no schedulers active, "Backup4all" hint is shown.

Backup execution

When a backup is executed, the tray icon is animated and the name of the executing backup is shown in the hint.

When a backup is finished with errors, a blinking exclamation mark is shown over the tray icon.

The exclamation mark is hidden when the user open the main window of the application. If you do not want to see the exclamation mark, just uncheck "Show tray error icon" from the option dialog.


Keyboard Shortcuts

The following shortcuts are allowed in Backup4all:

 Create backup item - CTRL + N
 Duplicate backup item - CTRL + L
 Delete backup item - CTRL + Del
 Backup item properties - CTRL + P
 Execute backup - F6
 Restore - F7
 Test - F9
 Cancel - F8
 Explore - F2
 Statistics - F3
 Summary - F4
 New files - CTRL + 1
 Not changed files - CTRL + 2
 Changed files - CTRL + 3
 Excluded files - CTRL + 4
 Deleted files - CTRL + 5
 Expand all - CTRL + 6
 Collapse all - CTRL + 7

Refresh - F5
Open backup - CTRL + O
Active backups - CTRL + B
Exit - ALT + F4

Related Topics

Commands


Backup Types

Backup4all stores a summary snapshot of the file information into a backup catalog file (.bkc) each time a backup item is run. For every file backed up, the snapshot contains the file name, size and attributes as well as the date and time of creation, modification and access.

Some other backup software inspects each file's Archive flag to identify which files have been modified. Backup4all will not interfere with any other backup software, because it does not read or change the Archive flag.

Backup4all implements all four fundamental backup types: full backup, differential backup, incremental backup and mirror backup. Below you can find an overview of the backup types

Full backup
Full backup is the starting point for all other backups, and contains all the data in the folders and files that are selected to be backed up. Because full backup stores all files and folders, frequent full backups result in faster and simpler restore operations. Remember that when you choose other backup types, restore jobs may take longer.

Differential backup
A differential backup contains all files that have changed since the last FULL backup. The advantage of a differential backup is that it shortens restore time compared to a full backup or an incremental backup. However, if you perform the differential backup too many times, the size of the differential backup might grow to be larger than the baseline full backup.

Incremental backup
An incremental backup stores all files that have changed since the last FULL OR INCREMENTAL backup. The advantage of an incremental backup is that it takes the least time to complete. However, during a restore operation, each incremental backup must be processed, which could result in a lengthy restore job.

Mirror backup
A mirror backup is identical to a full backup, with the exception that the files are not compressed in zip files and they cannot be protected with a password. A mirror backup is most frequently used to create an exact copy of the backup data.  It has the benefit that the backup files can also be readily accessed using tools like Windows Explorer.

Related Topics

Full Backup
Differential Backup
Incremental Backup
Mirror Backup


Full Backup

What is full backup?
Full backup is the starting point for all other backups, and contains all the data in the folders and files that are selected to be backed up. Because the full backup stores all files and folders, frequent full backups result in faster and simpler restore operations. Remember that when you choose other backup types, restore jobs may take longer.

Description of the full backup type
It would be ideal to make full backups all the time, because they are the most comprehensive and are self-contained. However, the amount of time it takes to run full backups often prevents us from using this backup type. Full backups are often restricted to a weekly or monthly schedule, although the increasing speed and capacity of backup media is making overnight full backups a more realistic proposition.

Full backups, if you have the time to perform them, offer the best solution in data protection. In effect, a single backup can provide the ability to completely restore all backed-up files.

Advantages:
   Restore is the fastest

Disadvantages:
   Backing up is the slowest
   The storage space requirements are the highest

Full backup type in Backup4all

Backup4all supports full backup type and offers a solution for the storage space requirement issue.
You can use the "Limit number of stored backups" option to reduce the backup size. The output of a full backup is a container file, which is created with zip compression. You can select the zip compresion ratio by using the "Zip Advanced Settings".
The Backup4all's option to password protect your backup helps you if backup media is stolen.

Related Topics

Backup Types
Differential Backup
Incremental Backup
Mirror Backup


Differential Backup

What is differential backup?
A differential backup contains all files that have changed since the last full backup. The advantage of a differential backup is that it shortens restore time compared to a FULL backup or an incremental backup. However, if you perform the differential backup too many times, the size of the differential backup might grow to be larger then the baseline full backup.

Description of the differential backup type
There is a significant, but sometimes confusing, distinction between differential backup and incremental backup. Whereas incremental backs up all the files modified since the last full backup or incremental backup, differential backup offers a middle ground by backing up all the files that have changed since the last full backup. That is where it gets its name: it backs up everything that's different since the last full backup.

Restoring a differential backup is a faster process than restoring an incremental backup because only two backup container files are needed: the latest full backup and the latest differential.

Backup4all uses the information it has recorded in its catalog file (.bkc) to determine whether each file has changed since the last full backup.

Use differential backup if you have a reasonable amount of time to perform backups. The upside is that only two backup container files are needed to perform a complete restore. The downside is if you run multiple differential backups after your full backup, you're probably including some files in each differential backup that were already included in earlier differential backups, but haven't been recently modified.

Advantages:
   Restore is faster than restoring from incremental backup
   Backing up is faster than a full backup
   The storage space requirements are lower than for full backup

Disadvantages:
   Restore is slower than restoring from full backup
   Backing up is slower than incremental backup
   The storage space requirements are higher than for incremental backup

Differential backup type in Backup4all

Backup4all supports the differential backup type and offers a solution for the slow backup issue.
In time, the differential can grow to a size that is equal or larger than the full version. Therefore the following options can be used to trigger the creation of a new full backup:
   Make full backup when the differential exceeds ...% of full backup size (default is 50%)
   Make full backup when the differential exceeds... (default is 1MBytes)
The system counts the file sizes for the differential and if the selected condition is met it performs a full backup.

Related Topics

Backup Types
Full Backup
Incremental Backup
Mirror Backup


Incremental Backup

What is incremental backup?
An incremental backup stores all files that have changed since the last FULL, DIFFERENTIAL OR INCREMENTAL backup. The advantage of an incremental backup is that it takes the least time to complete. However, during a restore operation, each incremental backup is processed, which could result in a lengthy restore job.

Description of the incremental backup type
Incremental backup provides a much faster method of backing up data than repeatedly running full backups. During an incremental backup only the files that have changed since the most recent backup are included. That is where it gets its name: each backup is an increment since the most recent backup.

The time it takes to execute the backup may be a fraction of the time it takes to perform a full backup. Backup4all uses the information it has recorded in its catalog file (.bkc) to determine whether each file has changed since the most recent backup.

The advantage of lower backup times comes with a price: increased restore time. When restoring from incremental backup, you need the most recent full backup as well as EVERY incremental backup you've made since the last full backup.

For example, if you did a full backup on Friday and incrementals on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and the PC crashes Thursday morning, you would need all four backup container files: Friday's full backup plus the incremental backup for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. As a comparison, if you had done differential backup on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then to restore on Thursday morning you'd only need Friday's full backup plus Wednesday's differential.

Advantages:
   Backing up is the fastest
   The storage space requirements are the lowest

Disadvantages:
   Restore is the slowest

Incremental backup type in Backup4all

Backup4all supports incremental backup type and offers a solution for the slow restore issue.
To keep the number of stored backups to a reasonable number and reduce the size of the backups the application provides two options : "Limit the number of stored backups" and  "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" that can limit the number of stored backups. These two options will perform an internal merge to keep the number of stored backups under the selected limit.

Related Topics

Backup Types
Full Backup
Differential Backup
Mirror Backup


Mirror Backup

What is mirror backup?
A mirror backup is identical to a full backup, with the exception that the files are not compressed in zip files and they cannot be protected with a password. A mirror backup is most frequently used to create an exact copy of the backup data.  It has the benefit that the backup files can also be readily accessed using tools like Windows Explorer.

Description of the mirror backup type
A mirror backup is a straight copy of the selected folders and files at a given instant in time. Mirror backup is the fastest backup method because it copies files and folders to the destination without any compression. However, the increased speed has its drawbacks: it needs larger storage space and it cannot be password protected.

While the other backup types collect all the files and folders being backed up each time into a single compressed "container file", a mirror backup keeps all the individual files separate in the destination. That is, the destination becomes a "mirror" of the source. You can even directly access files in the destination without needing to use Backup4all's restore feature, because each file is just a straight copy of the original.

One handy feature of mirror backup is Backup4all's "Fast mirror" option. When this option has been selected, any mirror operation after the first will only copy new and modified files, making the operation very fast.

A mirror backup cannot keep track of different versions of files. However, Backup4all provides an option to customize destination folder names using user-defined parameters, giving you the ability to save each mirror backup in a different folder location. Restoring via Backup4all is possible only from the latest mirror backup, but all previous mirror backups remain available in the destination should you want to access them manually.

Advantages:
   The fastest backup type, especially in conjunction with the "Fast mirror" option
   It creates a snapshot of selected files and folders in the destination which you can browse and access later without needing to run Backup4all

Disadvantages:
   It needs more storage space than any other backup type
   Password protection is not possible
   Cannot track different versions of files

Related Topics

Backup Types
Full Backup
Differential Backup
Incremental Backup


Backup Types in Backup4all

How are the backup types implemented in Backup4all?

Backup4all application creates two main types of backups :
   Backup types with zip
   Mirror backup types

Backup types with zip

The Full, Differential an Incremental backup types use zip compression to reduce the stored size of the backup versions. To keep the number of stored backups to a reasonable number the application provides two options : "Limit the number of stored backups" and " Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" that can limit the number of stored backups. These two options either delete older stored backups or perform an internal merge to keep the number of stored backups under the selected limit.

Attention
The "Limit the number of stored backups" and "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" options cannot be used when the backup destination is on a removable media: floppy disk, CD,  DVD, etc

Full backup type

The full backup type will always backup all the files defined in the sources. This backup types is the starting point for all zip based backup types (Incremental and Differential).
By default the Limit the number of stored backups option is enabled and set to 1. This means that the system will keep the latest backup version and deletes the previous versions. If you choose a higher limit, when the limit is reached, the oldest backup version will be deleted, keeping the number of stored backups equal to the specified limit. The Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit option is not used  if only full backups are performed.

Differential backup type

For a differential backup the system will always backup the differences from the last FULL backup, regardless of the intermediate versions between the latest full and the current differential backup. In time, the differential can grow to a size that is equal to or larger than the full version. Therefore the following options can be used to trigger the creation of a new full backup:
   Make full backup when the differential exceeds ...% of full backup size (default is 50%)
   Make full backup when the differential exceeds... (default is 1MBytes)
The system counts the file sizes for the differential and if the selected condition is met it performs a full backup.
By default the "Limit the number of stored backups" option is enabled and set to 2. This means that the system will keep the latest full and the latest differential version and deletes the previous versions. If you choose a higher limit, when the limit is reached, the oldest backup differential version will be deleted, keeping the number of stored backups equal to the specified limit. The "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" option cannot be used  if only full and differential backups are performed.

Incremental backup type

Only files that are changed since last backup (no matter what backup type it was) are added to the backup. Each file can have many versions stored in the backup files.
By default the "Limit the number of stored backups" option is not enabled. This means that the system will keep all the stored backups. If you choose to enable this option, when the limit is reached the system will perform an internal merge between the older version keeping the number of stored backups equal to the specified limit.

Note
 The application can generate custom zip file names, set a size limit for zip files and password protect them. For more details see "Backup Item Properties - Type", "Zip Advanced Settings" and "Password".

Note
If a new backup item is created and the backup type is set to incremental or differential, then when the backup item is first run, the application will perform a full backup. This also happens when the catalog (.bkc) file is not found in the destination folder or the "Clear backup" action (see "Before action - Clear backup") was executed before backup.

Mirror backup type

The mirror backup implementation provides some useful options to improve the backup quality.

Since the mirror backup can keep only one version of each file, you can use the "Create subfolder(s) in destination with following name" option to copy the files to customized subfolders, therefore keeping more versions of the files.  Backup4all can only use the latest version for the Restore or Test operations. You can restore older versions manually.

If the "Do not backup in a subdirectory" option is enabled then the application will not create a subfolder in the destination folder, in which to copy the mirror files. Thus all files which are backed up will end up in a single folder.

When the "Fast Mirror" option is used, only the new and changed files will be added to the mirror backup making the mirror execution even faster.

Note
When changing the backup type between Full, Incremental and Differential the older backups are not deleted, only the type for the next backup is changed. If the "Limit the number of stored backups" and  "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" options are used, the application will delete or merge older backups so that the number of versions is less or equal to the specified limit.  However when changing between Mirror and Full, Incremental or Differential, the older versions are deleted.

Related Topics

Backup Item Properties - Type


Backup to CD/DVD

Backing up to CD media has become increasingly common due to mature technology and cheap burners. DVD media will soon become what CD media is now.
If you plan to use CD or DVD as backup media, please consider our recommendations:

 Do not use the same CD or DVD to store consecutive backup versions. It's better to use different CD or DVD media for each backup version (change the CD or DVD medium at each backup run). Use a set of CD or DVD media and rotate them periodically (e.g.: take 7 CD media, one for each week day; start with the first CD again every 7 days). The reason for this is that in case the burn process fails, you still have the previous backup version on a different disc.
 Rewritable CD and DVD media can be burned only a limited number of times. When strange errors happen first consider whether the CD or DVD is not overburned (worn out).
 Always test the backed up data after burning. Backup4all has a special option to automate the test after backup.

Backup4all makes backup to CD or DVD easy: just set the backup destination to the CD/DVD burner drive and run the backup. By default Backup4all uses its own built-in burner engine to backup to CD or DVD media (you do not need third party drivers or burning software installed).

If you prefer packet writing (using the UDF file system) you can select it in the "Advanced CD/DVD Settings" dialog.

IIf the backup does not fit onto one CD or DVD, Backup4all will automatically span the backup over multiple media. Each disc is assigned a different label for future identification. We recommend marking the CD/DVD with this label.

Note
Before backup execution, be sure to insert the CD/DVD containing the latest .bkc file.

Note
On backups to hard disk, you can limit the number of stored zip backups by using the Limit the number of stored backups and  Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit options. These options do not apply to CD/DVD media : you cannot limit the number of stored backups on removable media.

Note
A mirror backup copies every file matching the sources and the file filter to CD/DVD. On a mirror backup to hard disk, files that are deleted/excluded from sources are deleted from destination too. This is not possible on the CD/DVD, so deleted/excluded files are just left there as they were burned before, but the catalog (.bkc) file is updated and a Backup4all restore operation will not copy these files back.

Use built in burner
Backup4all can use its own built-in burner to backup to CD or DVD.
It does not need other third party drivers or burning software installed (like ActiveX, ASPI, etc).

Read the "Using built in burner" page for more details on using this burning method.

Use packet writing
This burning method needs a third party software or driver (like DirectCD, InCD). Generally, packet writing relies on the Universal Data Format (UDF) file system.

Read the "Using packet writing"page for more details on using this burning method.

Related topics

Using built in burner
Using packet writing


Using the built in burner

Use built in burner
Backup4all does not need third party drivers or other burning software installed (like ActiveX, ASPI, etc) to be able to burn a CD or a DVD. The application has a built-in CD and DVD burner to backup directly to CD or DVD.

Set up internal CD and DVD burner
There are three simple steps to set up the internal burner:

1. Open "New Backup Wizard" or "Backup Item Properties" and go to the "Destination" page.
2. Select the drive letter for the CD/DVD burner device you want to use.

If the CD/DVD device is compatible with the built in burner, you will see the following message:
"[Device name] Using internal burner"

If the CD/DVD device is not compatible with the built in burner, you will see another message:
"[Device name] Does not appear to be a writer or it is busy"

3. Advanced settings are available by clicking on the "Advanced" button. This will open the "CD/DVD Advanced Settings" window where you can:
 configure the burn speed
 set the "Erase disk before writing" option
 switch to packet writing (use UDF file system)

Use internal CD and DVD burner

The backup catalog (.bkc file) is stored on the destitation CD/DVD. When the backup process starts, Backup4all searches for the .bkc file in the destination. If the CD/DVD is empty or it does not contain the catalog file, Backup4all will start with a new full backup. If the catalog file is found, Backup4all will make a new version for the backup item. If you wish to write the new backup version on a separate CD (as recommended) then you should set the "Ask for a new disk before backup" option (see below).

Typically, a backup to CD or DVD performs additional steps shown in the status bar at the bottom of the  Backup4all window: erasing (when this option is set), burning, finalizing, and loading CD. During "Loading CD", the CD/DVD is ejected and reloaded. After this step the backup is tested (if this option is set).

If the backup does not fit to one CD or DVD, Backup4all will automatically span the backup over multiple media. Each disc is assigned a different label for future identification. We recommend marking the CD/DVD with this label.

Other options

The ""Options"" window contains other options related to the burn process.

Eject CD/DVD after backup
You can leave the CD/DVD ejected after the backup is finished (and tested). To do so, open the "Options" window, go to the "Backup" page and set the "Eject CD/DVD after backup" option.

Ask for a new disk before backup
You can start with a new CD/DVD each time the backup is run. To do so, open the "Options" window, go to the "Backup" page and set "Ask for a new disk before backup" option.

Warn before completely erasing a disk
If the erase option is set, then each disk you insert is erased before the backup (or backup span) is burned. If you set this option, Backup4all will always ask you to confirm disk erasing. The option is located on the "Backup" page of the "Options" window.

Related topics

Backup to CD/DVD
Using packet writing
CD/DVD Advanced Settings
Options - Backup
New Backup Wizard
Backup Item Properties


Using packet writing

Use packet writing

If you do not wish to use the built-in burner or your CD/DVD device is not compatible, you can use third party packet writing software.

Packet writing software can write only to CD-RW, DVD-RW or DVD+RW if the disks are formatted using the Universal Data Format (UDF) file system. The advantage of packet writing is that your rewritable media can be used like a floppy or zip disk (drag and drop from Windows Explorer is also possible).

Packet writing software

Here are links to some packet writing software:

1. Drag-to-Disc (DirectCD), developed by [image] Roxio
2. InCD, developed by [image] Ahead
3. InstantWrite, developed by [image] Pinnacle Systems
4. File CD, developed by [image] NewTech Infosystems, Inc.

Set up packet writing

There are three simple steps to set up the packet writing:

1. Open "New Backup Wizard" or "Backup Item Properties" and go to the "Destination" page.
2. Select the drive letter for the CD/DVD burner device you want to use.
3. Advanced settings are available by clicking on the "Advanced" button. This will open the "CD/DVD Advanced Settings" window where you must select "Use UDF file system". Here you can also set the "Erase disk before writing" option. Press the OK button.
4. If packet writing is set, you will see the following message on the "Destination" page
"[Device name] Writing method is UDF."

Use packet writing
Backup4all detects if the CD-RW, DVD-RW or DVD+RW is UDF formatted. If the disk is not UDF formatted it will show the following message:

"Disk in drive [drive letter] is not UDF formatted. Please insert a UDF formatted disk"
The backup catalog (.bkc file) is stored on the destination CD/DVD. When the backup process starts, Backup4all searches for the .bkc file in the destination. If the CD/DVD is empty or it does not contain the catalog file, Backup4all will start with a new full backup. If the catalog file is found, Backup4all will make a new version for the backup item. If you wish to write the new backup version on a separate CD (as recommended) then you should set the "Ask for a new disk before backup" option (see below).

If the backup does not fit onto one CD or DVD, Backup4all will automatically span the backup over multiple media. Each disc is assigned a different label for future identification. We recommend marking the CD/DVD with this label.

One disadvantage of using packet writing is that CD/DVDs written with this method are recoqnized on other computers only if the same third party packet writing software is installed there too.

Other options

The "Options" window contains other options related to the burn process.

Eject CD/DVD after backup
You can leave the CD/DVD ejected after the backup is finished (and tested). To do so, open the "Options" window, go to the "Backup" page and set the "Eject CD/DVD after backup" option.

Ask for a new disk before backup
You can start with a new CD/DVD each time the backup is run. To do so, open the "Options" window, go to the "Backup" page and set the "Ask for a new disk before backup" option.

Warn before completely erasing a disk
If the erase option is set, then each disk you insert is erased before the backup (or backup span) is burned. If you set this option, Backup4all will always ask you to confirm disk erasing. The option is located on the "Backup" page of the "Options" window.

Related topics

Backup to CD/DVD
 Using built in burner
CD/DVD Advanced Settings
Options - Backup
New Backup Wizard
Backup Item Properties


Main Window - Commands

Toolbar

 "New Backup Wizard" - starts the "New Backup Wizard"
 "Create Like" - duplicates the current selected backup item
 "Delete" - removes the current selected backup
 "Properties" - opens dialog to edit backup item configuration
 "Explore" - switch to explore view to see files and folders for selected backup item
 "Statistics" - switch to statistics view
 "Summary" - switch to summary view.
 "Backup" - starts the backup process for currently selected backup item or displays the following dropdown menu
 "Make Full Backup" - performs a full backup regardless of the backup type
 "Make Incremental Backup" - performs an incremental backup regardless of the backup type
 "Make Differential Backup" - performs a differential backup regardless of the backup type
 "Restore" - starts the "Restore Wizard"
 "Test" - opens the "Test Backup" window
 "Cancel" - cancels the backup process

Menu commands

File menu:
   New Backup Wizard (CTRL + N) - starts "New Backup Wizard", same as [image] toolbar button
   Open Backup (CTRL + O) - creates a new backup item starting from the .bkc file given as input.
   Create Like (CTRL + E) - duplicates the current selected backup item, same as [image] toolbar button
   Delete Backup (CTRL + Del) - removes the current selected backup, same as [image] toolbar button
   Create Shortcut...  - creates a shortcut to backup item (for easily backup execution from outside the program) and saves it as indicated in the "Save as" dialog
   New Group - creates a new group
   Rename Group - renames the current expanded group
   Delete Group - removes the current expanded backup items group; only empty groups can be deleted
   Exit - exits the application

View menu:
   Explore  (F2) - switches to explore view, same as [image] toolbar button
   Statistics (F3) - switches to statistics view, same as [image] toolbar button
   Summary (F4) - switches to summary view, same as [image] toolbar button
   Open Destination Folder - opens a Windows Explorer window showing the content of the destination folder. If the destination folder does not exist this menu will be disabled
   Item Logs
  Last Backup Log - opens Notepad and loads the latest backup log for the current selected backup item.  If no backup log file is created, this menu will be disabled.
  	  Last Restore Log - opens Notepad and loads the latest restore log for the current selected backup item.  If no restore log file is created, this menu will be disabled.
  Last Test Log - opens Notepad and loads the latest test log for the current selected backup item.  If no test log file is created, this menu will be disabled.
  Open Log Folder - opens a Windows Explorer window showing the content of the backup item log folder.
   View Application Log - opens Notepad and loads the application log. If the log file is not created, this menu will be disabled
   Restore default layout - restores the application's windows to their layout. (Size, position, column size and order)
   Properties (CTRL + P) - opens backup item properties dialog, same as [image] toolbar button

Actions menu:
   Backup (F6) - starts the backup process for current selected backup item, same as [image] toolbar button
   Restore (F7) - opens the restore wizard dialog, same as [image] toolbar button
   Test (F7) - opens the test backup dialog, same as [image] toolbar button
   Cancel (F8) - cancels backup, same as [image] toolbar button
   Backup '<Name of group>' Group - starts the backup process for each backup items in the current opened group, one backup item at a time. Backup items are executed in the same order as visible in the backup group
   Refresh (F5) - refreshes explore view from sources directories

Tools menu:
   Options - opens application options dialog
   Running Backups (CTRL + B) - opens running backups dialog

Help menu:
   Contents - opens the help file
   Backup4all on the Web - visit application homepage
   Support Request - starts a new email message that will be sent to the support team
   How to Order - provides information about where and how to buy the application
   Register - opens the Register Backup4all dialog
   About Backup4all - opens about Backup4all dialog

Related Topics

Explore View
Statistics View
Summary View
Keyboard Shortcuts


Main Window - Backup List

	The list of all defined backups is visible in the left side of the application main window. The backup items are grouped into groups, for easy handling.  To configure backup item's appearance (icon and label) in the backup list you must:    Open backup item properties dialog    Switch to "General" tab    Change the name of the backup item    Choose the group of the backup item    Choose a backup item image By right-clicking over a backup list, you will get the following menu: Available actions are:    "Backup" - starts the backup process for the currently selected backup item    "Restore" - starts the restore process for the currently selected backup item    "Test" - starts the test process for the currently selected backup item    "Cancel" - aborts current backup process    "Backup '<Group Name>' Group" - executes all backup items in '<Group Name>'.    "New Group" - Adds a new group. See Main Window - Add/Rename/Delete Backup Groups for details    "Delete Group" - Deletes an existing group and all backup items in it    "Rename group" - Renames an existing group. See Main Window - Add/Rename/Delete Backup Groups for details    "Create Shortcut for Group" - Creates a shortcut to the backup item (for easy group execution using the command line) and saves it as indicated in the "Save as" dialog    "Explore" - Switches to explore view    "Statistics" - Switches to statistics view    "Summary" - Switches to summary view    "New Backup" - Creates a new backup item    "Create Like" - Duplicates a backup item    "Delete" - Deletes a backup item    "Create Shortcut" - Creates a shortcut to the backup item (for easy backup execution using the command line) and saves it as indicated in the "Save as" dialog    "Properties" - Edits configuration of a backup item
Hint
To execute all backup items in a group, right-click on the backup group and choose "Backup <Name> Group". Backup items in the group will be executed one after another.

Related Topics

Explore View
Statistics View
Summary View
Commands
Keyboard Shortcuts
Main Window - Add/Rename/Delete Backup Groups
Running Backups


Main Window - Add/Rename/Delete Backup Groups

Create a new backup group

How to create a new backup group?
1) When creating a new backup item, type a new name (that does not exist) for the backup group. The new group will be created when the wizard is finished.

2) When editing backup item properties, type a new name (that does not exist) for the backup group. The new group will be created when the dialog is closed.

3) Right click on backup list on the left side and choose "New Group". The following dialog will appear.

Enter the name of the new group.

Rename a backup group

Right-click on backup list on the left side and choose "Rename Group". The following dialog will appear.

Just enter the new name of the group.

Delete a backup group

Open the backup group to see its items. Then right-click and choose "Delete Group". A warning message will appear before the deletion. If you choose "Yes", the backup group will be deleted with all its backup items. To move backup items to a different backup group, you must edit the backup item properties and select a different group for it.

Related Topics

Backup List
Commands
Keyboard Shortcuts


Main Window - Explore View

You can activate Explore view by:
   pressing "Explore" button in the application toolbar
   selecting "View" and then "Explore" from application's main menu
   pressing F2 shortcut

The explorer consists of a file tree on top and a file version list at the bottom.

The file tree content depends on the backup sources and file filters defined for the current selected backup item. You can right-click on the folders and files in the tree to open the same context menu that is available from Windows Explorer. You can select multiple backup items.

Attention
Be careful about handling files with the context menu: all actions are performed on the hard disk; any deletion will actually remove the file from your hard disk!

Beside the Windows Explorer context menu items, there are also two custom menu items that enables the restore of the last version of a file:
   Restore Last Version
   Restore Last Version To...

The file tree shows the last modified date and the size for each file in additional columns. This information is the same as shown in the Windows Explorer. You can sort the files by name, date or size by simply clicking on the appropriate column header. The files are sorted within their folders. Size or Modified columns can be hidden by right clicking on the columns header and unchecking the column.

There are five buttons on top of the tree that helps you show/hide files depending on the file status:

	If pressed, files that will be added to the backup are shown in the tree. All files with this status will have [image] picture in front of them.
	If pressed, files that have not been changed since last backup are shown in the tree. All files with this status will have [image] picture in front of them.
	If pressed, files that have been changed since last backup are shown in the tree. All files with this status will have [image] picture in front of them.
	If pressed, files that are already present in backup and are now excluded by new changes in file filter are shown in the tree. All files with this status will have [image] picture in front of them.
	If pressed, files that have been deleted from hard disk are shown in the tree. All files with this status will have [image] picture in front of them.
	If pressed, all directories in the tree will be expanded. For a large number of files and directories, this operation can take a longer time.  Press ESC key to stop expand all.
	If pressed, all directories in the tree will be collapsed.
Note
If you do not want to see empty folders when clicking on "Expand all", check "Hide empty folders on expand all" in the options dialog and click "Expand all" again. The tree will show only folders containing at least one file.

Hint
There is an easy way to search for a file in the files and folder tree: simply start typing the file's name and the matching file name will be selected. Only files that are already visible the tree are checked for name matching, so if you want to search in all files, you have to do an "Expand all" first

Hint
If you want to see only files that are already added in the backup, press only the following buttons:

If a file is selected in the tree, at the bottom of the view, you can see the list of file's versions that are stored in the backup. Information provided for each version:
   Backup Type (Type). Each of the backup types is represented by a descriptive icon:   Full  [image]  Incremental [image]  Differential [image]  Mirror
   File version number (Ver.)
   Number of the incremental backup (Bck. No.)
   Date and time when the version was added to the backup (Backup Date)
   Type of operation performed on that file version (Status)
   Size of the file version (Size)
   Last date and time when the file version was modified at the backup time (Modified)
   Attributes of the file at backup time (Attributes). This column is hidden by default
   Label of the backup increment containing the file version. This column is hidden by default
The versions in the list can be sorted by clicking on the columns header. The right-click menu on the columns header provides a handy way to hide unnecessary columns.

Backup4all provide an easy way to restore any file version. Just right-click on the file version you want to restore and:
   choose "Restore" if you want to restore the version in the original location
   choose "Restore to..." if you want to restore the version in another location
   choose "View" if you want to open/view that version of the file with the associated Windows application

Following buttons are shown at the bottom of this view:
   "Refresh" button refreshes the file tree. The same can be done by pressing F5
   "Backup" button starts the backup process. The same can be done by pressing "Backup now!" toolbar button or F6 shortcut
   "Restore" button starts the restore wizard. The same can be done by pressing "Restore now!" toolbar button or F7 shortcut
   "Cancel" button stops the current backup or restore process. Changes made by backup process are completely removed. Changes made by restore are not reversed. The same can be done by pressing "Cancel" toolbar button or F8 shortcut

Related Topics

Statistics View
Summary View
Backup List
Commands
Keyboard Shortcuts


Main Window - Statistics View

You can activate Statistics view by:
   pressing "Statistics" button in the application toolbar
   selecting "View" and then "Statistics" from application's main menu
   pressing F3 shortcut key

This view provides statistical information about the last backup performed and calculates statistics about next backup, based on the current backup item configuration.

Information provided for incremental and differential backups:

Last full backup on
Date and time when the last full backup was executed. Note that the first backup is always a full backup, even if the backup type is set to incremental or differential.

Last full backup size
Means the size of the last full backup (compressed) / size of all files present in backup (uncompressed) / compression percentage

Last backup on
Date and time of the last backup

Last backup size
Means the size of the backup (compressed) / size of all files present in backup (uncompressed) / compression percentage

Total size of backup
Total size of the backup takes into consideration all backup increments, .bkc file and any folders that might have been created.
It shows the total size after compression / without compression / compression percentage

Number of backups
Number of times the backup item was executed

Last backup status
Displays the following information:
   "Last backup was successful" when everything went OK
   "Last backup failed" when the backup was aborted due to a fatal error
   "Last backup had <X> warnings" when the backup was done, but <X> files could not be backed up probably because they were locked by other applications
   "Last backup was canceled" when the user canceled the backup

Files in backup
Total number of files in the backup. In the brackets it is shown the number of file added at last backup.
For full backup the number of files added at last backup will be always the same with the total number of files. The same for mirror backup without the "Fast mirror" option activated.

Next scheduled backup
Date and time when the backup is scheduled to be executed again

For full backups the "Last backup on" and "Last backup size" labels are not shown because are the same with "Full backup on" and "Full backup size" labels.

For mirror backups the first four labels are replaced by:

Mirror backup on
Date and time when the last mirror backup was executed

Mirror backup size
Means the size of the last mirror backup

The next section provides information for the next backup:

Calculate statistics for next backup (CTRL + F5)
This button will start counting the new, modified, unchanged and excluded files since last backup execution. The counters will be shown in the labels below, divided into two sections :"Files to backup" containing the counters for the files that will be added to the next backup, and "Changes since last backup" containing the counters for the files changed since the last backup. For large number of files, counting files for next backup can be time consuming. If you want to stop the counting process press [image] button from the application toolbar.

Calculate statistics uses the catalog file (.bkc). If this catalog is on CD and you enter an older backup version, the counters will be different.
"Files to backup" counters are calculated depending on the backup item settings: backup type, <clear backup> before action settings, etc.
"Changes since last backup" counters are always the same no matter the backup item settings.

Files to backup

For full and differential backup types the counter are calculated based on changes since the last full backup.
For the incremental the counters are calculated based on the changes sice the last backup (differential, full or incremental).

New files
Shows the number of new files to be added to backup.
For mirror backup (with fast option disabled), the new files are the total number of files.

Modified files
Shows the number of modified files to be added to backup.
For mirror backup (with fast option disabled), this number will always be 0.

Unchanged files
Shows the number of unchanged files to be added to backup.
For differential,incremental and mirror backup with fast option enabled, this number will always be 0.

Excluded files
Shows the number of excluded files, which will be removed from the backup.

Total files to backup
Shows the total number of files that will be added to backup at next execution. This should be equal with the new files counter plus the modified files counter plus the unchanged file counter.

Total file size (uncompressed) to backup
Shows the sum of all files sizes to be included in the backup at next execution.

Free disk space on destination
Shows the available free disk space on destination.

Changes since last backup

New files
Shows the number of new files since last backup.

Modified files
Shows the number of modified files since last backup.

Unchanged files
Shows the number of unchanged files since last backup.

Excluded files
Shows the number of excluded files. A file gets excluded because of the changes in file filter or because it was deleted or moved from your source files and folders.

Related Topics

Explore View
Summary View
Backup List
Commands
Keyboard Shortcuts


Main Window - Summary View

You can activate Summary View by:
   pressing "Summary" button in the application toolbar
   selecting "View" and then "Summary" from application's main menu
   pressing F4 shortcut key

This view provides a text description containing all the configurations made for a backup item. You can copy this text description and put it in a file for later use.

Related Topics

Explore View
Statistics View
Backup List
Commands
Keyboard Shortcuts


Main Window - Running Backups

This dialog can be opened from application menu (Tools menu, Running Backups) or by pressing CTRL+B shortcut:

Backup4all can process more backup items at a time. Running Backups dialog shows all backup processes that are executed at the current moment.

If there are many backups listed, you can search for a backup item by typing its name in the field on top of the dialog.

To go to one backup item, select it from the list and click "Open" button or press ENTER.

Click "Refresh" button to refresh the actual status of the backup items. If a backup is finished, it will not be shown in the list anymore.

Related Topics

Backup List
Commands
Keyboard Shortcuts


Main Window - Test

This dialog can be opened from application menu (Action menu, Test) or by pressing F9 shortcut:

The "Test Backup" dialog lists all the available information about the backup versions of the current backup item.
You can select the backup versions you want to be tested using multiple selection on the list (use SHIFT and CTRL keys to define the selection).

Some backup versions created with older releases of Backup4all cannot be tested. These versions are disabled and cannot be included in test selection.

Using the priority slider you can set the test execution speed compared to the rest of the running processes on your computer.

To test the selected versions press the "Test" button, or press "Cancel" to close the dialog.

After finishing the test a message box containing the result of the test.
If the test has finished without error the following message box is displayed :

If the test fails the  following message box is displayed :

If the "Yes" button is pressed the log file containing information about the test operation is displayed.

Related Topics

Commands
Keyboard Shortcuts


Main Window - Logging

Backup4all provides an effective logging system that helps you track the backup, restore and test operations. The logging system is composed of three subsystems : Backup logging, Restore logging and Test logging.

For each operation the system logs:
   starting time and date
   the operations it performs
   errors
   warnings
   ending time and date

If the Include Summary in log option is enabled then the logs will contain all the text available in the Summary View.

If the Log Detailed Info option is enabled the logs will contain information about every file used in the backup, restore or test process.

After a long period the application will generate a large number of log files. Since all the log files are stored in the same folder the system has an option to limit the size of the log folder. For more details see Log Folder Size.

Backup Logging

Logged operations :
   Creating file list
   Archiving files
   Merging files
   Burning
The total number of files added to backup, the total size of files added to backup and the number of files excluded  are also logged.

Restore Logging

Logged operations :
   Processing zip file
The total number of restore files is logged.

Test Logging

Logged operations :
   Testing zip file
The testing operation's result is also logged.

Related Topics

Options - Logging


New Backup Wizard - General

This is the first step of the New Backup Wizard. It defines the appearance of the backup item in the backup item list.

Name
Enter the name of the backup item. This name will appear in the backup item list, right under the chosen picture.

Group
Select the group where you want the backup item to appear. If no group is available or you want to define a new group, just type the name of the group and it will be added.

Image
Select an icon from the list. This icon will be shown in the Backup List. You can add a new image by clicking on "Add images" button. Only Windows icons (files with .ico extension) or bitmaps (files with .bmp extension) can be added to the list. To remove an image from the list, you have to select it and then click on "Remove image" button.

Description
This field should contain a text describing what is the purpose of the new backup item.

Note
Name, Group and Image are mandatory for each backup item.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - Sources
New Backup Wizard - Destination
New Backup Wizard - Type
New Backup Wizard - Filters
New Backup Wizard - Scheduler
New Backup Wizard - Advanced
New Backup Wizard - Summary


New Backup Wizard - Sources

This is the second step of the "New Backup Wizard". It defines what files and folders will be parsed by application for adding them to the backup.

You can:
   add a whole folder by pressing "Add directory" button.
   add only one file by pressing "Add file" button.
   remove any file or folder by selecting it and pressing "Remove" button.
   exclude subdirectories and files from backup by un-checking the item.

"Check all" button selects all files and folders.
"Uncheck all" button deselects all files and folders.

Hint
Try to keep the number of checked files and folders greater than the number of unchecked files and folders - backup process will run faster this way.

Attention
You must add at least one file or directory in order to continue with next step of the wizard.

Attention
If the source drive is missing (like when the network is disconnected), a warning message is shown containing the list of missing drives. The user can choose "Abort" to stop the backup process, "Retry" to check the drive again, "Ignore" to mark the source folder as deleted and continue with the next sources. If the scheduler starts the backup then the system will retry as many times as set in the options dialog and if still not possible to access the drive it will abort the backup process.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - General
New Backup Wizard - Destination
New Backup Wizard - Type
New Backup Wizard - Filters
New Backup Wizard - Scheduler
New Backup Wizard - Advanced
New Backup Wizard - Summary


New Backup Wizard - Destination

This is the third step of the "New Backup Wizard". It defines where the backup archive will be stored.

Valid destinations:
   Local drives: hard disk drive, floppy drive, zip drive, CD drive, ...
   Lan (network) drives: mapped network drive, UNC network drive

For removable media, there is an extra option: "Erase removable before writing". Setting this option will completely erase the removable media before backup execution.

If the destination is a CD drive, there can be made some advanced configuration of the burning process (see CD Advanced Settings).

If the destination is a network drive, then only a full path is allowed. For example, suppose "\\Backup_Server\PC1" is mapped on a workstation as "X" drive, then the following paths are both valid and indicate the same folder: "\\Backup_Server\PC1\Backup" and "X:\Backup")

Make sure you can write in the destination and the selected folder (you have the proper rights and the media is not write protected).

For each backup item, a backup catalog (.bkc file) is created in the destination folder. Backup4all allows you to select an existing .bkc file. For this you must select the folder where the .bkc file is, check "Use existing catalog" checkbox and select the .bkc file from the list. Setting two or more backups on the same backup catalog (.bkc) is not allowed.

A .bkc file contains following information:
   Full backup item configuration: files and folders, filters, scheduling, backup type, etc. Usually this configuration is set in the New Backup Wizard or the Backup Item Properties dialogs
   Files and folders that have been added to backup

If you lost your backup item from backup item list and you want to continue with an existing .bkc file, the easiest approach is to double click on the .bkc file. A new backup item configuration will be added to the backup list and the configuration of the new backup item is copied from the .bkc file.

Another way to do the same thing is to open the .bkc file using "Open Backup" from the "File" menu of the application.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - General
New Backup Wizard - Sources
New Backup Wizard - Type
New Backup Wizard - Filters
New Backup Wizard - Scheduler
New Backup Wizard - Advanced
New Backup Wizard - Summary
CD Advanced Settings


New Backup Wizard - Type

This is the fourth step of the "New Backup Wizard". It defines how the source files and folders are stored in backup archive.

Backup type

Defines the type of backup for the next execution:

 Full
 Incremental
 Differential
 Mirror

Full, Incremental and Differential backup types generate zip files, while Mirror backup type just make a 1-to-1 copy of the files.

Full backup type

All files from source folders that match the file filter will be included in backup.

This backup type is slow on large volumes of data, so it is recommended to be done periodically (each Week/Month) and in between use other backup types like Incremental or Differential. The advantage is that you only need the result of one backup execution to make a full restore.

The minimum number of backups you can store is 1.

Incremental backup type

Only files that match the filters and are changed since last backup are added to backup. Deleted files are marked as excluded in the backup catalog.

This backup type is usually very fast, but it has the disadvantage that you need all the increments to make a full restore.

At first backup execution the .bkc file (catalog file) was not created yet, so the application will always perform a full backup. This is necessary because otherwise you could not make a full restore.

The minimum number of backups you can store is 3: one full and two increments.

Differential backup type

Only files that match the filters and are changed since last full backup are added to backup. Deleted files are marked as excluded in the backup catalog.

This backup type is faster than full backup, but not that fast as the incremental backup. The advantage is that you need only the last full and the last differential to make a full restore.

At first backup execution the .bkc file (catalog file) was not created yet, so the application will always perform a full backup. The rest of the stored backups contain only the files that differ from the latest full backup. Each file can have one or two versions stored in backup files.

The minimum number of backups you can store is 2: one full and one differential.

In time, the differential can grow to a size that is equal or larger with the full version. For maximum efficiency, differential size should be kept as small as possible. The following options can be used to trigger the creation of a new full backup:
   Make full backup when the differential exceeds ...% of full backup size (default is 50%)
   Make full backup when the differential exceeds... (default is 1MBytes)
The system counts the files size for the differential and if the selected condition is met it performs a full backup.

This backup type is fast, provided that appropriate settings have been made for making a full backup.

Manage stored backups

At each backup execution, a new backup number is created. In time backup numbers will sum up and so will the backup storage size. There are two options to limit the increase of backup numbers and storage size:

    Limit maximum number of stored backups to ...
    Merge stored backups to maintain the maximum limit

The first option will ensure that the maximum number of stored backups will not exceed the specified number. The system will delete some of the older backup numbers, keeping the recent ones and ensuring backup integrity. The number of stored backups varies from 1 or 2 or 3 (depending on current backup type) to the specified number.

The second option is enabled when the first option is set. This option is important when you do not want to loose intermediate backups. The system first tries to delete older backup numbers. If this is not possible (because it will damage backup integrity) then the system will merge several backup numbers into one. Merging backup numbers is time consuming, because the zip files for the merged backup number are recreated.

Attention
These two options will not be taken into consideration if you make your backups on removable media.

Let's take an example. Suppose there is an incremental backup with 10 backups: backup number 1 is the oldest (full) and backup number 10 is the newest. Backup numbers 2-10 are all incremental.

If you limit the number of stored backups to 5 and do not set "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" option, the system will first make a new incremental backup (11) based on the first full backup and then it will delete backup numbers from 2-10. Only 2 backup numbers will remain: 1 and 11. In this case backup number 11 will contain all the differences since the first full. So the maximum limit (5) is respected, but you could loose intermediate file versions. For example a file could have versions in backup number 2, 8 and 10, but only the version from 10 will be present in backup number 11. If the file would have changed since backup number 10, then the new version would be added in backup number 11.

If you limit number of stored backups 5 and set "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" option, the system will first make a new backup (11) with the differences since backup number 10 and then it will merge backup numbers 2-8 into backup number 8, keeping the most recent version of each file present in those backup numbers. Finally the system will keep backup numbers 1, 8, 9, 10, 11 (a total of five as you configured).

Merging is not necessary when you have only backup numbers of type full or differential. The application uses an algorithm to minimize the number of backups that have to be merged. The algorithm works with mixed types of backups (full, incremental, differential) too.

Zip Password

This feature provide an easy way to set the password for the zip files that are created. Files in zip can be extracted with third party zip managers if the user enters the same password as in Backup4all application. See Passwords section for more details.

"Set Password..." button is available only for full, incremental and differential backup types.
See Passwords section for more details.

Zip Advanced Settings

This button will open a new dialog where you can set:
    zip compression level
    customized zip file names
    zip file splitting policy

For more details see Zip Advanced Settings.

Mirror backup type

All files from source directories that match the file filter will be copied without compression to the destination. The sources folder tree will be recreated in the destination.
This backup type is the fastest, provided that "Fast mirror" option is checked.

"Save full folder info"

Sometimes there can be sources with the same names. The system will detect this conflict situation and will show the following warning message.

To avoid files to be overwritten check the "Save full folder info" option. This will create the full path of the source in the destination.
For example suppose we have the backup source "C:\My Documents\My Pictures". Without this option, only "My Pictures" directory will be created and its subfolders. With this option set, the destination will contain the "C" folder, "My Documents" inside "C" folder, "My Pictures" inside "My Documents" folder and so on.

"Fast mirror (copy only new or modified files)"

Use this option to make mirror even faster! When this option is set, the application uses the information stored in .bkc files to copy only new or modified files to the destination.
If this option is not set, the system copies all files each time the backup is executed.

"Do not backup in a subdirectory"

Using this option the files will be copied into the same directory as the catalog file (.bkc), not in a subdirectory having the same name as the backup item.

"Create subfolder(s) in destination with following name"

Use this option to create a subfolder in the destination. The name of the folder can be customized using following tags:
   Backup Name (<BACKUP NAME>)
   Backup Number (<BACKUP NUMBER>)
   Backup Time (<TIME>)
   Backup Date (<DATE>)
Use "Insert tags" button to add tags in the edit field. You can also add your text in the edit field. Use "Preview" button to see how the name of the subfolder will look like.

The option is useful to store "snapshots" of the backup sources at different time/date moments. If the <TIME> and/or <DATE> tags are included in the edit field, then there can be different subfolders for each backup execution.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - General
New Backup Wizard - Sources
New Backup Wizard - Destination
New Backup Wizard - Filters
New Backup Wizard - Scheduler
New Backup Wizard - Advanced
New Backup Wizard - Summary
Passwords
Zip Advanced Settings.


New Backup Wizard - Filters

This is the fifth step of the "New Backup Wizard". It defines files filters to be applied on backup sources. Only files and folders that match the filters will be added to backup.

There are two kinds of file filters:
   Main filter - applies to all files and folders indicated as sources of the backup item
   Customized filter - allows you to override the main filter for a folder and its descendants

Main filter

The main filter is composed of an include filter and an exclude filter. By default all files are included and exclude filter is deactivated.

The system selects only files that do satisfy the include filter and do not satisfy the exclude filter. This means the exclude filter is more powerful: if a file satisfies both include and exclude filters, it will not be processed by the system.

Include and exclude filters are composed from filter restrictions. Go to Edit filter restriction to read how to configure a filter restriction. Two or more filter restrictions in the include filter means that a file must satisfy at least one restriction to be included. Two or more filter restrictions in the exclude filter means that a file must satisfy any restriction to be excluded.

You can manage filter restrictions by pressing:
   "Add" button to add a new restriction
   "Edit" button to modify the selected restriction
   "Remove" button to delete selected restriction

Customized filter

Click on the "Customize" button on top of the dialog. It will show a tree with all sources defined for backup item:

When a folder is selected, the "Override" button is activated. This means you can replace the main filter with a customized one. Customized filter is valid only for the selected folder and its descendants. Click on "Override" button to define the customized file filter. It will open a dialog similar with the one for the main filter. All files and folders for which a customized filter is applied are shown in red color. You can remove the customized filter by selecting the folder and clicking on "Remove Override" button.

Attention
You cannot override the filter for the root folders (folders you added as backup source).

Related Topics

Edit filter restriction
New Backup Wizard - General
New Backup Wizard - Sources
New Backup Wizard - Destination
New Backup Wizard - Type
New Backup Wizard - Scheduler
New Backup Wizard - Advanced
New Backup Wizard - Summary


New Backup Wizard - Scheduler

This is the sixth step of the "New Backup Wizard". It helps you schedule the backup execution. First, you must check "Enable scheduler" checkbox.

There are many ways to configure a scheduler:

One time only
Execute backup once at the specified start date and time

Daily
Set field to 1 to do execute backup every day, set field to 2 to execute backup every 2 days, etc. Backup is executed at specified start time

Weekly
Check the week days when you want the backup to be performed, indicate if the backup should be done each week or every 2 weeks, ...

Monthly by week
Execute backup in week days which are related to a month, like first Monday in every month. You can also indicate the month frequency: every month, every two months, ...

Monthly by day
Execute backup in a particular day of a month. Day's numbers are from 1 to 31. You can also indicate the month frequency: every month, every two months, ....

Attention:
Not all months have 31 days. If you schedule backup items on invalid days, it will not be executed.

Periodical
Set the period of time between two consecutive backup executions: days, hours, minutes

Attention:
Scheduler is running only when the application is running or if "Automatically start application at Windows startup" checkbox in options dialog is set and the Backup4all icon is shown in the system tray.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - General
New Backup Wizard - Sources
New Backup Wizard - Destination
New Backup Wizard - Type
New Backup Wizard - Filters
New Backup Wizard - Advanced
New Backup Wizard - Summary
Options - Backup


New Backup Wizard - Advanced

This is the seventh step of the "New Backup Wizard". It defines volume label prefix and actions to be executed before and after backup.

Volume label prefix

The prefix can be maximum eight characters long. This option is useful only for removable media like CDs, Zip disks, floppy disks, ...

Use default labeling

If this option is set, the system will generate labels for each removable media with the following pattern: "<Name of the backup item><Disk span number>_<Backup number>", where
    <Name of the backup item> is the name of the backup item as shown in the "General" page
    <Disk span number> is the number of disk span in the current backup process
    <Backup number> is increased at each backup item execution
For example "Myfiles2_3" is for the third execution of the "Myfiles" backup item, second disk span.

Backup execution priority

Using this option will set the backup execution priority compared to the rest of the running processes on your system. Setting the priority to "Highest priority" , for example, will determine the system to allocate most of its resources for the backup execution.

Ask for backup label before execution

If this option is set, a dialog will be show and will ask the user to enter the description of the backup increment.

If you do not want to give a label to the current backup, leave the edit control empty. Check "Don't label next backups" if you do not want to see this dialog when the current backup item is executed in the future.

This feature is particularly useful for incremental backup types, when the label can be seen as a milestone for all files backed up. These labels are visible in Restore Wizard, Versions page and in the list of file versions in Explore View.

Test after backup

If this option is set, after every backup process, the system will test/verify the resulting backup.

Run program/action before backup

Check "Run program/action before backup" checkbox and select one of the already defined actions or choose a different .bat/.exe file to be executed.
Action <Clear backup> deletes the .bkc file and all zip files associated with the current backup item.

You can customize <Clear backup> using following parameters:
    "<Clear backup d=7>" Clear backup is executed only if 7 days have passed since the first backup increment (the full backup) .
    "<Clear backup n=10>" Clear backup is executed only if the number of file versions is 10.
    "<Clear backup d=7 n=10>" Clear backup is executed if 7 days have passed since the first backup increment (the full backup) or if the number of file versions is 10.

If this action is set, then the backup performed is a full backup, even if the backup type is set to incremental.
Backup4all waits for the program/action to be finished before continuing.

It the "Run only once" check is set, the program/action is run only once and the "Run program/action before backup" checkbox is reset and disabled.  Usually the program/action is run at next backup execution, unless the action is clear backup with parameters, which is executed when the condition is fulfilled (see above).

Run program/action after backup

Check "Run program/action after backup" checkbox and select one of the already defined actions or choose a different .bat/.exe file to be executed.
Available actions:
    <Power off> - shuts down the computer after the backup was executed.
    <Log off> - logs off current user.
Backup4all does not wait for the program/action to be finished before continuing.

It the "Run only once" check is set, the program/action is run only once: at next backup execution.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - General
New Backup Wizard - Sources
New Backup Wizard - Destination
New Backup Wizard - Type
New Backup Wizard - Filters
New Backup Wizard - Scheduler
New Backup Wizard - Summary


New Backup Wizard - Summary

This is the last step of the New Backup Wizard. It shows a text description with all configurations made for the new backup item.

You should read and check if the configuration made is what you need. You can select all text and put it in a file for later use. Press Finish when done.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - General
New Backup Wizard - Sources
New Backup Wizard - Destination
New Backup Wizard - Type
New Backup Wizard - Filters
New Backup Wizard - Filter restriction
New Backup Wizard - Scheduler
New Backup Wizard - Advanced


Restore Wizard - General

This is the first step of the "Restore Wizard". You can choose the destination and customize the restore operation if you wish.

Restore in

Indicate the place where the files will be restored:
   "Use original location" - copy files from archive into original location. If a file with the same name already exists, a confirmation dialog will be shown
   "Use a different location" - copy files from archive into a different folder. If checked, you can select a different folder to restore files from backup

Restore execution priority

Using this option will set the restore execution priority compared to the rest of the running processes on your system. Setting the priority to "Highest priority" , for example, will determine the system to allocate most of its resources for the restore execution.

Restore type

Select the type of restore to be performed:
   "Standard" - application will restore last version of files. Files that are excluded from backup are not restored. Check the status of the files in the "Explore view" of the main screen
   "Custom" - lets you specify which version of the files to be restored. For example, you might restore all files before the last backup

For full and mirror backup types there is only one version for each file. Therefore the "Restore type" section will be disabled.

Related Topics

Restore Wizard - Versions
Restore Wizard - Filters
Restore Wizard - Preview
Restore Wizard - Summary


Restore Wizard - Versions

This is the second step of the "Restore Wizard". It is visible only if a custom restore type was chosen.

The purpose of this step is to let you select backup increments to restore. Use left mouse clicks together with SHIFT and CTRL keys to select several the backup increments to restore. The most recent version of a file in the selected backup increments will be restored.

Note
If you select all backup increments then a full restore is performed just as the standard restore.

Related Topics

Restore Wizard - General
Restore Wizard - Filters
Restore Wizard - Preview
Restore Wizard - Summary


Restore Wizard - Filters

This is the second step of the "Restore Wizard" for standard restore types. For a custom restore type, this is the third step. You can filter the files to be restored.

Main Filter

The filter is composed of an include filter and an exclude filter. By default all files are included and exclude filter is deactivated. You can set include and exclude filters to restore only the files you want.

The system selects only files that do satisfy the include filter and do not satisfy the exclude filter. This means the exclude filter is more powerful: if a file satisfies both include and exclude filters, it will not be processed by the system.

Include and exclude filters are composed from filter restrictions. Go to Edit filter restriction to read how to configure a filter restriction. Two or more filter restrictions in the include filter means that a file must satisfy at least one restriction to be included. Two or more filter restrictions in the exclude filter means that a file must satisfy any restriction to be excluded.

You can manage filter restrictions by pressing:
   "Add" button to add a new restriction
   "Edit" button to modify the selected restriction
   "Remove" button to delete selected restriction

Customize filter

Click on the "Customize" button on top of the dialog. It will show a tree with all sources defined for backup item:

You can uncheck files and folders you do not want to include in the backup.

When a folder is selected, the "Override" button is activated. This means you can replace the main filter with a customized one. Customized filter is valid only for the selected folder and its descendants. Click on "Override" button to define the customized file filter. It will open a dialog similar with the one for the main filter. All files and folders for which a customized filter is applied are shown in red color. You can remove the customized filter by selecting the folder and clicking on "Remove Override" button.

Note
 You can use the context menu (mouse right-click) to expand or collapse the selected folder or the entire tree view.

Attention
You cannot override the filter for the root folders (folders you added as backup source).

Related Topics

Restore Wizard - General
Restore Wizard - Versions
Restore Wizard - Preview
Restore Wizard - Summary
Edit filter restriction


Restore Wizard - Preview

This is the third step of the "Restore Wizard" for standard restore types. For a custom restore type, this is the fourth step. You can filter the files to be restored.

The purpose of this step is to show a preview of the files that will be restored and to allow further customization of the files to be restore.

For a custom restore type, files and folders shown in the tree are calculated based on selected backup versions. Files that have not been backed up in the selected backup versions, will not be shown in the tree. Selecting all backup versions in a custom restore type is the same like making a standard restore.

Each file and folder in the tree has a checkbox in front of it. Initially, the checkboxes state is determined by the file filters that have been previously defined. If a file or folder was excluded by the file filter, it will not be checked. Only the checked files will be restored.

You can alter the state of the checkboxes to indicate whether the file or folder will be restored or not.

Note
 You can use the context menu (mouse right-click) to expand or collapse the selected folder or the entire tree view.

Note
The items displayed in red have Override filters applied.

Reset to filters

   "Reset Node" - this option resets the selected folder and subfolders check state to the state determined by the file filters
   "Reset Tree"  - this option resets the entire tree to it's original check state as determined by the file filters

Related Topics

Restore Wizard - General
Restore Wizard - Versions
Restore Wizard - Filters
Restore Wizard - Summary


Restore Wizard - Summary

This is the last step of the "Restore Wizard". It shows a summary of the options you chose through the wizard.

This step shows a text description with all configurations made for the restore process. You should read and check if the configuration made is what you need. You can select all text and put it in a file for later use. Press Finish to start restoring files.

Related Topics

Restore Wizard - General
Restore Wizard - Versions
Restore Wizard - Filters
Restore Wizard - Preview


Backup Item Properties - General

This page defines the appearance of the backup item in the backup item list.

Name
Enter the name of the backup item. This name will appear in the backup item list, right under the chosen picture.

Renaming a backup

The name of the backup item is closely related to the name of the subdirectory in destination that contains zipped and mirrored files and to the name of the catalog. That is why when you rename the backup item, the name of the catalog and the name of the subdirectory from destination are also changed if possible.

If the destination is on LAN or HDD the name of the subdirectory and the name of the catalog are always changed, except for the case when you do not have enough permissions to rename or some files are locked.

If the destination is on a removable disk CD, DVD, floppy disk and you have run the backup item, the catalog and the subdirectory in destination are already created and they will not be changed. If the backup item has not been run yet, then the catalog and the subdirectory will be created with a name similar to the backup item at first backup item run.

Group
Select the group where you want the backup item to appear. If no group is available or you want to define a new group, just type the name of the group and it will be added.

Image
Select an icon from the list. This icon will be shown in the Backup List. You can add a new image by clicking on "Add images" button. Only Windows icons (files with .ico extension) or bitmaps (files with .bmp extension) can be added to the list. To remove an image from the list, you have to select it and then click on "Remove image" button.

Description
This field should contain a text describing what is the purpose of the new backup item.

Mandatory fields: Name, Group, Image.

Related Topics

Backup Item Properties - Sources
Backup Item Properties - Destination
Backup Item Properties - Type
Backup Item Properties - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Scheduler
Backup Item Properties - Advanced


Backup Item Properties - Sources

This page defines what files and folders will be parsed by application for adding them to the backup.

You can:
   add a whole folder by pressing "Add directory" button
   add only one file by pressing "Add file" button
   remove any file or folder by selecting it and pressing "Remove" button
   exclude subdirectories and files from backup by un-checking the item

Hint
Try to keep the number of checked files and folders greater than the number of unchecked files and folders - backup process will run faster this way.

Attention
You must add at least one file or directory to be able to save the backup item configuration.

Attention
If the source drive is missing (like when the network is disconnected), a warning message is shown containing the list of missing drives. The user can choose "Abort" to stop the backup process, "Retry" to check the drive again, "Ignore" to mark the source folder as deleted and continue with the next sources. If the backup is started by scheduler then the system will retry as many times as set in the options dialog and if still not possible to access the drive it will abort the backup process.

Related Topics

Backup Item Properties - General
Backup Item Properties - Destination
Backup Item Properties - Type
Backup Item Properties - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Scheduler
Backup Item Properties - Advanced


Backup Item Properties - Destination

This page defines where the backup archive will be stored.

Valid destinations:
   Local drives: hard disk drive, floppy drive, zip drive, CD drive, ...
   Lan (network) drives: mapped network drive, UNC network drive

For removable media, there is an extra option: "Erase removable before writing". Setting this option will completely erase the removable media before backup execution.

If the destination is a CD drive, there can be made some advanced configuration of the burning process (see CD Advanced Settings).

If the destination is a network drive, then only a full path is allowed. For example, suppose "\\Backup_Server\PC1" is mapped on a workstation as "X" drive, then the following paths are both valid and indicate the same folder: "\\Backup_Server\PC1\Backup" and "X:\Backup")

Make sure you can write in the destination and the selected folder (you have the proper rights and the media is not write protected).

For each backup item, a backup catalog (.bkc file) is created in the destination folder. Backup4all allows you to select an existing .bkc file. For this you must select the folder where the .bkc file is, check "Use existing catalog" checkbox and select the .bkc file from the list. Setting two or more backups on the same backup catalog (.bkc) is not allowed.

A .bkc file contains following information:
   Full backup item configuration: files and folders, filters, scheduling, backup type, etc. Usually this configuration is set in the New Backup Wizard or the Backup Item Properties dialogs
   Files and folders that have been added to backup

If you lost your backup item from backup item list and you want to continue with an existing .bkc file, the easiest approach is to double click on the .bkc file. A new backup item configuration will be added to the backup list and the configuration of the new backup item is copied from the .bkc file.

Another way to do the same thing is to open the .bkc file using "Open Backup" from the "File" menu of the application.

Related Topics

Backup Item Properties - General
Backup Item Properties - Sources
Backup Item Properties - Type
Backup Item Properties - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Scheduler
Backup Item Properties - Advanced
CD Advanced Settings


Backup Item Properties - Type

This page defines how the source files and folders are stored in backup archive.

Backup type

Defines the type of backup for the next execution:

 Full
 Incremental
 Differential
 Mirror

Full, Incremental and Differential backup types generate zip files, while Mirror backup type just make a 1-to-1 copy of the files.

Full backup type

All files from source folders that match the file filter will be included in backup.

This backup type is slow on large volumes of data, so it is recommended to be done periodically (each Week/Month) and in between use other backup types like Incremental or Differential. The advantage is that you only need the result of one backup execution to make a full restore.

The minimum number of backups you can store is 1.

Incremental backup type

Only files that match the filters and are changed since last backup are added to backup. Deleted files are marked as excluded in the backup catalog.

This backup type is usually very fast, but it has the disadvantage that you need all the increments to make a full restore.

At first backup execution the .bkc file (catalog file) was not created yet, so the application will always perform a full backup. This is necessary because otherwise you could not make a full restore.

The minimum number of backups you can store is 3: one full and two increments.

Differential backup type

Only files that match the filters and are changed since last full backup are added to backup. Deleted files are marked as excluded in the backup catalog.

This backup type is faster than full backup, but not that fast as the incremental backup. The advantage is that you need only the last full and the last differential to make a full restore.

At first backup execution the .bkc file (catalog file) was not created yet, so the application will always perform a full backup. The rest of the stored backups contain only the files that differ from the latest full backup. Each file can have one or two versions stored in backup files.

The minimum number of backups you can store is 2: one full and one differential.

In time, the differential can grow to a size that is equal or larger with the full version. For maximum efficiency, differential size should be kept as small as possible. The following options can be used to trigger the creation of a new full backup:
   Make full backup when the differential exceeds ...% of full backup size (default is 50%)
   Make full backup when the differential exceeds... (default is 1MBytes)
The system counts the files size for the differential and if the selected condition is met it performs a full backup.

This backup type is fast, provided that appropriate settings have been made for making a full backup.

Manage stored backups

At each backup execution, a new backup number is created. In time backup numbers will sum up and so will the backup storage size. There are two options to limit the increase of backup numbers and storage size:

    Limit maximum number of stored backups to ...
    Merge stored backups to maintain the maximum limit

The first option will ensure that the maximum number of stored backups will not exceed the specified number. The system will delete some of the older backup numbers, keeping the recent ones and ensuring backup integrity. The number of stored backups varies from 1 or 2 or 3 (depending on current backup type) to the specified number.

The second option is enabled when the first option is set. This option is important when you do not want to loose intermediate backups. The system first tries to delete older backup numbers. If this is not possible (because it will damage backup integrity) then the system will merge several backup numbers into one. Merging backup numbers is time consuming, because the zip files for the merged backup number are recreated.

Attention
These two options will not be taken into consideration if you make your backups on removable media.

Let's take an example. Suppose there is an incremental backup with 10 backups: backup number 1 is the oldest (full) and backup number 10 is the newest. Backup numbers 2-10 are all incremental.

If you limit the number of stored backups to 5 and do not set "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" option, the system will first make a new incremental backup (11) based on the first full backup and then it will delete backup numbers from 2-10. Only 2 backup numbers will remain: 1 and 11. In this case backup number 11 will contain all the differences since the first full. So the maximum limit (5) is respected, but you could loose intermediate file versions. For example a file could have versions in backup number 2, 8 and 10, but only the version from 10 will be present in backup number 11. If the file would have changed since backup number 10, then the new version would be added in backup number 11.

If you limit number of stored backups 5 and set "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" option, the system will first make a new backup (11) with the differences since backup number 10 and then it will merge backup numbers 2-8 into backup number 8, keeping the most recent version of each file present in those backup numbers. Finally the system will keep backup numbers 1, 8, 9, 10, 11 (a total of five as you configured).

Merging is not necessary when you have only backup numbers of type full or differential. The application uses an algorithm to minimize the number of backups that have to be merged. The algorithm works with mixed types of backups (full, incremental, differential) too.

Zip Password

This feature provide an easy way to set the password for the zip files that are created. Files in zip can be extracted with third party zip managers if the user enters the same password as in Backup4all application. See Passwords section for more details.

"Set Password..." button is available only for full, incremental and differential backup types.
See Passwords section for more details.

Zip Advanced Settings

This button will open a new dialog where you can set:
    zip compression level
    customized zip file names
    zip file splitting policy

For more details see Zip Advanced Settings.

Mirror backup type

All files from source directories that match the file filter will be copied without compression to the destination. The sources folder tree will be recreated in the destination.
This backup type is the fastest, provided that "Fast mirror" option is checked.

"Save full folder info"

Sometimes there can be sources with the same names. The system will detect this conflict situation and will show the following warning message.

To avoid files to be overwritten check the "Save full folder info" option. This will create the full path of the source in the destination.
For example suppose we have the backup source "C:\My Documents\My Pictures". Without this option, only "My Pictures" directory will be created and its subfolders. With this option set, the destination will contain the "C" folder, "My Documents" inside "C" folder, "My Pictures" inside "My Documents" folder and so on.

"Fast mirror (copy only new or modified files)"

Use this option to make mirror even faster! When this option is set, the application uses the information stored in .bkc files to copy only new or modified files to the destination.
If this option is not set, the system copies all files each time the backup is executed.

"Do not backup in a subdirectory"

Using this option the files will be copied into the same directory as the catalog file (.bkc), not in a subdirectory having the same name as the backup item.

"Create subfolder(s) in destination with following name"

Use this option to create a subfolder in the destination. The name of the folder can be customized using following tags:
   Backup Name (<BACKUP NAME>)
   Backup Number (<BACKUP NUMBER>)
   Backup Time (<TIME>)
   Backup Date (<DATE>)
Use "Insert tags" button to add tags in the edit field. You can also add your text in the edit field. Use "Preview" button to see how the name of the subfolder will look like.

The option is useful to store "snapshots" of the backup sources at different time/date moments. If the <TIME> and/or <DATE> tags are included in the edit field, then there can be different subfolders for each backup execution.

Related Topics

Backup Item Properties - General
Backup Item Properties - Sources
Backup Item Properties - Destination
Backup Item Properties - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Scheduler
Backup Item Properties - Advanced
Passwords
Zip Advanced Settings


Backup Item Properties - Filters

This page defines files filters to be applied on backup sources. Only files and folders that match the filters will be added to backup.

There are two kinds of file filters:
   Main filter - applies to all files and folders indicated as sources of the backup item
   Customized filter - allows you to override the main filter for a folder and its descendants

Main filter

The main filter is composed of an include filter and an exclude filter. By default all files are included and exclude filter is deactivated.

The system selects only files that do satisfy the include filter and do not satisfy the exclude filter. This means the exclude filter is more powerful: if a file satisfies both include and exclude filters, it will not be processed by the system.

Include and exclude filters are composed from filter restrictions. Go to Edit filter restriction to read how to configure a filter restriction. Two or more filter restrictions in the include filter means that a file must satisfy at least one restriction to be included. Two or more filter restrictions in the exclude filter means that a file must satisfy any restriction to be excluded.

You can manage filter restrictions by pressing:
   "Add" button to add a new restriction
   "Edit" button to modify the selected restriction
   "Remove" button to delete selected restriction

Customized filter

Click on the "Customize" button on top of the dialog. It will show a tree with all sources defined for backup item:

When a folder is selected, the "Override" button is activated. This means you can replace the main filter with a customized one. Customized filter is valid only for the selected folder and its descendants. Click on "Override" button to define the customized file filter. It will open a dialog similar with the one for the main filter. All files and folders for which a customized filter is applied are shown in red color. You can remove the customized filter by selecting the folder and clicking on "Remove Override" button.

Attention:
You cannot override the filter for the root folders (folders you added as backup source).

Related Topics

Backup Item Properties - General
Backup Item Properties - Sources
Backup Item Properties - Destination
Backup Item Properties - Type
Backup Item Properties - Scheduler
Backup Item Properties - Advanced
Edit filter restriction


Backup Item Properties - Scheduler

This page helps you schedule the backup execution. First, you must check "Enable scheduler" checkbox.

There are many ways to configure a scheduler:

One time only
Execute backup once at the specified start date and time

Daily
Set field to 1 to do execute backup every day, set field to 2 to execute backup every 2 days, etc. Backup is executed at specified start time

Weekly
Check the week days when you want the backup to be performed, indicate if the backup should be done each week or every 2 weeks, ...

Monthly by week
Execute backup in week days which are related to a month, like first Monday in every month. You can also indicate the month frequency: every month, every two months, ...

Monthly by day
Execute backup in a particular day of a month. Day's numbers are from 1 to 31. You can also indicate the month frequency: every month, every two months, ....

Attention:
Not all months have 31 days. If you schedule backup items on invalid days, it will not be executed.

Periodical
Set the period of time between two consecutive backup executions: days, hours, minutes

Attention:
Scheduler is running only when the application is running or if "Automatically start application at Windows startup" checkbox in options dialog is set and the Backup4all icon is shown in the system tray. If the computer is not turned on at the scheduled date and time, the backup will not be performed when the computer is started. The scheduled date and time is recalculated based on scheduler settings and current date and time.

Related Topics

Backup Item Properties - General
Backup Item Properties - Sources
Backup Item Properties - Destination
Backup Item Properties - Type
Backup Item Properties - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Advanced
Options - Backup


Backup Item Properties - Advanced

This page defines volume label prefix and actions to be executed before and after backup.

Volume label prefix

The prefix can be maximum eight characters long. This option is useful only for removable media like CDs, Zip disks, floppy disks, ...

Use default labeling

If this option is set, the system will generate labels for each removable media with the following pattern: "<Name of the backup item><Disk span number>_<Backup number>", where
    <Name of the backup item> is the name of the backup item as shown in the "General" page
    <Disk span number> is the number of disk span in the current backup process
    <Backup number> is increased at each backup item execution
For example "Myfiles2_3" is for the third execution of the "Myfiles" backup item, second disk span.

Backup execution priority

Using this option will set the backup execution priority compared to the rest of the running processes on your system. Setting the priority to "Highest priority" , for example, will determine the system to allocate most of its resources for the backup execution.

Ask for backup label before execution

If this option is set, a dialog will be show and will ask the user to enter the description of the backup increment.

If you do not want to give a label to the current backup, leave the edit control empty. Check "Don't label next backups" if you do not want to see this dialog when the current backup item is executed in the future.

This feature is particularly useful for incremental backup types, when the label can be seen as a milestone for all files backed up. These labels are visible in Restore Wizard, Versions page and in the list of file versions in Explore View.

Test after backup

If this option is set, after every backup process, the system will test/verify the resulting backup.

Run program/action before backup

Check "Run program/action before backup" checkbox and select one of the already defined actions or choose a different .bat/.exe file to be executed.
Action <Clear backup> deletes the .bkc file and all zip files associated with the current backup item.

You can customize <Clear backup> using following parameters:
    "<Clear backup d=7>" Clear backup is executed only if 7 days have passed since the first backup increment (the full backup) .
    "<Clear backup n=10>" Clear backup is executed only if the number of file versions is 10.
    "<Clear backup d=7 n=10>" Clear backup is executed if 7 days have passed since the first backup increment (the full backup) or if the number of file versions is 10.

If this action is set, then the backup performed is a full backup, even if the backup type is set to incremental.
Backup4all waits for the program/action to be finished before continuing.

It the "Run only once" check is set, the program/action is run only once and the "Run program/action before backup" checkbox is reset and disabled.  Usually the program/action is run at next backup execution, unless the action is clear backup with parameters, which is executed when the condition is fulfilled (see above).

Attention
If the before action is a path to a file and the path contain spaces, the after action might not be executed. You should put the whole path between quotes.
Example:
"C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\POWERARC.EXE"

Run program/action after backup

Check "Run program/action after backup" checkbox and select one of the already defined actions or choose a different .bat/.exe file to be executed.
Available actions:
    <Power off> - shuts down the computer after the backup was executed.
    <Log off> - logs off current user.
Backup4all does not wait for the program/action to be finished before continuing.

It the "Run only once" check is set, the program/action is run only once: at next backup execution.

Attention
If the after action is a path to a file and the path contain spaces, the after action might not be executed. You should put the whole path between quotes.
Example:
"C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\POWERARC.EXE"

Related Topics

Backup Item Properties - General
Backup Item Properties - Sources
Backup Item Properties - Destination
Backup Item Properties - Type
Backup Item Properties - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Scheduler


File filtering overview

Backup4all provides easy and intuitive ways to define what files and folders are the sources of the backup.

Select folders and files as sources

There are buttons for adding a file and a folder. Adding a folder means that all its files and folders descendants will be backed up.
Each added file and folder is shown in the list with a checkbox in front of it. These are the sources of the backup.

You can easily exclude any file and folder by unchecking the checkbox in front of it. To select all files and folders press "Check all" button. To deselect all files and folders press "Uncheck all" button.

For more details read New Backup Wizard - Sources and Backup Item Properties - Sources sections of this help file.

Filter

If the filter is not changed, then all the checked files and folders from backup sources will be added to backup. The filter applies to all backup sources.

The role of the filter is to restrict the files from the sources that will participate to the backup process. The filter actually consists of two filters: the include filter and the exclude filter.

Include filter restricts the files to be included to backup. If not activated it means that all files are included. Exclude filter restricts the files to be excluded from backup. If not activated it means that no files are excluded. By default, the include filter is checked and set for "All files" and the exclude filter is disabled.

For more details read New Backup Wizard - Filters and Backup Item Properties - Filters sections of this help file.

Filter restriction

Include and exclude filter contains one or more file restrictions based on file properties. The files that can be filtered by:
   File attributes: read only, archive, system, hidden
   File dates: accessed, modified, created dates and times
   File name
   File size

Include and exclude filter can contain more file restrictions. In this case a file is included/excluded is it satisfies all the file restrictions in the include/exclude filter.

For more details read Edit filter restriction section of this help file.

Filter override

There are special situations when the backup filter is not enough to define the files to be backed up. In this case, you can define individual filter for one/many folder(s). The overridden filter applies to all the files and folders contained in that folder.

For more details read Filter override section of this help file.

Related Topics

Edit filter restriction
Filter override
New Backup Wizard - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Filters


Edit filter restriction

This dialog is shown every time a file filter restriction is to be added or modified.

File attributes

This section allows the user to specify file attributes:
   "read-only" - if checked files with read-only attribute will be selected
   "archive" - if checked files with archive attribute will be selected
   "system" - if checked files with system attribute will be selected
   "hidden" - if checked files with hidden attribute will be selected

For example, if you want to include files with both "read-only" and "archive" attributes set, you have to check both attributes in a single restriction. If you want to include files with "read-only" or "archive" attributes set, you have to make two separate restrictions: one for "read-only" and another for "archive".

File dates

This section allows the user to build restrictions by referring to file dates and times:
   access date
   access date and time
   modified date
   modified date and time
   creation date
   creation date and time

You can compare these dates and times with a "fixed date" that can be specified, with "today", with "yesterday", with "one week ago", with "one month ago". You can also make use of "in interval" operator to check if file date and time is in a particular date and time interval.

File name

This section provides the possibility to build restrictions referring to file name.

All file name patterns that you added are listed in the list box on the left side. If a restriction is added with two or more file name patterns, it means that files matching any of the file name patterns are selected.

How to add a file name pattern:
   Select the need file extension from the combo box on the right and click on "<" button
   Type the file name pattern you need in the combo box field and click on "<" button

File name pattern can include:
   <*> - it matches one or more letters; it can be any letters. For example "a*.doc" matches all name files that start with "a" and have "doc" extension
   <?> - it matches only one letter; it can be any letter. For example "a*.do?" matches all name files that start with "a" and have any extension composed of three letters that starts with "do"

File size

This section provides the possibility to build restrictions referring to file size.

Example

Suppose you want to backup all .pdf files accessed in the last month and all .doc files modified in the last week, but you don't want to backup "system" or "hidden" files.

Here are the steps to define this filter starting from the default filter:
   Edit "all files" restriction for include filter: define and add "*.pdf" file name pattern and set accessed date to be greater or equal with "one month ago" then click OK
   Add a new restriction for include filter: add "*.doc" file name pattern and set modified date and time to be greater or equal with "one week ago" then click OK
   Check "Use exclude filter". Edit "all files" restriction for exclude filter: check "File attributes" and then "system" checkboxes, then click OK
   Add a new restriction for exclude filter: check "File attributes" and then "hidden" checkboxes, then click OK

In the end the whole filter should look like this:

Related Topics

File filtering overview
Filter override
New Backup Wizard - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Filters


Filter override

For each backup item, the defined filter applies to all backup sources.
There are special situations when the backup filter is not enough to define the files to be backed up.

Beside that you can select a folder and set a new filter by pressing "Override" button. The customized filter is valid only for the selected folder and its descendants and overrides the global backup filter. The button will open a dialog similar with the one used for setting the global backup filter. All files and folders for which a customized filter is applied are shown in red color.

To remove the customized filer, select the folder and press "Remove Override" button.

Related Topics

File filtering overview
Edit filter restriction
New Backup Wizard - Filters
Backup Item Properties - Filters


CD/DVD Advanced Settings

This dialog contains special settings for CD/DVD burning. The dialog can be opened when the destination is a CD/DVD and the "Advanced" button is pressed.

Backup4all can write a CD/DVD in two ways:
     1. By using built in burning capabilities.
     2. By using DirectCD/InCD UDF drivers.

Burn CD/DVD using application ASPI Driver

The application has built in burning capabilities. No need for external ASPI drivers to burn the CD/DVD.

Erase disk before writing

When set, the CD-RW/DVD±RW is first erased before burning the backup files. For CD-R/DVD±R media and empty CD-RW/DVD±RW media this option has no effect.
By default, the option is not set.

Speed

Use this option to specify a different speed for burning the CD-R(W)/DVD±R(W) media.
By default the option is set to maximum speed.

Use UDF file system

UDF is a platform-independent file system, the same media can be written to and read from by any operating system or vendor.
Each CD or DVD must be UDF formatted before burning otherwise the backup will fail. The limitation of this type of burning is that you must have an UDF reader (DirectCD or InCD) installed on each computer you wish to use the CD/DVD.

Erase disk before writing

When set, the CD/DVD-RW is first erased before burning the backup files. For CD/DVD-R media, this option has no effect.
By default, the option is not set.

Note
You can UDF format the CD/DVD by using DirectCD from Roxio or InCD from Ahead Software.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - Destination
Backup Item Properties - Destination


Zip Advanced Settings

This dialog contains special settings for zip file creation. The dialog is opened when pressing "Zip Advanced Settings" button on the "Type" page of Backup Item Properties dialog or New Backup Wizard dialog. The button is available only for full, incremental and differential backup types.

Compression level

You can set the compression level for the backup:
   No compression - files are just copied inside the zip archive, without any compression
   Low compression - select this option if the size of the zip archive is not important, but the speed of the backup is
   Normal compression - this is usually the best choice because it provides the optimum rate between zip archive size and the backup speed
   High compression - use this compression level to reduce the zip archive size as much as possible

Hint
Use "No compression" or "Low compression" if you backup large files to speed up the backup process. Use "High compression" when you want to create the smallest archive as possible. This option takes more time if the files included in archive are large.

Split type for zip archives

The first combo box contains some predefined values of the archive size. By default it is set to "Automatic": this means that the size of the zip is limited by maximum file size allowed by the file system. Other predefined values are provided for floppy disks, zip disks and different CD media types.

Sometimes these predefined values are not enough. Therefore you can select "Custom size" in the combo box and specify the maximum archive size you want. The minimum span size is 512 KBytes.

Note
The "Max size" means that each span should not exceed this value. However, because of the zip algorithm limitation, the system might create spans with size up to 32-64 KBytes smaller than the "Max size".

Customize zip name prefix

Typically the name of the zip file is something like: "1_C.zip", "1_D.zip", ....  (one zip for each drive). The names of the zip files do not make much sense for the user. This option allows you to fully customize the zip name prefix.

The zip name prefix can be customized using following tags:
   Backup Name (<BACKUP NAME>)
   Backup Number (<BACKUP NUMBER>)
   Backup Time (<TIME>)
   Backup Date (<DATE>)
Use "Insert tags" button to add tags in the edit field. You can also add your text in the edit field. Use "Preview" button to see how the names of the zip files will look like.

Note
Windows does not allow following characters in the file name: / \ : * ? " < > |
Therefore Backup4all will prompt you to change these characters if present in the "Customize zip name prefix" edit control.

Related Topics

New Backup Wizard - Type
Backup Item Properties - Type


Command line

Command line application is a small application that can run independently from the main application. It can be used to create batch files or to perform backups using third party schedulers.

The command line uses the same engine as the main application does. It always performs an unattended backup execution and uses the same log file as the main application.

When executed without any parameters it display the following output:

At least one of the following parameters must be specified:
    name - full path to the ini file that defines a backup item or full path to the bkc file
    group - the name of an existing backup group
The ini or bkc file must exist in the specified path, otherwise the backup will not run.

Backup item definitions (ini files) are saved separately for each Windows user. For Win2000 and WinXP these files can be found in "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Softland\Backup4all\IniFiles" folder, where "Administrator" is the name of the Windows user.

Backup catalogs (bkc files) are saved in the backup destination together with the backup archive. When a backup item is executed for the first time, the bkc file is created. There is only one bkc file for each backup item.

When a valid ini file or bkc file is provided, the command line will display the following output:

and when the backup is done:

Hint
You can create a fully configured shortcut for backup item execution by selecting "File" and then "Create Shortcut ... " from application's main menu.

You cannot register the command line application separately. When the main application is registered, the command line gets registered too.

Related Topics

Main Window - Commands


Options - General

 This page contains general settings for the Backup4all application.

Show explorer icons
If checked a small icon is shown for each file in the Explore view. The icon is the standard icon associated with the type of file. You see the same icons as they appear in Windows Explorer. If the explore view displays a large number of files, you can uncheck this option to show files in Explore view faster.
Default is checked.

Minimize on tray
Check this option if you want to show the Backup4all icon in system tray when the application is minimized. If unchecked, the application is minimized in the system tray.
Default is not checked.

Warn if active schedulers when exiting application
If checked, a warning dialog is shown when closing the application.

The dialog appears only if there are schedulers defined for backup items in the backup items list. You can choose from exiting application or sending the application into tray. Showing the application into tray is the best solution if you want to keep schedulers active. When unchecked, no dialog is shown and the application is closed even if there are active schedulers.
Default is checked.

Automatically start application at Windows startup
If checked, the application is started when Windows starts and an icon is shown in the system tray. This is the best solution if you want to keep schedulers active.
Default is checked.

Hide background image
If checked, the background image of the Backup List and Backup Item Properties dialog are replaced by a dark gray color.
Default is not checked.

Sort backup items alphabetically in a group
If checked, the backup items are sorted alphabetically in each backup group
Default is not checked.

Hide empty folders on expand all
If checked, the folders that do not show any file in the Explore View will be automatically hidden when pressing "Expand All" button.
Default is checked.

Measurement unit
If Auto is checked, the file sizes are shown like in Windows Explorer. If you want to see the file size only in KBs, uncheck Auto and select KBytes from combo box.
Default is Auto.

Temporary dir
This folder is used by ZIP to handle compressed files (.zip). Only a full path is allowed. The recommendation is to set the temporary directory on the hard disk partition with the biggest free space available.
Default is system temporary folder.

Related Topics

Options - Backup
Options - Logging


Options - Backup

This page contains settings that apply for each backup item.

When destination not ready

These two options affect only scheduled backups.

The first number indicates how many times the application tries to access the destination location if it is not available. Default value is 3 attempts.

The second number indicates how much time to wait between two consecutive attempts to access the destination location. Default value is 10 seconds.

Show tray error icon
This error icon appears when the application is minimized on tray and a backup has failed to run. The error icon will blink over the default Backup4all tray icon. Uncheck this option if you do not want to see the error icon in the tray.
Default is checked.

Burn CD/DVD using internal ASPI
If checked the Backup4all will use its own, built-in ASPI layer to burn CD/DVD. If not checked, it will use the ASPI layer installed on system32 folder of Windows (WNASPI.dll). If you experience problems writing to CD/DVD, you should check this option.
Default is checked.

Eject CD/DVD after backup
If checked, the CD media is ejected, but not loaded after burning process is finished.
Default is not checked.

NTFS daylight saving correction (ignore 1 hour time delay)
NT file system reports wrong file times after the clock has been changed according to daylight saving time rules. As a consequence, Backup4all sees these files as changed. Check this option if you want to avoid this problem.
Default is not checked.

Warn before completely erasing a disk
Check this option if you want to be warned each time the system has to completely erase a disk.
Default is checked.

Show warnings dialog at the end of the backup
Check this option if you want to be notified if any warnings/errors appeared while performing the backup. You can always check for warnings and errors in the log file. The warning/error icon is shown over the backup item no matter if this option is checked or not.
Default is not checked.

Ask for a new disk before backup
Check this option if you want to be asked to enter a new disk when before backup execution starts. This way you can have different backup executions on different disks.
Default is not checked.

Show disk label message after writing a disk
This option applies only when you backup on removable media and the backup is spanned on multiple disks. If this option is set, you will be asked to mark the disk with the specified label after each disk is completely written. The system takes care of the disk labels and will refer to each disk using its label.
Default is checked.

Related Topics

Options - General
Options - Logging
New Backup Wizard - Scheduler
Backup Item Properties - Scheduler


Options - Logging

This page contains settings for logging the backup process.

Log  Errors and Warning
The application will log all the errors and warnings that raise during backup, restore and test operations. This option cannot be unchecked.

Include Summary in log
If checked, the logs will contain all the text available in the Summary View.
Default is not checked.

Log Detailed Info
If checked, the application log will contain info about every file used in the backup, restore or test process.

Log folder size
Specify the size of the log folder:
   "Unlimited" - no limits, can grow indefinitely
   "Restricted" - keep the log file size less or equal than indicated size
Log folder size is restricted by default to 100 Kbytes.

Related Topics

Options - General
Options - Backup


Options - Language

This page contains available languages for Backup4all interface.

You can change the current language by choosing another one from the language list. The language is changed when the Options dialog is closed choosing the OK button.

To check for and install additional languages, click on the "Download Languages" button to open the online languages section.


FAQ - General

1. How can I create a new backup item?
2. How can I copy a backup item (create a new one similar to another)?
3. How can I see only new and modified files in the Explore View? How can I see only the files inside the backup?
4. How can I hide empty folders in the Explore View when expanding all folders?
5. How can I see the number of files to backup at next backup run? What about the number of changed files since latest backup?
6. Somehow I lost my backup item configuration. I only have the .bkc file. Can I restore the backup item?
7. How can I make a shortcut to an existing backup item, so that I can run it by double-clicking on a desktop shortcut?
8. How can I run a backup when I am not logged in to Windows?
9. Does Backup4all generate zip files compatible to third party zip utilities?
10. How does Backup4all handle the Archive bit for backed up files?
11. Can I backup to tape using Backup4all?
12. What's the difference between Backup4all's Mirror, Classic and Professional editions?
13  How can I restore the default layout for all windows?

1. How can I create a new backup item?
Backup items are created by the New Backup Wizard. The wizard can be started by choosing "File" and then "New Backup Wizard" from Backup4all's main menu or by clicking the "New Backup Wizard (CTRL+N)" [image] button on Backup4all's toolbar. Follow the wizard steps and click "Finish" when ready.

2. How can I copy a backup item (create a new one similar to another)?
Select the backup item you want to copy from the left side bar. Click on "Create like (CTRL+L)" [image] button on Backup4all's toolbar. The new backup item will be added to  the same group as the original one.

3. How can I see only new and modified files in the Explore View? How can I see only the files inside the backup?
First you need to switch to the Explore View by clicking the"Explore (F2)" [image] button on Backup4all's toolbar.

To show only new and modified files make sure that:
    "Show New Files (CTRL+1)" [image]  is pressed
    "Show Unchanged Files (CTRL+2)" [image] is not pressed
    "Show Modified Files (CTRL+3)" [image] is pressed
    "Show Excluded Files (CTRL+4)" [image] is not pressed
    "Show Deleted Files (CTRL+5)" [image] is not pressed

To show only the files inside the backup make sure that:
    "Show New Files (CTRL+1)" [image]  is not pressed
    "Show Unchanged Files (CTRL+2)" [image] is pressed
    "Show Modified Files (CTRL+3)" [image] is pressed
    "Show Excluded Files (CTRL+4)" [image] is pressed
    "Show Deleted Files (CTRL+5)" [image] is pressed

4. How can I hide empty folders in the Explore View when expanding all folders?
Open the Options dialog, go to the "General" page and check the "Hide empty folders on expand all" option. After this option is set, when clicking on the "Expand All" button [image], empty folders will not be shown any more.
ATTENTION: Expanding all folders can be time consuming, especially if you add the whole drive as a source of the backup. You can stop it by pressing ESC key.

5. How can I see the number of files to backup at next backup run? What about the number of changed files since latest backup?
First you need to switch to the Statistics View by clicking the "Statistics (F3)"  [image] button on Backup4all's toolbar. To start counting files press the "Calculate Statistics for Next Backup (CTRL+F5)" button. Wait until the counting is over. The results are shown in the text below. The left column shows the counters for files to be backed up and the right column shows the counters for files changed since the latest backup. For more details see "Statistics View".

6. Somehow I lost my backup item configuration. I only have the .bkc file. Can I restore the backup item?
Yes. Just double-click on the .bkc file. Backup4all will be invoked and a new backup item will be created based on the .bkc file.

7. How can I make a shortcut to an existing backup item, so that I can run it by double-clicking on a desktop shortcut?
First select the backup item you want to run. Right-click on the backup item and select "Create Shortcut" from the menu. Save the shortcut on the desktop.

8. How can I run a backup when I am not logged in to Windows?
First you will have to create from Backup4all a shortcut to the backup item you want to execute. For more information on creating a shortcut see "Main Window - Backup List". Open the Windows Scheduler and add a new scheduled task. Schedule the shortcut to be run at the time you want and using the username you want.  For more information on using the Windows Scheduler, see Windows' own Help.

9. Does Backup4all generates zip files compatible to third party zip utilities?
Yes. If the zip file size is less than 2 Gbytes, Backup4all generates standard zip formats. This format is compatible with any zip utility available on the market. For zip files greater than 2 Gbytes, Backup4all uses zip64 technology (which allows unlimited zip file size). Zip compatibility means that your data is not at the mercy of Backup4all itself; you can access it with any zip-compatible utility.

10. How does Backup4all handle archive bit for backed up files?
Backup4all does not set the Archive flag. Backup4all  uses its own catalog file (.bkc) to keep track of the new and changed files. This has the advantage of a faster backup run because the Archive flag does not need to be set. Another advantage is that you can run Backup4all together with other backup applications because they do not interfere with each other.

11. Can I backup to tape using Backup4all?
No. The current version does not support tape drives.

12. What's the difference between Backup4all's Mirror, Classic and Professional editions?
The difference is in the supported backup types. See the "Feature Matrix" section of this help file for details.

13. How do I restore the default layout for all windows?
Open the "View" menu and select "Restore default layout" . This will restore all windows to their original size and position, and will also reset the column order and size for all windows.


FAQ - Backup and test

1. What happens when I change the backup type?
2. How can I set the compression level to be used?
3. How can I split a backup across more  disks?
4. How can I give customized names to the zip files?
5. I use incremental backup to removable disk (CD). How can I make sure only the new and modified files are backed up?
6. I have used Backup4all for some time now and I have a large number of zip files in the destination. How can I clear them and start over again?
7. I am using incremental backup. How can I clear all backed up files and start with a fresh full backup every 7 days?
8. How can I limit the number of backup versions?
9. Backup4all does not recognize my CD burner. How can I burn CDs?
10. How can I store many versions of my files and keep the backup size as small as possible?
11. How can I run a backup using the command line?
12. Is there a way to test files automatically after each backup?
13. How can I test older backup versions?
14. How can I create backup versions with mirror backup?

1. What happens when I change the backup type?
Backup type can be changed from the "Type" page of the Backup Item Properties dialog. You can change between full, incremental and differential backup types without having to start with a fresh new backup. However changing between full, incremental or differential to mirror (and viceversa) will clear the backup content and will start a fresh one.

2. How can I set the compression level to be used?
Open Backup Properties, go to the "Type" page and press the "Zip Advanced Settings" button. Here you can choose from four compression levels: none, low, medium or high. See "Zip Advanced Settings" for more details.

3. How can I split a backup across more disks?
Open Backup Properties, go to the "Type" page and press the "Zip Advanced Settings" button. Here you can choose a predefined split size or define a custom one. Spanning is automatically done when the removable disk is full. See Zip Advanced Settings for more details.

4. How can I give customized names to the zip files?
Open Backup Properties, go to the "Type" page and press the "Advanced" button. Here you can customize the zip file name prefix. See Zip Advanced Settings for more details.

5. I use incremental backup to removable disk (CD). How can I make sure only the new and modified files are backed up?
For this you have to continue an existing backup. You must first insert the CD with the latest catalog (.bkc) file and then perform the backup. The system will read the .bkc file and build the list of new and modified files.

6. I have used Backup4all for some time now and I have a large number of zip files in the destination. How can I clear them and start over again?
Open the "Backup Properties" dialog for the backup item. Go to the "Advanced" page, check "Run program/action before backup" and choose "< Clear backup >" from the combo box. This will first delete the backup files in the destination and afterwards execute the backup item. If you check the "Run only once" option, the "<Clear backup>" action will be executed only once (at next backup execution) and after that it will be disabled. The "<Clear backup>" action has parameters to further customize its functionality. See Backup Item Properties - Advanced for details.

7. I am using incremental backup. How can I clear all backed up files and start with a fresh full backup every 7 days?
Open "Backup Properties" dialog for the backup item. Go to the "Advanced" page, check "Run program/action before backup", choose "< Clear backup >" from the combo box and edit it to "< Clear backup d=7>". This will clear the backed up files only if 7 days have passed since the first backup run. If you check the "Run only once" option, the "<Clear backup d=7>" action will be executed only once (when 7 days have passed) and after that it will be disabled. For more details about clear backup parameters see Backup Item Properties - Advanced

8. How can I limit the number of backup versions?
Open the "Backup Properties" dialog for the backup item. Go to the "Type" page. Here you must set the "Limit number of stored backups to" option and specify the desired limit in the spin edit next to the option.

9. Backup4all does not recognize my CD burner. How can I burn CDs?
The built-in CD burner might not recognize your CD writer device. If so, you will see the message that the device "Does not appear to be a writer or it is busy".

First you should try to locate and rename "WNASPI32.DLL" file. It is usually located in "C:" folder. The new name for WNASPI32.DLL is not important. Important is that the file will not be found. You might need to restart the computer for this change to take effect.

If renaming the file does not help, you can still burn your CDs using the UDF file system (with DirectCD or InCD). You can select this burning option in the "CD/DVD Advanced Settings" dialog. See CD/DVD Advanced Settings for more details.

10. How can I store many versions of my files and keep the backup size as small as possible?
Our recommendation is to use incremental backup type with maximum zip compression. The incremental backup type ensures that only new and modified files are backed up.

11. How can I run a backup using the command line?
Command line works with a backup item configuration file (.ini) or backup catalog file (.bkc). You can create a valid ini file from the Backup4all interface and use the full path to this ini file as a parameter of the command line application. Typically the ini files are located in "C:\Documents and Settings\<USER NAME>\Application Data\Softland\Backup4all\IniFiles". After the first backup run, a .bkc file is created in the destination. You can use this .bkc file also (again with the full path) as parameter to command line application.

12. Is there a way to test (verify) files automatically after each backup?
Yes, there is. Open the "Backup Item Properties" dialog, go to the "Advanced" tab and set the "Test after backup" option.

13. How can I test older backup versions?
First select the backup item you want to test. Then open "Actions" from the application main menu and choose "Test". This will show a list of all backup versions. Select the backup version you want to test and click "Test" button. See Main Window - Test for more details.

14. How can I create backup versions with mirror backup?
Backup4all can create different folders each time the mirror backup is performed. This is done by customizing the destination folder name. To do this open Backup Properties and go to the "Type" tab. Note that Backup4all does not keep track of all destination folder names and can restore only from the last destination folder. However you can restore an older backup version made with mirror backup manually. For more information read Backup Item Properties - Type section of this help file.


FAQ - Restore

1. How can I restore one or more files?
2. How can I restore an older version of one file?
3. How can I restore many files from older backup versions?
4. How can I make a full restore?

1. How can I restore one or more files?
To restore the latest version of one file you need to select the file from the Explore View tree, right-click on it and select "Restore Latest Version" or "Restore Latest Version To ..."
If you want to restore more than one file, you can select them in the Explore View tree and restore the latest version using the right-click menu (as mentioned above).

2. How can I restore an older version of one file?
To restore an older version of one file you need to select the file from the Explore View tree. Then look for available versions in the list which is displayed below the tree. Select the version you want to restore, right-click on it and choose "Restore" or "Restore to...".

3. How can I restore many files from older backup versions?
Sometimes we need to restore files from an older backup version. To do this open the "Restore Wizard" by clicking on the "Restore" [image] button from Backup4all's toolbar. Select Custom Restore type and click Next. Now the list of available backup versions is shown. You can select one or many versions (use the SHIFT and CTRL keys to define the selection). In the next pages you can apply file filters or individually select each file from the selected versions that you actually want to restore. See Restore Wizard - Filters and Restore Wizard - Preview for more details.

4. How can I make a full restore?
Open the "Restore Wizard" by clicking on the "Restore" [image] button from the Backup4all's toolbar. Select Standard Restore and click Finish.


Hints

    1
You can have two backups of the same backup item on different CDs. An idea is to use one CD for daily backups and another one for weekly or monthly backups. You can also consider backing up onto a second CD when you finished working on some documents and you want to keep those file versions for a longer time. Use the CD for daily backups to store intermediate versions of your files.

    2
The application provides a way to exclude files and folders from backup by un-checking them in the Backup Item Properties, Advanced tab. Try to minimize the number of files and folders which you exclude from the backup. This way the backup process will run faster.

    3
Mirror backup type is the fastest way to make a backup. So if you backup large files, use the Mirror backup type for maximum speed.
If you have to use zip compression, set the compression level to "Zip without compression" or "Low compression" in order to speed up the backup process. Use "High compression" only when you want to create the smallest archive as possible. Often High compression will only be marginally smaller than Medium compression.

    4
To quickly restore a whole folder, select the folder in the Explore View, right click on it and select 'Restore Latest Version' or 'Restore Latest Version To...' from the context menu.

    5
To quickly restore a particular version of a file, select the file in the Explore View, right click on a version from the list of versions (displayed at  the bottom) and select 'Restore' or 'Restore to...' from the context menu.

    6
If you want to minimize the application to the system tray, open the Options dialog from the Tools menu and check the "Minimize to tray" option from the "General" page.

    7
If you want to have a quick look to the current selected backup item, go to the Summary View (F4). You can select and then copy-paste this text into another file.

    8
If you want to see the files that are already added to the backup, switch to the Explore View and press only the following buttons:

If you want to see the files that will be added to the next backup execution, press only the following buttons:

    9
To execute all backup items in a group, right-click on the backup group and choose "Backup <Name> Group". All backup items in the group will be executed one by one, in sequential order.

    10
There is an easy way to search for a file in the files and folder tree: simply start typing the file's name and the matching file name will be selected. Only files that are already visible the tree are checked for name matching, so if you want to search in all files, you have to do an "Expand all" first.

    11
You can click on the "Size" column heading in the Explore View to sort  the files in ascending order by their size. Another click on the column heading will change the order into descending. The same applies for the "Modified" column.

    12
You can hide the "Size" and "Modified" columns of the tree in Explore View: right-click on the column heading and uncheck it. The same applies for the version list displayed atthe bottom.


Purchasing and Registration

How to know what edition to buy?

Backup4all has a trial period of 30 days. During these 30 days you have access to all application features. After this period, you have to decide which edition you want: Professional (fully featured application), Classic or Mirror (not all features are available).

Please read What edition to choose section of this help file for a summary of differences between Mirror, Classic and Professional Editions.
The Feature Matrix section presents more in details the differences between Mirror, Classic and Professional Editions.

You can also read the Full, Differential, Incremental, Mirror backup type descriptions to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each backup type. Classic Edition does not allow incremental backup type. Mirror Edition does not allow full, differential and incremental backup types.

Purchasing

Backup4all is available as Shareware - another way of saying Try Before You Buy.  It is fully functional for a period of 30 days. After 30 days, the program will only allow entry of a Registration Key. You can buy the application online by filling out the online purchase form.
There are two ways to start the order process:
   go to the Help menu and click on "How to Order"
   go to the Help menu, click on "Register" and then on the "Buy now!" button
These will start the online purchase form.

Registration

The following window appears when clicking on "Register" from Help menu. This window also appears at application startup when the trial period has expired.

The "Buy now!" button opens the online webpage where you can start the purchase process.

After completing the purchasing procedure, a registration key will be sent to you by email. This key is required to register the program. It is recommended that you make a backup copy of this e-mail (e.g. print out a hard copy).

Please fill in the exact values as you received by email. You can copy-paste the information directly into the registration window. Press "Register" button when you are ready.

If the registration information is valid, you will get a confirmation message saying the application has been successfully registered. After the confirmation message, you can see the registration details at the bottom of the "About Backup4all" dialog (Help menu, "About Backup4all").

If you lost your registration info, please send us your purchase info and specify your name, company name and e-mail address you used to buy your copy of Backup4all. We will send to you your registration info again.

If you have questions or you experience problems related to the registration process, you can use the "Support" button to contact us. We will be happy to assist you with the registration.

Related Topics
What edition to choose
Feature Matrix
Backup Types


End User License Agreement

Backup4all End User License Agreement

NOTICE TO USERS: CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING LEGAL AGREEMENT. USE OF THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED WITH THIS AGREEMENT (THE "SOFTWARE") CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT INSTALL AND/OR USE THIS SOFTWARE. USER'S USE OF THIS SOFTWARE IS CONDITIONED UPON COMPLIANCE BY USER WITH THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

1. License grant
Softland grants you a license to use one copy of the version of this SOFTWARE on a single computer. If you install the SOFTWARE on one computer and use it from other computers over the network, you must obtain a license for each computer that uses the SOFTWARE. "You" means the company, entity or individual whose funds are used to pay the license fee. "Use" means storing, loading, installing, executing or displaying the SOFTWARE. You may not modify the SOFTWARE or disable any licensing or control features of the SOFTWARE except as an intended part of the SOFTWARE's programming features. This license is not transferable to any other system, or to another organization or individual.

2. Trial
This SOFTWARE is not free. When you first obtain a copy of the SOFTWARE, you are granted an evaluation period of not more than 30 days. If you desire to use the SOFTWARE after this period, you must register to Softland as described in the documentation accompanying the SOFTWARE. Otherwise you must remove the SOFTWARE from your system.
You are expected to use the SOFTWARE on your system and to thoroughly evaluate its usefulness and functionality before making a purchase. This "try before you buy" approach is the ultimate guarantee that the SOFTWARE will perform to your satisfaction; therefore, you understand and agree that there is no refund policy for any purchase of the SOFTWARE.

3. Ownership
The SOFTWARE is owned and copyrighted by Softland. Your license confers no title or ownership of the SOFTWARE and should not be construed as a sale of any right in the SOFTWARE .

4. Distribution
You may make and distribute unlimited copies of the SOFTWARE, as long as each copy that you make and distribute contains this agreement, the Softland Backup4all installer, and the same copyright and other proprietary notices pertaining to this SOFTWARE. If you download the SOFTWARE from the Internet or similar on-line source, you must include the Softland copyright notice for the SOFTWARE with any on-line distribution and on any media you distribute that includes the SOFTWARE.

5. Restrictions
You agree not to modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of the SOFTWARE. You may not alter or modify the installer program or create a new installer for the SOFTWARE.

6. Copyright
The SOFTWARE is licensed, not sold. The SOFTWARE and all rights are owned by Softland or its suppliers and are protected by copyright law and international copyright treaties. You acknowledge that no title to the intellectual property in the SOFTWARE is transferred to you. You further acknowledge that title and full ownership rights to the SOFTWARE will remain the exclusive property of Softland and you will not acquire any rights to the SOFTWARE except as expressly set forth in this license.

7. No Warranty, No Liability
SOFTLAND AND ITS SUPPLIERS DO NOT AND CANNOT WARRANT THE PERFORMANCE OR RESULTS YOU MAY OBTAIN BY USING THE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION. SOFTLAND AND ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT WILL SOFTLAND OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS OR LOST SAVINGS, EVEN IF A SOFTLAND REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY THIRD PARTY. YOU HEREBY ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF ALL USE OF THE COPIES OF SOFTWARE COVERED BY THIS LICENSE.

8. Governing Law
This agreement is governed by the laws of Romania. If any part of this agreement is found void and unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, it will not affect the validity of the balance of the agreement, which shall remain valid and enforceable according to its terms.

9. Entire Agreement
This is the entire agreement between you and Softland that supersedes any prior agreement or understanding, whether written or oral, relating to the subject matter of this license.

Copyright © 2002-2004 Softland. All rights reserved.

Softland srl
str. Dorobantilor nr. 89, ap. 44
Cluj-Napoca, 400609,
Romania

Tel/Fax:  0040 264 411336


Contact

Support

Get the latest version of Backup4all from http://www.backup4all.com

Before asking for support please read the F.A.Q. section and the help file carefully.
Send technical support requests to: support@backup4all.com

Sales

For information about registration and sales contact us at: sales@backup4all.com

If you are interested in Backup4all distribution, customization or any kind of cooperation with Softland, please contact us at sales@backup4all.com

Address

Softland srl
str. Dorobantilor nr. 89, ap. 44
Cluj-Napoca, 400609,
Romania

Tel/Fax:  0040 264 411336
Time zone:  GMT + 2