Online User's Guide
Topics:
Where to find account information
The Backup Account Management Website Summary page provides account information such as account number, backup plan limit and account start date. You can also find this information in your backup Agent. The account number appears on the Home screen and under Help | About. The backup limit is shown on the Backup Set tab.
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About my backup
The Connected Backup for PC and Mac Agent searches your system for common image types like Microsoft Office files DOC, XLS, TXT, PPT; image files like JPEG, PSD, GIF; and music files like .MPG and .WMV. Prior to running your first back up it is strongly recommended that you take time to review the files selected for backup to ensure that you are backing up the files most important to you. You can change the selections to include the files that you want backed if, if they are not already selected.
Depending on your Internet connection speed and the level of service that you select, the time required to complete your first backup will vary. It is recommended that you run your first backup overnight. Each successive backup after the first one will take considerably less time and can be run at any time, even while you are working on your computer.
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What You Can and Cannot Back Up
What you can Back Up.
You may select any data file that resides locally on your computer.
What you cannot Back Up.
- We do not support the backup of servers
- We do not support the backup of network or shared drives. The backup Agent does not recognize these drives.
- We do not support the backup of external or flash drives.
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Selecting files in the Backup Set Tab
If you want to select or deselect files or folders from your backup set, click the "Backup Set" tab of the Connected Backup for PC and Mac Agent software. A green checkmark next to a file or folder indicates that it is selected for backup. If the file has changed since the last backup, the Agent will back up the changes. If the file was never backed up, the Agent will back up the entire file.
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About backup data retention
The data retention settings for the online backup service are:
Files that have more than 10 versions or are older than 90 days are deleted but your most recent version is always kept. Files that you deleted from your system are deleted from the Data Centers after 90 days. Files that you backed up and then deselected from your backup are deleted after 7 days. Files of accounts that were cancelled are deleted 30 days after cancellation.
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Retrieve Tab options
The default view of the Retrieve Tab displays the most recent version of your files. In order to see older versions, click Show Versions at the top of the window and select the view that you want. A description of each of the options can be found by clicking the Help button.
If you still don't see the file, set the display to 'Show all versions of all files' and then use the Find feature. For more information on Find refer to How to use 'Find' to locate backed-up files
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Retrieving data using the Internet: MyRoam
You can retrieve backed-up data from any computer that has an Internet connection by logging in to the Backup Account Management Website and clicking Retrieve Data. This action opens a Web application called MyRoam. Browse the list of files or use the Find feature to display files that you can select for retrieval. Click the box in front of the files that you want to retrieve. When you have completed your selections, click Retrieve. After the file preparation process is finished, you can download a ZIP archive file that contains your selected files.
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Order CD or DVD copies of my backups (Windows only)
When you order a CD or DVD of your backups, you will receive a copy of all files associated with a specific backup date. Also on the CD or DVD is a copy of the Connected Backup for PC and Mac Agent software. You run the Agent software from the CD or DVD to retrieve your files. Written instructions are included with every CD or DVD order. Log in to the Backup Account Management Website and click on Order Media to obtain a copy of your backed-up data.
When you select files for media, the Web site provides an estimate of the number of CDs or DVDs required for the selected files. In general, the cost is $30.00 for the first 3 CDs or DVDs and $20.00 for each additional CD or DVD.
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How to use 'Find' to locate backed-up files for retrieval
Using the Find feature is a fast and easy way to locate a specific file when you need to retrieve files. You can use Find in the Retrieve tab
Simply type the all or part of the file name and folder where the file is located in the Find field.
HINT: When entering a long file or folder name, or one that you aren't sure of, use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard symbol. An asterisk can be inserted at any point in a file name in place of characters that you aren't sure of. Do not use more than one asterisk in succession; use one at a time as a placeholder.
Example 1: For a file named My Resume.doc, type *resume.doc. This example tells Find to look for all files that end in resume.doc.
Example 2: For a file named Peaches and Cream.jpg, you could type P*and*.* or P*and*.jpg or Peach*.jpg
If you don’t see the file that you want with your first try, click Find Next until you do find it. You can click Find Next as often as needed; it will cycle through the list no matter where your starting point is.
If you are looking for an older file and are unable to locate it, then select All from the Show Versions list at the top of the window.
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Recover an existing account
Log in to the Backup Account Management Website and click Reinstall Account in the left navigation column. Follow the instructions to download and install the Agent software. Run the install program and follow the displayed instructions.
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Software version upgrades
Periodically, changes to the software that will improve performance or add new features are made. After thorough testing, the new version is released to our customers. Your version is then upgraded the next time you back up. There is no action required on your part and you will always have the latest version.
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