Are there any special settings that I should be aware of while running IBackup for Windows on a laptop?

I have deleted some unwanted files/folders, from my IBackup account. However, the 'Quota used' does not change. How do I know the exact quota used?

Yes, IBackup for Windows uses Delta Blocking technology during data transfer. Delta blocking is an advanced logic that divides all files into equal sized blocks. When a file is detected for changes, the checksum of each block of that file is compared with the checksum for the same block of the same file. Any blocks that are found to be different are pulled out and transmitted. These delta blocks are compressed and encrypted before transmission.

What is the ideal solution for online backups of huge initial backup sizes, say 100 gigabytes of data?

With the growing need for online backup of several gigabytes, IBackup provides initial backup via physical transfer of data to a temporary storage device, shipped by IBackup to you. IBackup typically uses snapserver 4500 for the purpose, to which you need to copy your data and ship it back.

Once your data is transferred from snapservers to IBackup's primary storage devices, you can continue incremental backups online.. This provides an efficient means to establish online backups for datasets with sizes of 100 GB and higher.

The snapservers are pre-configured with RAID 5 storage of up to 850GB and DHCP. If you have DHCP servers on their LAN, simply hook up one of the snapserver ports to the LAN and copy your data. If not, configure the snapserver networking details to suit your network. IBackup personnel will provide necessary authentication information to configure the snapserver. Ensure that appropriate packing material is used for proper handling of the device during shipment.

Is it possible to view the scheduled backup/restore jobs of all my IBackup accounts on my computer using IBackup for Windows?

Yes. You can view the scheduled backup/restore jobs in all your IBackup accounts by using the 'Manage all the Scheduled Jobs' feature in IBackup for Windows.

To access this feature, right-click the 'IBackup for Windows Monitor tray icon' and select the 'Manage all the Scheduled Jobs' option. In the window that is displayed, you can view the entire list of scheduled backup/restore jobs of all your IBackup accounts on your computer.

My initial backup was done via a shipped hard disk. But when I try to backup the same data with the application, it is backing up the same all over again. Why is this so?

When the initial backup is made via the shipped hard disk, the date and time stamps on the data backed up correspond to the date and time of the copy event (backup made via shipped hard disk), and not the original date and time stamps of the data.

Hence, when you backup the same data with IBackup for Windows for the first time, the application will perform incremental backups of the files, i.e. update the date and time stamps of the backed up data.

How do I regulate my Internet bandwidth usage for IBackup?

The Bandwidth Throttle option allows you to adjust the percentage of Internet bandwidth to be used by the IBackup for Windows application. It effectively divides the bandwidth between various Internet-based applications, to help maintain their efficiency.

By default, it is set to 100% and can be adjusted as required.

On selecting Auto-Pause, you can set the bandwidth to be used by the IBackup application, when the system is in use and when it is not.

To enable it, go to Tools > Preferences > General tab and select the 'Auto-Pause' option.

The Bandwidth Throttle can be adjusted during the interactive and scheduled backup process in the Backup Progress dialog. It can also be done through IBackup for Windows Monitor tray icon.

Yes. Using the 'Enable Cut-off time for scheduled backup' option, you can stop the scheduled backup at the specific time. The backup is resumed at the next scheduled time from the point it was stopped. To enable it, go to Tools > Preferences > General tab and select the 'Enable Cut-off time for scheduled backup' option.

Yes. You may opt to receive desktop alert in case your backup has not taken place. By default, it is set to seven days. To enable it, go to Tools > Preferences > General tab and select the 'Alert me if the scheduled backup fails' option.

Is it possible to manage my Default Backup set and schedule backup jobs via the IBackup web interface?

Yes. You can manage your Default Backup set, schedule backup jobs and view detailed logs from the IBackup web interface, using any web browser.

For this, login to your IBackup account via the web and click the 'Manage Backup set' icon.

This takes you to the 'Backup Manager' page from where you can edit the contents of your Default Backup set, by selecting/deselecting the files/folders, using the check boxes provided.

You can also view the logs of the interactive and scheduled backup jobs performed by the IBackup for Windows application. To know more, click here.

You can backup a file/folder by dragging it from 'My Files' and dropping it on the 'My IBackup' side.

To backup multiple files/folders, follow the steps below:

1. Select the files/folder that you want to backup, using the check boxes under 'My Files'.
2. Select a folder under ' My IBackup' to backup your data to it.
3. Click on the 'Backup Now' button.

Follow the link to view a Tour of IBackup for Windows. This tour will demonstrate how to schedule your unattended backups.

IBackup for Windows transfers only the modified portions after full initial backup. Incremental backup is a default feature.

You may opt to receive email notifications on the status of your scheduled backup and restore jobs. To enable the option, on the main application screen, click the ‘Schedule’ button. In the ‘Schedule Backup/ Restore’ window that is displayed, select the ‘ Email notification’ option and enter the email address on which you want to receive the notifications.

Snapshots are point-in-time copies of your data taken at particular time, every day.

To enable the feature, click the 'Snapshots' button on the tool bar or go to Tools > Preferences and select the 'Show Snapshots' on the 'General' tab.

On selecting the option, files previously stored in your IBackup account will appear in newly created directories with appropriate names.

You can restore any copy to your local computer.

Enabling this option mirrors the folder hierarchy on your local computer to your IBackup account.

To enable it, go to Tools > Preferences > select the Enable 'Mirror Path' option

Or

Click the 'Mirror Path' button on the Tool Bar.

For example: If you select to backup a file c:\Users\Music with mirroring option, then IBackup for Windows will maintain the same directory structure in your IBackup account as My IBackup/c/Users/Music.

The ‘Mirror Path’ feature hardwires the destination path to be the exact path of source. In other words, if your source data is in folder c:\My Documents\mydata on your IBackup side, you would have a folder created that would contain the backup data with same folder names with the complete path.

So, if you backup data from two different computers, there is a possibility that the data could get mixed up at IBackup end, if the paths and folder names are the same on the two computers.

To overcome this problem, you can use the 'Multiple PC backup' feature that helps you to backup data from multiple computers to a single IBackup account. Upon enabling of this feature, your data is backed up to a folder that retains the same name as that of your computer. All future backups from this computer are directed to this folder.

How do I backup data from multiple computers to a single IBackup account?

The 'Multiple PC backup' feature helps you backup data from multiple computers to a single IBackup account. It prevents data overlap in case you have files / folders with similar names, stored on multiple machines.

With earlier versions of IBackup for Windows, I was able to specify a destination within the 'My IBackup' folder. I am unable to do this with latest version. Why?

The recent versions of IBackup for Windows use the 'Mirror Path' option that maintains the source path in the 'My IBackup' side. This has been made the default option.

However, if you want to set your own destination folder in the ‘My IBackup’ side, you can use the 'Relative path' option.

To enable it, deselect the 'Mirror Path' option in the File > Preference > General Tab or from the Tool Bar.

Is there a one button backup option?

Yes. If you have already created Backup sets, simply right-click the tray icon and choose 'Backup Now' option. This will immediately execute the backup for the selected Backup set.

How do I change the time stamp of the files/ folders in my account?

To change the time stamp of the files / folders present in your account, from the Tool Bar, go to 'Change Time Zone' option and select the desired time zone.

Is my data secured with IBackup?

Yes. Your data is secured with 128-bit SSL encryption on transfer and optional 256-bit proprietary encryption on storage. You may opt for the encryption key to maximize your data security.

It is the default folder name used by the IBackup for Windows desktop application to store your encrypted data.

Do not edit the folder name or its contents.

No. Once you have assigned an encryption key to your IBackup account, it can not be changed. However, you can create a new account and start using it with an encryption key of your choice.

You can locate files backed up to your IBackup account by clicking the 'Search' button on the 'My IBackup' pane of the main application window.

Enter the search term (like the file name or a part of the file name) to locate files / folders.

While backing up C drive, be selective. It is probable that your hard drive may be much larger than the storage space purchased. You can optimize your storage space by avoiding backup of programs (like MS office that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.) that can be reinstalled from a purchased CD.

Focus on backing up folders like your 'My Documents' and 'Desktop' folders and other important data files like accounting, income tax, contact management etc.

IBackup for Windows (Version 5.5.0 and higher) retains the date and time of the files being backed up to your remote online backup account.

IBackup for Windows allows you to exclude files/folders from being backed up even during interactive and scheduled backup.

For this, go to Tools > Preferences > click the Exclude Files / Folders tab.

You can exclude files/folders in the following ways:

A) Exclude files/folders based on full path name

1. Right-click anywhere on the 'Folders with full path names' / 'File with full path names' list box and click the 'Insert' option from the sub-menu.

2. Browse to select a folder/file under 'My Files' and click the 'OK' button.

B) Exclude files / folders based on full / partial name

1. Right-click anywhere on the 'Folders with partial names' / 'Files with partial names list box' and click the 'Insert' option from the sub-menu.
2. In the dialog box that is displayed, enter the full or partial name of the folder/file that you want to exclude from backup and click the 'OK' button.

The above selected folders / files are visible on the Exclude files / folders pane and will not be considered for backup.

Note: To backup an item which is on the exclude list, right-click the corresponding list box and click 'Delete' from the sub-menu.

Folder and files excluded by default by the application can not be removed from the list.

From the main window

1. On the main window of IBackup for Windows application, select a file / folder under ' My Files'

2. Right-click on the shortcut menu and select the 'Add this file / folder to exclude from Backup list'.

The selected file / folder is added in the exclude list. The same will be visible under the 'Exclude Files/Folders'

If the Internet connection is interrupted, does IBackup for Windows resume the backups?

IBackup for Windows resumes the backups from the file at which interruption occurred. If partial transfers had taken place prior to interruption, it will continue from that partial transfer point.

When will IBackup for Windows resume the session if it has been missed (ex: The computer has been abruptly turned off) or interrupted?

IBackup for Windows will resume the scheduled backup job(s) at the next transfer time, as per the scheduled time.

You can use the ‘Snapshots’ feature to try and recover your file. Snapshots are point-in-time images of your data, taken at a particular time everyday.

To enable 'Snapshots', on the Tools Bar, go to ‘Preferences’ and select the 'Show Snapshots’ option in the 'General' tab.

Alternately, click the 'Snapshots' button on the Tool Bar.

Once the Snapshot feature is enabled, you should be able to see Snapshot folders with names like nightly.0, nightly.1, etc, at the top level of your account.

Try to navigate to the file/folder starting from folder nightly.3. This could possibly contain the data that you backed up 4 days ago. If it does not, try nightly.4.

Once you find the right file, simply restore it. (IBackup does not have the concept of separate full and incremental backup files as the modified portions are directly written on top of the full backup).

You can restore your data to the original destination only if it has been backed up in the 'Mirror Path'.

Steps

1. Select a file/folder present on the right pane (My IBackup).

2. Click the 'Restore' button on the main window or the Backup-Restore menu item or the Wizards Tool Bar button. The 'Where to Restore?' wizard is displayed.

3. Click the 'Restore to Original Destination' button to restore your data.

Note: If the file/folder selected for restore is already present on your computer and has been backed in the 'Mirror Path', then the 'Restore to Original Destination' button appears in the 'Where to Restore' wizard.

On restore, the previously backed up files present in the original destination are overwritten.

IBackup for Windows will not perform scheduled backups in ‘Standby’ mode for Windows XP.

This is because the remote access connections are disconnected without any prompting to disconnect manually before the computer goes into the ‘Standby’ mode. This applies to any remote access connections, including connections to Internet service providers (ISPs) and private networks. This behavior is by design of Windows XP.

Set the time tab pane to AM / PM format as the software uses this internally to schedule future backups.

The time tab pane can be adjusted by going to Control Panel > Regional Options >Time.

Can I schedule the restore of my backed up data to my local machine?

Yes, you can schedule the restore of backed up data from your IBackup account.

For this, on the Tool Bar, go to ‘Restore Scheduler’ and click the ‘Schedule New Job’ button. Select the file / folder to be restored and its destination on your computer and use the ‘Schedule Backup/ Restore’ window to set the day and time for restore.

Currently IBackup for Windows allows only one restore set named 'Restore ItemSet' for the operation.

By default, all the weekdays are selected for your online data backups. From the ‘Schedule Backup/ Restore’ window, deselect the days on which you do not want your backups to take place.

Can I use IBackup for Windows to schedule full and incremental backups on specific days? How do I see historical view of data?

IBackup does not have the conventional concept of full and incremental backups. Every backup is basically a full backup with incremental effect.

Unlike the conventional concept of 'incremental backup' where only the changed data is stored separately from full backup; with IBackup, the changed data is overwritten on the existing backup. In other words, you have 'full backup' results every time.

IBackup uses the advanced patching technology to determine the changed data at source and applies only modified blocks of the changed files on to the data at IBackup. There is no efficiency lost due to IBackup's methodology of updating full backups directly every time.

To see historical view of data, refer to Snapshots.

One of the two IBackup accounts I hold has expired. I had scheduled backup/restore jobs in both the accounts, and would like to delete the scheduled jobs of the expired account and retain the jobs of the other account. Is there a way to delete the scheduled backup/restore jobs?

Right-click the 'IBackup for Windows Monitor tray icon' and select the 'Manage all the Scheduled Jobs' option. From the backup/restore jobs list, remove the redundant jobs using the 'Delete' button.

Can I view a centralized report of all the backups scheduled with IBackup for Windows?

Yes. Log into your account via any web browser and click the 'Backup Status Report' link under the 'Account Maintenance' section. You can also get fine-grained information about a particular backup here.

By default, a report for the last seven days will be displayed. To view the complete backup report, click the 'More' link at the bottom. This report is available only if you have set the email notification option for the scheduled backups.

You can also view a centralized scheduled backup report of all your Sub-Accounts. Click the 'Sub-Accounts/Workgroup' link under the 'Account Maintenance' section. In the page that lists all the Sub-Accounts, click on the 'View Sub-Accounts Report'. To view the report belonging to a particular Sub-Account, click on the 'View Backup Report' link corresponding to that Sub-Account.

Yes, you can backup open files using the Open file Backup feature available with IBackup for Windows version 9.4.7 or higher. It is available only for Windows Vista, XP and Windows 2003 servers. The most common open files that can be backed up include Outlook files (.pst), QuickBooks, Quicken, ACT, MS-Money, MS-Word, MS-Excel, MS-Access, MS FoxPro etc.

To use this feature, go to Tool Bar > Preferences > General Tab and select the option 'Enable Open file Backup' (available for Windows Vista, XP and Windows 2003). Ensure that the selected temporary location on the local computer for Open file Backup has sufficient free space to hold the open files during backup.

No. Open file backups require at least one drive to be mounted on the New Technology File System (NTFS) file system partition. Also, the file system of at least one of the hard disk drives should be NTFS. (NTFS is one of the file systems the Windows NT operating system uses for storing and retrieving files on a hard disk).

Yes. However, it is recommended that you use the separate features available with IBackup for Windows for consistent backup of MS SQL Server and MS Exchange Server related files.

To disable the Open file Backup feature, go to the Tool Bar > Preferences > General Tab and deselect the 'Open file Backup’ (available for Windows Vista, XP and Windows 2003)' option.

No. The Open file Backup feature does not support backup of open files in the mapped/network drive(s).

The Sync feature in IBackup for Windows application allows you to match the contents of your local computer with your IBackup account.

To sync your data, on the main window of IBackup for Windows application, select the files and the folders on ‘My IBackup’ pane that you wish to bring in sync with your local computer.

Click the 'Sync' button on the Tool Bar. The following screen is displayed (Screenshot)

Click the 'Continue' button to proceed.

A list of files and folders present in your IBackup account but not on your computer is displayed.

Click the 'Sync' button to remove the files from your account.

No. The 'Sync' option works only if the data has been transferred in the 'Mirror Path' as it requires the full path of the source to be maintained on the destination side for proper syncing.

Does IBackup for Windows support two-way sync?

IBackup for Windows supports two-way sync in a limited sense.

An interactive or scheduled backup can be considered as a one-way sync process. An interactive or scheduled restore can be considered as a reverse sync process.

The best way to implement this would be to setup one-way sync first. Once one way sync completes successfully, setup restore for reverse sync. It will be tricky to setup both at the same time since some variables including estimated time to complete one-way sync and the selection of files/folders for restore may not be known in advance.

If all the necessary variables are known, you can automate this entire process.

There is a peculiar situation with respect to firewalls such as Zonealarm, especially if they are not set to start automatically on reboot. If Zonealarm does not restart automatically on reboot, the necessary permissions provided by firewall to run IBackup for Windows may be lost, however, the firewall controls are still in place even if Zonealarm is not running, and does not let IBackup for Windows to run.

To resolve this, simply start Zonealarm if it is not running, and then attempt to start IBackup for Windows, and provide the required permissions, if it prompts.

 I am getting an error message containing 'Automation error class factory…' while trying to login.

This may happen if you have installed multiple versions of the IBackup for Windows application or installed the application at different locations.

To resolve the issue, uninstall all the versions / installations of the application from your computer. Download and install the latest version of the application. If the issue persists, contact IBackup Technical Support.

I am getting an error message containing 'ActiveX Component can't create object…' while trying to login.

This may happen if the application is not installed properly. Uninstall the existing application from your computer. Download and install the latest version. If the issue persists, contact IBackup Technical Support.

The backups are taking a long time to complete and there is 'Retrying …' message in my logs.

This may happen if some executable files of IBackup for Windows are not allowed through your firewall. Configure your firewall to allow all the executables of IBackup for Windows to access the Internet. This issue may also occur if you are trying to backup open / locked files (eg. Outlook.pst).

The 'Open file Backup' feature is available with IBackup for Windows version 9.4.7 and higher. This feature can be used to backup open / locked files and is available with Windows Vista, XP and Windows 2003.

This may happen if some executable files of IBackup for Windows are not allowed through your firewall. Configure your firewall to allow all executables of IBackup for Windows to access the Internet.

This may happen if some executable files of IBackup for Windows are not allowed through your firewall. Configure your firewall to allow all executables of IBackup for Windows to access the Internet.

If the issue persists, contact IBackup Technical Support for assistance.

The date/time stamp display of files/folders on ‘My Files’ pane is different from that on the ‘My IBackup’ side. How do I rectify this?

If the files/folders are not on the list and are still not getting backed up, then contact IBackup Technical Support for assistance.

I am trying to backup MS SQL Server database files (.mdf, .ldf) but the application is not backing up these files. Can I backup MS SQL Server using IBackup for Windows?

Please note that the MS Exchange Server database files cannot be backed up directly without using the 'Exchange Server Backup' option.

How can I take an immediate backup without signing in to the application?

You can take a backup of an already created Backup set by using the 'Backup Now' option on the 'IBackup for Windows Monitor' icon (present on the system tray).

How can I recover the deleted files?

IBackup for Windows supports the 'Snapshots' feature, using which you can recover the deleted files/folders from your IBackup account.

Click here for details.

My backups are not taking place on some days. Why?

Some days of the week may not been selected on the 'Schedule Backup / Restore screen.'

Also, ensure that your computer does not go to Sleep / Standby mode so that the scheduled backups take place without fail. If the issue persists, contact IBackup Technical Support for assistance.

I get this error with error code "12057" while trying to login to the application/ my log files have this error.

If you get this error, download and install the latest version of IBackup for Windows.

Uncheck the option 'Check for server certificate revocation (requires restart)' present on your Internet Explorer menu item Tools-> Internet Options...-> Advanced-> 'Check for server certificate revocation (requires restart)' and try again.

This requires a system reboot.

I want to automatically backup my commonly used application data like Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook Address Book 'My Documents' folder, My Favorites folder etc. What is the procedure for this?

What is the 'Update Password' option?

If you have changed your IBackup account password recently, then the existing scheduled jobs of IBackup for Windows will be interrupted. The option 'Update Password' is useful in such a scenario.

To update the password for the existing scheduled backup / restore jobs of the application, right click the 'IBackup for Windows Monitor' tray icon and select the 'Update Password’ option. You will be able to view the login information window. Now, enter the new password and click on the 'Apply' button.

I am receiving the error message 'NTVDM has encountered a System Error...' while running IBackup for Windows application in Windows 2000. Why?

'NTVDM has encountered a System Error. Access is denied. Choose 'Close' to terminate the application.'

This error message appears when you are running a 16-bit program on Windows 2000 SP3 or SP4. IBackup for Windows application uses the 16-bit program and this may be the reason for the error. There is a supported hot fix available from Microsoft to resolve this issue.

Click here for details http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=867787

How do I use IBackup for Windows to schedule backups of Quicken/ QuickBooks data?

You can use the 'Automatic Selection' wizard to schedule the backup of your Quicken/ QuickBooks data easily.

For this, from the application menu, go to 'Backup-Restore' > 'Automatic Selection' or from the application Tool Bar, go to Wizards > Automatic Selection.

Once you have selected the Quicken/ QuickBooks entries from the 'Automatic Selection' wizard, click ‘ Add to Backup set’ button.

You are taken to the main screen where you will see an icon with the name 'Automatic Selection' at the very top of your