Help File for Acute Software's
Autobackup-Pro


1.0 Getting Started
  1.1 Feature List
  1.2 Installing the program
  1.3 Quick Setup
  1.4 Running Autobackup

2.0 Using Autobackup-Pro
  2.1 Selecting Folders
  2.2 Excluding Folders
  2.3 Backup Types
  2.4 Other Options

3.0 Managing your Backups
  3.1 Checking that your Backup worked
  3.2 Running manual backups
  3.3 Using the LogView
  3.4 Restoring Files
Fast, Free Support
If you have any problems or questions please email
support@acutesoftware.com.au

or visit the website
http://www.acutesoftware.com.au

© 1999-2003 Acute Software.
Last updated April 26th, 2003
4.0 Frequently Asked Questions
  4.1 Why aren't some files getting backed up?
  4.2 How do I purchase the full version?
  4.3 How do I turn off silent mode?
  4.4 What are the 'Diary Records'?



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1.0 Getting Started

This section describes how to install and quickly configure Autobackup.

Note, that if you are reading this online and haven't get downloaded autobackup, you can get a free 30 day trial version here



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1.1 Overview and Feature List

Autobackup-Pro gets a list of all the files you modified since its last backup and makes a copy of them to a separate directory.


Features
  • runs automatically every time the PC starts up

  • in automatic mode it only backs up the files modified since the last backup.

  • Can be run in manual mode

  • Can be run completely silently so users dont see any forms at all

  • can keep files in original directory structures

  • Many cyclic backup types to enable multiple copies of each file to be kept (daily, monthly,etc)

  • Warns you if files could not be backed up (warning can be turned off, but a list is kept)

  • LogFile viewer to investigate any problems

  • Details of last backup can be viewed, showing all files backed up and allowing individual files to be restored.





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    1.2 Installing the program

    Download the program

    If you have purchased the registered version, you will receive instructions on how to obtain the full version.

    If you want try out the free 30 day version, download the ZIP file by following the link below :
    http://www.acutesoftware.com.au/freebies.html

    Extract the files from the ZIP File

    open the ZIP file and extract all files to a new blank directory

    Run SETUP.EXE to install the program

    double click the SETUP.EXE file to begin the installation of Autobackup-Pro

    It is best to leave the default directory of C:\Program Files\acute\autobackupPro\

    The software is now installed, and the next step is to tell it what files you want backed up and where to put them.



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    1.3 Quick Setup

    1. Start the program, click the manual button and choose 'Setup Autobackup Options'

    2. Choose your destination directory (e.g. C:\Backup )

    3. Choose the TYPE of backup you want:
    a) = all files backed up into the above directory
    b) = append todays date as subdirectory ( each day a new folder is created 'yyyymmdd\' )
    c) = append day of week as subdirectory (eg C:\backup\Mon, C:\backup\Tue)

    4. Choose the list of paths you want to backup, (C:\My Documents\* , … )

    5. Click 'Refresh List to see the list of files being backed up

    6. Click 'Start Backup' to backup the files






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    1.4 Running Autobackup

    The next time you run Autobackup-Pro you will not need to do anything - it runs automatically.

    The screen below will appear for about 12 seconds (you can change this in the .INI file) which gives you a chance to cancel the backup, or change the options.
    After the time is up the backup commences with no user interaction at all






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    2.0 Using Autobackup-Pro





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    2.1 Selecting Folders

    Pick the folders you want backed up by browsing with the left hand side drive and folders screens and clicking the "add" button (right arrow).

    You can also add a shared folder from your network here, by clicking the network button (bottom button in the middle)



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    2.2 Excluding Folders

    There are some directories that you wont want to backup (i.e. I make a \backup directory under My Documents and my source code before I do any major editing 'just in case').

    You simply need to specify that any directory containing the text \backup\ will not be included in the backup procedure.





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    2.3 Backup Types

    Whenever you run Autobackup it copies the files to the folder you specify in the 'Destination Path', and if you have 'keep folders in original structure' checked [and you should], it will recreate this structure underneath the destination folder

    By changing the 'backup type' you can have mutliple copies of the same files if you want, such as a backup of your My Documents folder each month.
    Changing the backup type simply adds a section to the destination path, for example suppose you have 3 files in C:\docs report1.doc, sales.xls and review.html and you choose your destination path to be C:\backup.

    A backup which says 'backup all files to the above folder will copy the 3 modified files to the following folder structure :
    C:\backup\C\docs\

    Other options are listed below :

    Append todays date as subdirectory

    C:\backup\yyyymmdd\C\docs\
    C:\backup\20030425\C\docs\
    C:\backup\20030426\C\docs\

    Cyclic Daily Backup (Append day of week as subdirectory

    C:\backup\Mon\C\docs\
    C:\backup\Tue\C\docs\
    C:\backup\Wed\C\docs\

    Cyclic Weekly Backup (Append week number as subdirectory

    C:\backup\Week12\C\docs\
    C:\backup\Week13\C\docs\

    Cyclic Monthly Backup (Append week number as subdirectory

    C:\backup\Apr\C\docs\
    C:\backup\May\C\docs\

    Append Year and Month as subdirectory

    C:\backup\2003-Apr\C\docs\
    C:\backup\2003-May\C\docs\

    Append Year and Quarter as subdirectory

    C:\backup\2003-Q1\C\docs\
    C:\backup\2003-Q2\C\docs\

    Append date and time as subdirectory

    This is for serious users who make lots of changes and want to be able to go back to any previous version. Note that you need an icon on your desktop setup so that you can run it through out the day as you work.
    C:\backup\20030426_0945\C\docs\
    C:\backup\20030426_1124\C\docs\




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    2.4 Other Options

    Show all folders being checked

    From the options menu in manual mode you can tick this menu item to show the expanded list of all the folders which are checked for modified files to backup.

    For example the following list you've picked
    C:\docs\*
    D:\downloads\*
     will expand all subdirectories below :
    C:\docs\
    C:\docs\backup\
    C:\docs\reports\
    C:\docs\sales\

    D:\downloads\
    D:\downloads\backup\
    D:\downloads\NEW - must backup to CD\
    D:\downloads\rawdata\



    Add Wildcard spec to the excluded path List

    This lets you add a string which, if found in a folder name will exclude this folder from being backed up (so you need to be careful).

    From the above example of folders, we want to exclude the paths C:\docs\backup\ and D:\downloads\backup\ from being backed up, but we do not want the folder
    D:\downloads\NEW - must backup to CD\ to be excluded.

    If we add the exclusion string backup, this will not work because it the folder
    D:\downloads\NEW - must backup to CD\
    will be excluded, so we must add the string \backup\.




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    3.0 Managing your Backups





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    3.1 Checking that your Backup worked


    It is important to check that your backup is setup the way you want it, and that all the folders you want backed up are being included.

    Understanding how the list of paths and excluded paths work

    To see a list of paths which will be checked, go to the View menu and choose 'Show all paths being checked'. This will display a complete list of the paths expanding out all subdirectories chosen from the main pathlist, and after removing any excluded paths. You should view this list at least once, to make sure that you are backing up the folders you think (e.g. one of your excluded paths may be removing an important one)

    Autobackup-Pro works as follows:
    First, it expands all '*' subdirectories from paths which have a star on the end
    Then it removes all paths, which contain any of the items in the excluded path list





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    3.2 Running manual backups


    If you want to backup ALL files in your set of folders (for example when making a copy to CD), you need to run Autobackup-Pro in manual mode and change the start date of the files to 1980.

    Procedure for Backing up All Files

  • Start Autobackup and click 'manual' to run in manual mode

  • Click the first drop down Date Selector titled "List files from"

  • A monthly calendar will popup - click on the date and scroll down to a date such as 1980.

  • Click any day in the month for year 1980 to choose the start date that files must be in order to be backed up

  • Click the '1. Refresh List' button - a list of ALL files will now appear (if you have files older than 1980 [very unlikely], simply choose an earlier date

  • Check that the list has captured all the files you want

  • Choose your destination path, if different to your normal backup [dont forget to change it back afterwards]

  • Click '2. Start backup'





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    3.3 Using the LogView to detect problems

    From the View menu in Autobackup (in manual mode) there is the option to view the logFiles generated by the program. This option is useful for system administrators and advanced users who want to monitor the backup process, or just if you are curious.

    Parts of the LogViewer screen

  • The top row is a textbox showing the folder where the logfiles reside - you can change this to any folder and click 'refresh' to view other applications logfiles as well.

  • Top Left List of Logfiles: this is the list of all files in the folder. Click to display the contents in the bottom and the details on the right hand side of the screen. Right click to bring a menu to open the logfile in Notepad, or delete it.

  • Middle buttons: are used to either show all the contents of a selected logfile, or todays entries only

  • Top Right is the details of the logfile: this shows the name, path, size and when it was last modified

  • Bottom area: contains the contents of the logfile



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    3.4 Restoring Files

    The easiest way to restore files is to open the destination folder using Windows Explorer to retrieve any accidentally deleted or corrupted files yourself.

    You can also use Autobackup to get the last file for you using the following method:
    Go the View menu and choose 'View Details of Last backup' to get a list of all files which were backed up during the last run.

    Click on the file you want restored from the list to bring up the details window, shown here.

    From here you can open both the source and backup folders for this file so you can look at the file yourself, or you can simply select it from the list and choose 'Restore this file'

    If you have been running cyclic backups you can click the 'search all subfolders' tickbox to get a list of all backup copies and then select which one you want to restore (NOTE - be careful if there are mutliple filenames from different sources - check that it is the right file before restoring (using the open backup folder button)




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    4.0 Frequently Asked Questions

    This section shows answers to questions which are commonly asked about Autobackup



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    4.1 Why aren't some files getting backed up?

    If there is a file missing from the backup folders it is caused by one of the following :

    1. Another application has locked the file open during the backup

    Some programs (like mail readers and spreadsheet software) lock the file open so that no other program can read it.
    If this is happening and you want these files backed up, you need to either start the mail program/spreadsheet AFTER the backup has finished, or run the backup manually after shutting down these programs.

    2. The file has not been modified recently

    If the file has not been modified since the last backup, then it will not be backed up during the automatic backup. Check the date of the file using Windows Explorer (and also check that the date on your PC is accurate). If you want to get ALL files, see Section 3.2

    3. The folder is not in the list of paths to check

    Check that the path of the file is showing up in the list of files to check.

    To make sure an excluded path is not rejecting it, view 'Show All Paths' in manual mode to ensure the path is in the list.



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    4.2 How do I purchase the full version?

    To Order Autobackup Pro, see the Help menu -> Order), and the full version of Autobackup Pro will be sent to by email.

    Send the completed order form, with $22 US to the following address:
    Acute Software
    PO Box 303
    Smithfield SA 5114
    AUSTRALIA

    Benefits of Registering

    Registered users receive the full version via email (1500K zip file), or by download, and also receive all updates of the software. There is free, unlimited technical support by email.



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    4.3 How do I turn off silent mode?

    If you are running Autobackup-Pro in Silent Mode you do not see the screen to change any options.
    There are 2 ways to turn it off
    1) Run the program 'A-CONFIG.EXE' which is installed in the Autobackup-Pro directory. This allows you to change the options when the main program isnt running. You can also test run the program from here.
    2) Edit the AUTOBACKUP-PRO.INI file. In the [general] section, change the entry 'runSilently' from '1' to '0'





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    4.4 What are the 'Diary Records'?

    Each time you run Autobackup-Pro , it can create a list of diary entries for each file that you modified on the day. This shows up in the diary with the full path name, the short name and the file size when it was backed up.
    If you have Acute Software's Electronic Diary installed, you can easily view the complete editing history of any file - including when it was saved, its file size and how long you were using it for.