Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs)
Here you will find answers to common questions
about Backup4Sure. If you have a question that is not addressed
in this list, please send an email to support@etalonsoft.com
and we will respond as soon as possible.
Using Backup4Sure
Licensing
Does
Backup4Sure run on Windows XP?
Yes. Both editions of Backup4Sure have been
tested with Windows XP.
Does
Backup4Sure run on Windows NT?
Backup4Sure runs on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
2000, but not on Windows NT 3.1
What
kind of compression does Backup4Sure use?
Backup4Sure uses the common ZIP format and
all backups created in this format can be read by popular
programs such as PKZip, WinZip, and others.
Can
I use Backup4Sure to backup my entire disk?
Backup4Sure is mainly designed to backup your
important files and folders. It can also be used to backup
software directories. However, you should keep in mind that
it does not backup files that are in use. If files like this
are detected, they will be added to the backup log files,
and you will need to backup these through other means.
If you backup the entire hard disk, some files
in the Windows directory, such as the registry will not be
backed up. You should use the specially designed system program
to backup these files.
Can
Backup4Sure span backups across multiple disks?
Yes. Backup4Sure will span all ZIP backups
to multiple floppy disks as needed. You can even span across
multiple CD-R/CD-RW discs with the Standard Edition!
Does
Backup4Sure do incremental and complete backups?
Yes. When backing up to a folder, Backup4Sure
can optionally check the date and time of modification and
size of files already in the destination folder with those
in the source folder and determine whether they need to be
backed up.
With ZIP backups, you can specify whether
you would like a ZIP backup to be performed if the source
files have not changed since the previous backup.
Can
I create backups by date and does Backup4Sure have version
control?
With Backup4Sure, you can backup to a different
location depending on the date and time of the backup so that
you can keep multiple versions of your backups.
For example, if you backup to a folder, you
may tell Backup4Sure to create a subdirectory with the date
and time of the backup and thus keep multiple versions. So,
in other words, a directory such as [Your_chosen_destination_folder]\backupname
- 12.23.2001 4:42:13 PM\" will be created and all source
files will be backed up there.
Similarly for ZIP backups, you can configure
Backup4Sure to create files such as "mybackup - 12.23.2001
3:24:25 AM.zip". You can also specify how many files
like this to keep so that your backups don't get overwhelmingly
large.
Through this mechanism, when you need to restore
a file, you can select the exact date you need and even preview
the file before restoring it!
Can Backup4Sure
backup to CD-R or CD-RW discs?
Yes. The Standard Edition of Backup4Sure
can create CD-R and CD-RW discs and even span backups across
multiple discs.
Does
Backup4Sure backup all the source files every time it is run?
Depending on how it is configured, Backup4Sure
can detect whether a backup even needs to be performed. In
the case of folder backups, Backup4Sure can backup only the
files that need to be backed up. However, in ZIP backups,
all files need to be backed up if one is out of date.
Can
I specify include and exclude filters?
Yes. In both the Lite Edition and Standard
Edition of Backp4Sure, you can specify the types of files
you would like to backup. For example, you can select to backup
only Microsoft Word and Excel documents by including a filter
of "*.doc; *.xls". In the Standard Edition of Backup4Sure,
you can also specify filters to exclude certain file types
from your backup. So, an exclude filter of "*.tmp; *.~*"
will exclude temporary files from the backup.
Does
Backup4Sure perform file checksums on files?
Yes. In both the Lite Edition and Standard
Edition of Backp4Sure the program will generate a unique fingerprint
of each backup source file using the md5 algorithm and store
this information until a subsequent backup is performed. When
the files are backed up again, Backup4Sure will check the
current checksum against what it expects it to be and will
alert you if the file is corrupted. This ensures that you
will not overwrite your backups with corrupted files.
What
drives are supported by Backup4Sure?
Please click here
to see our supported drives list.
Can
I backup open files?
A product developed by ST Bernard Software
called Open File Manager will allow you to backup open system
files, Microsoft Outlook personal folder files, etc. while
they are still in use. Backup4Sure has been tested with this
software and is fully compatible. For more information, please
visit: http://stbernard.com/products/ofm/products_ofm.asp
How
do I purchase a license?
You may purchase a license with a credit card
online or send us a check or money order for the appropriate
amount depending on your license. For details on pricing,
please visit the Order Page.
What
type of license do I need to purchase?
If you are the only person that will be using
Backup4Sure at your company or organization, then you only
need to purchase a Single User License. The same applies even
if you have Backup4Sure installed on multiple computers but
are the only person using it. If there are multiple people
in your organization that are using Backup4Sure, you need
to purchase a license that accomodates all these users.
Which
edition of Backup4Sure is best for me?
The two editions of Backup4Sure are almost
identical except for the fact that the Standard Edition
allows you to create CD-R and CD-RW backups. For more feature
comparisons, please see the Features
page.
What
is the upgrade policy?
If you purchase a license for Backup4Sure,
you are allowed free updates for the corresponding edition
for the same minor version. For example, if you own version
1.0, and version 1.2 is released, you will receive the update
free. If you would like to purchase version 2.0, you will
need to purchase a new license, but at a discount which will
be decided upon by EtalonSoft.
