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What is Xdrive Online Backup and what can it do for me?
With Xdrive Online Backup, you can schedule backups of selected files and folders to your Xdrive account using a simple set of rules. All of your data is stored on the Xdrive servers for easy online retreival.
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Where do I find the Xdrive Online Backup application?
Xdrive Online Backup comes bundled with the Xdrive Desktop application. Once you install the application and login, you will see the Backup tab on the Xdrive Desktop console.
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What should I back up?
You can back up any file that you want to. You are limited by the total space available in your account.
Most importantly though, you should back up the files that you regularly edit, so that a recent version is safely stored on your Xdrive should something happen to your computer. The backup feature is most useful as a way to make sure that recently changed files are safely stored at Xdrive.
For files that you don't edit but still want to keep safe, such as a song or a picture, we suggest transferring it to your Xdrive using folder upload. This type of file only needs to be copied once since it doesn't change, whereas a backup's goal is to copy recently or frequently changing files.
Most computer users do not back up their operating systems or applications. These occupy too much space, take too long to transfer, and can be restored from the original CD.
If you need more space to perform backups, you can easily add it to your Xdrive at any time by selecting My Account from the Folder Tree, and then clicking Manage Space.
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How long should I expect a backup to take?
Depending on the total size of your backup and the speed of your PC and Internet connection, your initial backup may take quite a while.
Backing up incrementally can be much faster. An incremental backup plan starts with a full backup, but then each subsequent backup only copies those files that have changed since your last backup. If you have chosen to back up incrementally, once the first backup is completed, each subsequent backup is usually a small amount of data that can be backed up fairly quickly.
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What is a backup set?
A backup set is a collection of files and folders that you choose to back up to Xdrive, as well as the schedule and settings that control the backup.
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How do I create a backup?
You can perform either a basic or advanced backup.
To create a new basic backup, please see the help topic, Creating a Basic Backup.
To create a new advanced backup set, please see the help topic, Creating an Advanced Backup Set.
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How are my backup sets saved within my Xdrive account?
Your backups are automatically placed in a folder on your Xdrive named My Backups. Each time a backup is run, it will be uploaded to a folder within My Backups named after the backup set, and will include a subfolder named after the date and time that it started. For example, a backup titled Backup1, started at 1:00am on January 1, 2006 will be uploaded to a folder named My BackupsBackup11-1-2006 at 1.00.00.
Additionally, the full path for the backed up files are recreated inside your backup folder. If the backup above includes a file located on C:work_spreadsheets, called Work.xls, the full path for the backed up file on your Xdrive is:
X:My BackupsBackup Set 11-1-2006 at 1.00.00Cwork_spreadsheetsWork.xls
In this way, the folder structure from your computer is maintained in your Xdrive Backup folder. If you do not want the file path included in your backups, you can edit the backup set that you've created, and deselect this option. For more information, see Editing an Advanced Backup Set.
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What is the file named manifest.xml for and where is it?
In each backup folder on your Xdrive, you will find a file named manifest.xml. These files contains important information about each backup, and for Xdrive Online Backup to function correctly, it is important that this file is not deleted or moved.
Xdrive Online Backup also saves several .xml files in your My Documents folder on your PC. These files are used to keep track of your backups, and should also not be removed.
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Can I run a backup whenever I want, or do I need to wait for my computer to be backed up automatically at the time I scheduled?
Once you have created a backup set, you can initiate a backup at any time using the Backup Now button. Clicking Backup Now will instruct Xdrive Desktop to immediately begin copying files to your Xdrive.
To do so, click the backup set that you wish to run so it is highlighted. Then click the Backup Now button. Xdrive Desktop will immediately begin to back up your files to your Xdrive.
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What is the difference between the Incremental and Full options for Backup Type?
The Backup Type option allows you to set different rules based on what files need to be backed up.
When you select the Incremental backup option, only new and changed files will be copied to your Xdrive during all backups following one full backup.
For example, you create a backup set that consists of two files—file A and file B—and you select the Incremental backup option. The first time that you run a backup, both files will be copied to your Xdrive. After the first backup, you make changes to file B and you also add a new file—file C—to your backup set. The next time that backup is run, only files B and C will be copied to your Xdrive.
When you select the Full backup option, all of the files in your backup set are copied to your Xdrive each time that the backup runs. This option takes up the most space because every backup includes every file and folder, regardless whether the file is already stored on your Xdrive.
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If I backup incrementally, and I choose to keep up to 7 backups, what happens on the 8th?
The system uses a practice called promotion, which merges the two oldest backups in the account into one. Promotion compares the file versions of the two oldest backups, moves the newest files into the second-oldest backup, and deletes the oldest. This way you can keep all of your files backed up without having to store an unlimited number of backups.
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Should I consider using the "Use secure connection (SSL)" option?
Checking the Use secure connection (SSL) option when backing up files with Xdrive Desktop will employ an encrypted SSL (secure socket layer) connection. All data will be encrypted as it is transmitted, but it will take longer to complete the backup.
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How can I view my backup set?
You can view a list of the files and folders that are included in your backup set by doing the following: - Select the backup set that you wish to view. (The list of backup sets is found by clicking the Backup tab in the Xdrive Desktop Console, and then clicking the Advanced tab.
- After selecting the correct backup set, click the Edit button.
- Click the View Backup Set button. The View Backup Set button is on the right side of each tab within the Edit window.
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How do I make changes to my backup?
You can always make changes to either a basic backup or advanced backup set.
To make changes to a Basic backup set, see Editing a Backup Set.
To make changes to an Advanced backup set, see Editing an Advanced Backup Set.
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What is my backup log and where do I find it?
When you use Xdrive Online Backup, information about your backup is automatically written to a log file on your computer. This log file can be used by Xdrive Customer Support to identify and troubleshoot any problems with your backup. To view a backup log: - Select the backup set whose log you wish to view. (The list of backup sets is found by clicking the Backup tab in the Xdrive Desktop Console, and then clicking the Advanced tab.)
- Click the Edit button.
- The Options window displays. Click the Logging tab.
- Next, click the View History button.
- The Xdrive Backup History window appears, displaying logged information on the most recent backup. Click the View Log button.
- The backup log, containing information about all backups for this set, is displayed as a text document. Close the text document (click No if prompted to save changes), and click Close to return to the Logging window.
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What is the "Purge history file before backup" option?
If the Purge history file before backup check box is selected, the log file will be deleted each time a backup run starts. This option ensures that the file does not grow too large, but you will only be able to view logging information for the last backup performed.
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Can I schedule backups on more than one computer?
Yes. Simply install Xdrive Desktop on each computer, and create separate backup sets. Both PCs will be backed up to your Xdrive. Make sure to schedule the backups for different times, or give the sets different names, so that the backups from the different computers are saved in different folders.
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Do I need to be logged into my Xdrive in order for the scheduled backup to run?
No. However, you do need to leave your computer on and connected to the Internet in order for the scheduled backup to run successfully.
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