Frequently Asked Questions about Configuration What do you want to know?

Issue: 2010-05-22

Can files be saved if they are opened, while the backup is copied?

I do not want to save the whole directory but only some specified files.

Is it possible to save also the system configuration with VersionBackup?

I like to start the backup copy run in a different way (from a desktop icon, from the Windows© Scheduler or from a script file).

I would like to do completely different copy runs on different times.

Is it possible creating backups with no user logged in?

Is it possible storing the backups directly to a CD or DVD using UDF?

Is it possible burning the Archiving Data to a Blue Ray Disk, HD-DVD or Double Layer DVD?

How often should I create a Full Backup?

Can VersionBackup save the data even to a tape streamer?

Is it possible to delete some of the daily backups from the backup archive? I would like to keep only each tenth backup.

How can I recognize the Full Backups among the Incremental Backups?

I replaced my computer by a new one. How can I make my existing backup archive available again?

How can I save my Outlook© files with VersionBackup?

Can files be saved if they are opened, while the backup is copied?

Most applications (MS Word© or Excel© e.g.) block the files, which currently are in operation, only against writing by other programs. But they do not block them against reading. Such files can be backuped without any problem.
But if a file is locked against any access by other applications, it even cannot be accessed by copy software like VersionBackup. This is a basic security function of the operating system. Examples for those blocked files are the Windows© page file and some Outlook© files.
Permanently blocked files should be entered into the Exclusion List to avoid useless error messages. Sometimes, clicking the 'Standard' button will remove the problem because the locked files will be excluded by the standard Exclusion Entries.

With VersionBackup Master you can configure retry runs on the dialog page "Scheduling-Start" - "Error Retry". Then, after an access error VersionBackup will try again to copy the files after a waiting time.

I do not want to save the whole directory but only some specified files.

This can be done with a trick using the "Exclusion List" and the "Force List":

- Open the dialog page "Exclude" (on the page "Paths" select the Source Path, click "Edit", the click "Exclude" on the left side).
- Click on the upper "New"-button and enter an asterisk (*) as exclusion condition. This excludes everything for that Source Path, except for those files matching the "Force List" below.
- The click on the lower "New"-button and enter the file, which shall be copied. You have to enter the complete file path or the file name starting with *\ .
- If you want to take several files into the Force List, repeat clicking the lower "New"-button and enter the next file.

Is it possible to save also the system configuration with VersionBackup?

To save the system configuration, for instance the registry and the actual state of the drives have to be saved. This is done very well by tools, which are specialized to this task.

VersionBackup has been optimized for a different purpose. This is to save the user created files in an optimum way.

Of course, you can configure the paths with the system divers as Source Paths. But some of them will be blocked, because they are in use, so VersionBackup will not be able to save them. This also applies for the registry. Therefore, VersionBackup will not be able to create a complete system configuration backup.

I like to start the backup copy run in a different way (from a desktop icon, from the Windows© Scheduler or from a script file).

The backup creation is done by the application VBackCopy.exe.
If you start this program, the copy run will be done, as it is when you clicked on the "Start" button on the dialog page "Scheduling/Start".

For the external start with VersionBackup Server, the application CopyStarter.exe has been added. VersionBackup Server users should launch this and not VBackCopy.exe. CopyStarter.exe will ensure that the copy process will run even if the user is not logged in.

You can start the Scheduler from the Control Panel. As application to be started, please enter the file "VBackCopy.exe" (located in your VersionBackup install directory, which usually is "C:\Program Files\VersionBackup"). Enter the desired time schedule. Additionally, you have to enter the name and password of the user, who did the VersionBackup configuration.

The VersionBackup internal start of the copy run should be switched off then. Open the VersionBackup page "Scheduling/Start" and select "No automatic backup runs".

I would like to do completely different copy runs on different times.

This is a standard functionality of VersionBackup Server. For any Scheduling Entry, you can select the Backup Jobs which shall be run.
Users of VersionBackup Master can achieve this by the following means:

If you launch the configuration application VersionBackup.exe with a command line parameter /2, then you work on an independent, second parameter set.
To do this, you should create a second start icon on your desktop. Copy the VersionBackup icon (drag with right mouse key). Click on the new icon with the right key and choose "Edit" and "Link". There, you find the edit line for the command "...VersionBackup\VersionBackup.exe". Add a blank and the parameter /2 to this line.

When you double click on this new icon, you start the configuration of the second parameter set. Here, you can enter different paths and/or another copy scheduling.
But please take care not to use the same Destination Paths with different Source Paths in the different parameter sets.
You can use parameters until /9.

Is it possible creating backups with no user logged in?

Backup creation when no user is logged-in is a typical requirement for server operation. With the software VersionBackup Server, the backup creation generally works without a need no be logged-in.

Something different is VersionBackup Master, which has been developed for workstations. The regular operation of VersionBackup Master is to create the backups for the user, who currently is logged-in.
If you need a backup creation independent from the logged-in user with VersionBackup Master, you should start the copy run with the Windows© Scheduler.
How to do this, please see I like to start the backup copy run in a different way...

Is it possible storing the backups directly to a CD or DVD using UDF?

Generally, direct CD or DVD burning by UDF is possible.
If a UDF system is installed on your computer, VersionBackup is able to write its backups directly to the UDF disk.

Nevertheless, we advice you against it. UDF CDs or DVDs usually do not provide the stability and reliability, which is required for backups.
Please do not hold VersionBackup responsible, if there will be problems with your UDF disks.

Is it possible burning the Archiving Data to a Blue Ray Disk, HD-DVD or Double Layer DVD?

The burning software inside VersionBackup operates with CDs or DVDs only.

Nevertheless, you can burn the data which shall be archived to any media. To do this, please choose ''Directory'' as Archiving Destination and enter an empty or non existing path. Then, burn the entire content of this buffer directory to your disk using the software which came with your burner. After this, you can delete the buffer directory.

How often should I create a Full Backup?

With other backup systems, it is recommended for security reasons and for easy recovery to create the Full Backups frequently (at least once per week).
With VersionBackup, you can set longer intervals between two Full Backups without hesitation (every 2 - 4 months e.g.).
To recover the state of a specified day, VersionBackup collects the files from different Incremental Backups automatically. Even if there are only a few files in the Incremental Backup of the selected day, all files will be recovered, which existed on that day.

Can VersionBackup save the data even to a tape streamer?

The special skill of VersionBackup is to provide the backup versions of many days for an instant recovery. This is possible, if the primary backups are stored on a hard disk like system. Usually, hard disks are big enough for the daily backups, because the Incremental Backups exploit the storage space very good.
Because using hard disks provides the best results, we always try to convince our customers to use a hard disk system instead of a tape steamer.

Nevertheless, if the streamer software allows to copy files directly to the tape cassette, then it is possible to use even this together with VersionBackup. It is the external archiving, which might be written to a streamer cassette. With VersionBackup, you can reduce the continuous effort significantly, by archiving the data to the tape only every two weeks e.g. instead or performing a tape backup every day.

But the special recovery feature to combine the data from several Incremental Backups will be not or only restrictedly possible with streamer cassettes.

Is it possible to delete some of the daily backups from the backup archive? I would like to keep only each tenth backup.

In principle, it is possible to delete some date directories from the backup stock. But you should do this only if you are sure that all important data will be available even after this.

Usually, most backups created by VersionBackup are Incremental Backups. They include only those files, which did not exist in this state in one of the former backups. If you would delete some of these backups, usually the remaining backups will not be complete any more.

Your backup stock will remain complete, if you will delete all Incremental Backups between Full Backups. Furthermore, it may be reasonable keeping several Incremental Backups next to a Full Backup and delete the later Incremental Backups up to the next Full Backup.
(See also How can I recognize the Full Backups among the Incremental Backups?.)

You can delete the day-backups using the Backup-Browser. To do this, please click with the right mouse key on the date in the rightmost list in the Backup-Browser. Then choose "Delete Backup". This will delete this date's backups from all Source Paths.
To delete the backups only from one Source Path, please use the Windows Explorer©. Open the Destination Path with the Windows Explorer© and delete the subdirectories, whose name is like the date to be removed.

How can I recognize the Full Backups among the Incremental Backups?

In the Backup-Browser, the Full Backups are marked.
In the right column, a rhomb symbol is displayed at each version date. If the inner part of the rhomb is white, then it is an Incremental Backup. If the rhomb is filled, then this date got a Full Backup.

I replaced my computer by a new one. How can I make my existing backup archive available again?

If you copied the backups to the new computer, you must inform the newly installed Backup-Browser about the location where to find them:

If the directory structure is the same like on the old system, it is most easy if you saved the configuration before on the old system (dialog page "Settings" - "General Settings", Button "Save"). Then, it is only necessary to load the configuration file on the new system to have the original configuration available there.

Another possibility is to newly enter the Source Paths and Destination Paths on the new system. Then, the Backup-Browser will search and find the backups on the right location.
To find the old backups, it is not important to configure the right Source Paths. Important are the Destination Paths, where the backups are located now. It is no problem, if the Destination Paths are different from those on the old system.
You can later change or delete these paths in the configuration. Nevertheless, VersionBackup will remember the paths of the existing backups.

How can I save my Outlook© files with VersionBackup?

When Outlook© has been launched, it locks its files against any foreign access. Locked files cannot be copied by a file based system like VersionBackup, because the operating system refuses any access to them.

The most easy solution to get backups from the Outlook© files to perform the VersionBackup copy run when Windows© starts and launch Outlook© after this. The Source Path, where the Outlook© files are located, should be placed on the topmost position on the VersionBackup dialog page "Paths". Then, it will be copied first.

If the computer continues running, the Windows Scheduler could start a script, which terminates Outlook© automatically, starts the VersionBackup copy run and then launches Outlook© again. This script could be written like this:
   taskkill /F /T /IM outlook.exe
   "C:\Program Files\VersionBackup\VBackCopy.exe"
   "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\Outlook.exe"

Another solution is to export the Outlook© data with special software into free accessible files, which can be saved without problems.
For example, you could use the free Outlook© backup wizard from Microsoft©. Another Outlook© data export system is "Easy Mail Backup Wizard" (http://us.jpa-software.de/cms).