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    Using Backup4all - FAQ 4

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    This article applies only to Backup4all. If you don't have it yet, you must download it first.

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    Jun 12, 2020
    Backup4all - all versions
    We strive to keep our articles as accurate as possible. If you notice any inconsistencies or outdated info please let us know.
    This section contains answers for frequent questions regarding the registration process of Backup4all.

    On this page:

    I received an "Out of memory" warning. How do I fix that?

    Please follow these steps:
    1. Open Backup Properties (Ctrl+P) -> Advanced
    2. Uncheck the “Store temporary catalog data in memory” option.
    3. Press Save and run again the backup.

    Why my TrueCrypt container is not backed up?

    Normally the TrueCrypt container does not change its size or date when something gets changed. The backup application does not see the TrueCrypt container as modified to be backed up again.
    To solve this problem, please change a setting in TrueCrypt so that it also changes the modification date and time of the container when its contents is modified.
    To do this select Settings -> Preferences from the main menu of TrueCrypt, and then uncheck the "Preserve modification timestamp of file containers" option.

    Why do I get the z01, z02 files in backup destination?

    If the resulting backup file is larger than 4 GB and the destination drive is FAT32 formatted, the zip file will be split at 4 GB. If you also limit the size of the zip file from Backup4all, the files will also be split at the given size. The z01, z02 ... you'll see in destination are split files, parts of the same zip archive. They will be restored automatically when you restore the zip file.

    How to restore a single file from backup?

    There is a simply way to restore a single file from backup or even from a specific backup execution.
    Just follow these steps:
    1. Open Backup4all, go to Explore View (F2)
    2. Browse the tree to find the file you need.
    3. Select the file you want to restore by simple click on it.
    4. You will see all its file versions in the bottom pane. Right-click the version you need and press Restore.
    5. To restore the latest file version, right-click the file and select Restore latest version

    Does Backup4all works on Windows Small Business Server 2008?

    Yes, Backup4all is fully compatible and works fine on Windows SBS 2008.
    We have clients using Backup4all under the Windows Small Business Server 2008 OS.

    How to run a daily incremental and a weekly full backup?

    You can do that using a single backup job.
    Please follow these steps:
    1. Open Backup4all and select File -> New (Ctrl+N).
    2. Select a destination for the backup. Click Next.
    3. On the What do you want to backup page, add your source files and folders. Click Next twice.
    4. On the How do you want to backup page, choose Incremental backup type. Click Next twice.
    5. On the Personalize your backup job page, enter a name for the backup in the Backup name field. Press Advanced mode button.
    6. In the Scheduler page, press Add.
    7. Select "Run whether the user is logged on or not"" and press Set password and type your Windows login password. Press Next
    8. In the new window, press Add. Set a start time and select "Daily". Press OK, then press Next and Finish.
    9. Press again Add on the Scheduler page.
    10. Select "Run whether the user is logged on or not"" and press Set password and type your Windows login password. Press Next
    11. In the new window, press Add. Set a start time and select "Weekly". Press OK, then press Next
    12. On What page, please select the backup type Full. Press Finish to close.
    13. Press Save.

    Using Backup4all with Power Users

    Windows power users do not have the right to burn CD/DVD's.
    You can change the group policy settings to allow this. You must log on as an Administrator user to change this setting.
    Follow these steps:
    1. Run gpedit.msc (via Start menu, Run..)
    2. Select the following: Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options
    3. Enable the option 'Devices: Restrict CD-Rom access to locally logged-on user only.
    4. You should now reboot your PC. Restricted users can now rip/burn CDs.
    If you don't want to change this option you should try to use the "SCSI Pass through Direct Layer (SPTD)" from Backup4all's Options dialog, on the CD,DVD or Blu-ray page.

    How to delete a Backup4all folder that stores files too long for Windows to delete

    If by mistake you run a restore to a different location that creates longer file paths than the maximum length Windows can handle, you won't be able to delete/open some deep subfolders. The solution is to rename as many subfolders to a single character name. That way you will be able to access the files and eventually delete the long path.
    There's a trick you can use to get the system to handle longer filenames. Try opening up a command prompt window and deleting the folder tree using a filename that starts with "\\?\d:\" instead of "d:\".
    For example if the top level of the directory tree you want to remove is: d:\MyDocs\DeepTree
    Then try using: rmdir \\?\d:\MyDocs\DeepTree /s /q

    Why Backup4all created a full backup again?

    The client created two backup jobs:
    • a full backup job called "Full backup"
    • an incremental backup job called "Incremental backup"
      When running the "Full backup" job, a complete backup was created. After running the "Incremental backup" job, the client expected to back up only new and modified files, but again a complete backup was performed.
    The explanation is that the backup jobs are independent. It doesn't matter how you name the job, it will perform the backup as it is defined. The first execution of a backup job is a complete backup, after that increments are created.
    The client should use a single backup job (the "Incremental backup"). The first execution is a complete backup followed by incremental backups.

    Limiting the backup numbers

    When limiting the number of stored backups in destination, without using the merge backup feature, here is how the limitation is applied.
    If you have the limitation set to 4 backup versions you'll have in destination:
    • Full backup 1_C.zip
    • Incremental backup 2_C.zip
    • Incremental backup 3_C.zip
    • Incremental backup 4_C.zip
    When the 5th backup is created, backup number 2, 3 and 4 are deleted and you'll have in destination:
    • Full backup 1_C.zip
    • Incremental backup 5_C.zip (this is a differential backup since 1_C.zip)

    Why do I see this message "Not available for standalone or shutdown schedulers"?

    This explanation is for Backup4all 4 only.
    Please note the "Not available for standalone or shutdown schedulers" message appears in the Status field of the Standalone scheduler.
    That means the status is not available for standalone or shutdown schedulers, but the scheduler is available.
    There is nothing to worry about regarding the above message.

    Can I run multiple backups in the same time?

    Yes, you can run multiple backups in the same time.
    If you want to run the backup jobs sequentially, please read this article: How to Configure Backups to Run Sequentially

    How to have in destination the exact source files?

    If you want to have in destination the exact source files and update the destination if there are removed or excluded files, please use the Mirror backup type and also check the "Remove excluded or deleted files from destination" option.
    To do that, please open Backup4all, go to Backup Properties -> Type and select Mirror.
    On the Mirror page, select the "Remove excluded or deleted files from destination" option.
    That way, you'll have in backup destination the exact source files.
    Please note you must have at least one new or modified source file in order for the backup to run. Otherwise the backup will not be executed and the files won't be deleted from destination.

    Why the Mirror backup creates a complete backup each time?

    The client configured a Mirror backup type and he used the "Fast mirror" option to back up only new and modified files.
    After running the backup few times, he saw that complete backups were created each time.
    The explanation is that he also used Tags on the Backup Properties -> Mirror page. Please note when using tags, the "Fast mirror" option might be ignored.
    The client had to remove the tags in order for Backup4all to back up only new and modified files.

    Is there a way to make the Mirror option a two way synchronization job?

    As long as you have the same folder structure (ex. “D:\Work”) on the 2 computers, there is a way to use Backup4all as a two way synchronization tool. Here is how it works:
    • Backup files to the removable drive at work place.
    • Restore files at home. Make file changes at home, backup files on removable device.
    • At work place make a restore to get the files you changed at home.
    Here are more detailed steps:
    1. Open Backup4all.
    2. Go to File -> New, click on Advanced mode button.
    3. On the General page, type a name for your backup job.
    4. On the Sources page, add the files/folders to be backed up.
    5. On Advanced page, uncheck the Use local catalogs option.
    6. Set destination on the removable drive.
    7. Press Save and run to create the new backup job.
    8. Take removable drive at home.
    9. From Backup4all, go to File -> Open and select the .bkc file (backup catalog file) from the removable drive (in the backup destination folder). This will re-create the same backup job on the home computer (this has to be done only once).
    10. Perform a restore in the “original location” by pressing the Restore (F7) button.
    11. Change files and run the backup job to put modified files on removable drive.
    12. Take removable drive at work.
    13. Perform a restore in the “original location”.

    Backup4all cannot access sources from a password protected network drive

    Because there is no option in Backup4all to store the passwords for source files, you might not be able to access network source files.
    In this case, please map the network drive using File Explorer.
    After that, just add the sources from the mapped drive. No access password will be necessary for the source files.

    How to restore only changed files?

    If you have a large full backup followed by small incremental backups and want to restore your files, the full backup will also be restored even if the files were not modified.
    To avoid that, you can restore only the incremental backups. This way, the restore time will be shorten.
    The files from Full backup that were modified are included in one of the Incremental backups.
    To do that, please follow these steps:
    1. Open Backup4all
    2. Press Restore (F7) button
    3. Select the restore location if different.
    4. Select “Choose/filter files and restore any version” option. Press Next twice.
    5. Select only the incremental backup versions. Press Finish.

    Kaspersky antivirus detected Backup4all as infected and deleted the exe file. What should I do?

    That is a false positive and we already contacted Kaspersky to fix that problem. In the meantime, we offer two solutions bellow.
    1. In the Kaspersky report page, right click the suspicious file (Backup4all.exe) and select "Add to trusted zone"
    2. Open Kaspersky, click MySecurityZone - Applications (on the right).Select All in the dropdown list and scroll down to the bottom. Locate any applications related to Backup4all and right-click them and click "change status" and select Trusted. Run Backup4all again.

    Why do I get excluded files when I don't use any filters?

    The excluded files you get, are the files that have been deleted from the source location or have been moved into another folder since the last full backup execution.

    Can I use multiple plugins in the same backup job?

    You cannot back up using multiple plugins in the same backup job. Only one plugin can be used in a backup job.
    If you want to use multiple plugins, you need to create a backup job for each plugin.