SimpleTech FV-U35/250 User manual

StorageSync

Backup, Restore, & Synchronization Software

User’s Guide

The products and programs described in this User’s Guide are licensed products of

SimpleTech, Inc. This User’s Guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright,

and this User’s Guide and all accompanying software and documentation are copyrighted.

SimpleTech, Inc. does not warrant that the software will work in all environments and

applications, and makes no warranty and representation, either implied or expressed, with

respect to the quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose.

Information in this User’s Guide is subject to change without notice and does not represent a

commitment on the part of SimpleTech, Inc. SimpleTech, Inc. assumes no responsibility for

any inaccuracies that may be contained in this User’s Guide.

SimpleTech, Inc. makes no commitment to update or keep current the information in this

User’s Guide, and reserves the right to make changes to this User’s Guide and/or product

without notice.

No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and

retrieval systems, for any purpose other than the purchaser's personal use, without the express

written permission of SimpleTech, Inc.

3001 Daimler Street

Santa Ana, California 92705

Tel: (949) 476-1180

Fax: (949) 476-1209

StorageSync User’s Guide iii

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS.....................................................................................................................III

LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................................ VI

LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................... VIII

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1

Product Overview ...................................................................................................................2

StorageSync Editions..............................................................................................................2

Evaluation Version ................................................................................................................. 2

Standard Edition.....................................................................................................................3

Professional Edition ............................................................................................................... 3

StorageSync Features..............................................................................................................4

Standard Edition Features ......................................................................................................4

Professional Edition Features.................................................................................................4

Why StorageSync?..................................................................................................................5

The High Cost of Lost Data....................................................................................................5

Developing a Backup Strategy ...............................................................................................6

Synchronizing Your Data .......................................................................................................7

Typographic Conventions.......................................................................................................8

SimpleTech Contact Information............................................................................................9

CHAPTER 2 INSTALLATION..........................................................................................................11

Minimum Requirements .......................................................................................................12

Installing StorageSync ..........................................................................................................12

System Changes....................................................................................................................18

New Icon ..............................................................................................................................18

New Directories....................................................................................................................18

Windows Registry Changes .................................................................................................18

CHAPTER 3 STORAGESYNC BASICS...........................................................................................21

Starting StorageSync.............................................................................................................22

Starting StorageSync Automatically ....................................................................................22

Starting StorageSync Manually............................................................................................22

Accessing StorageSync through the System Tray ................................................................23

Understanding the Welcome Window ..................................................................................24

Understanding Secondary Windows.....................................................................................28

Accessing StorageSync’s Online Help .................................................................................29

StorageSync Default Settings ...............................................................................................30

Exiting StorageSync .............................................................................................................31

iv StorageSync User’s Guide

CHAPTER 4 BACKING UP DATA ..................................................................................................33

Using StorageSync to Back Up Data....................................................................................34

Data Backup Procedure ........................................................................................................34

Detailed Backup Instructions................................................................................................38

Selecting a Source Drive and a Target Media Drive ............................................................ 38

Selecting Files and Directories for Backup ..........................................................................40

Selecting a Target Media Drive............................................................................................41

Reviewing Your Current Backup Settings ...........................................................................41

Incremental or Full Backup..................................................................................................42

CHAPTER 5 RESTORING BACKED UP DATA .............................................................................45

Using StorageSync to Restore Data......................................................................................46

Data Restore Procedure ........................................................................................................46

Detailed Restore Instructions................................................................................................49

Selecting a Source Drive and a Target Media Drive ............................................................ 49

Selecting a Source Media Drive........................................................................................... 51

Selecting Files and Directories for Restore ..........................................................................51

Reviewing Your Current Restore Settings ...........................................................................53

Reviewing Your Restore Options.........................................................................................53

Restoring Encrypted Backup Files .......................................................................................54

CHAPTER 6 SYNCHRONIZING DATA...........................................................................................57

Using StorageSync to Synchronize Data ..............................................................................58

Data Synchronization Procedure ..........................................................................................58

Detailed Synchronization Procedure ....................................................................................61

Selecting a Source Drive and a Target Media Drive ............................................................ 61

Selecting a Media Drive .......................................................................................................63

Selecting Files and Directories for Synchronization ............................................................ 64

Reviewing Your Synchronization Options...........................................................................65

CHAPTER 7 STORAGESYNC REPORTS......................................................................................67

Overview...............................................................................................................................68

Viewing StorageSync Reports ..............................................................................................68

APPENDIX A STORAGESYNC SETTINGS....................................................................................71

Displaying the Settings Window ..........................................................................................73

Professional Edition Features ...............................................................................................74

Compression Type................................................................................................................74

Compression Quality............................................................................................................74

Use Encryption..................................................................................................................... 75

File Revision ........................................................................................................................75

Restore Options .................................................................................................................... 76

Standard Edition Features.....................................................................................................76

Auto-Launch.........................................................................................................................76

Auto-Open Backup Window ................................................................................................77

Reminder ..............................................................................................................................77

Saving to Log .......................................................................................................................78

Media Profiler.......................................................................................................................78

StorageSync User’s Guide v

Use Exception List ...............................................................................................................78

Adding Files or File Extensions to the Exception List.........................................................78

Editing the Exception List.................................................................................................... 79

Deleting Files or File Extensions from the Exception List .................................................. 80

Main Window Size...............................................................................................................80

APPENDIX B UPGRADE INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................81

Upgrading to the Professional Version.................................................................................82

APPENDIX C FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ......................................................................85

APPENDIX D UNINSTALLING STORAGESYNC...........................................................................91

APPENDIX E GLOSSARY...............................................................................................................95

INDEX................................................................................................................................................99

vi StorageSync User’s Guide

List of Figures

Figure 1. StorageSync Setup: License Agreement ...................................................................13

Figure 2. StorageSync Setup: Install Options...........................................................................14

Figure 3. Setup Screen: Installation Complete .........................................................................15

Figure 4. Prompt to Register StorageSync................................................................................15

Figure 5. StorageSync Registration Screen ..............................................................................16

Figure 6. StorageSync Registration Form.................................................................................16

Figure 7. Registration Successful Screen .................................................................................17

Figure 8. StorageSync System Tray Menu ...............................................................................23

Figure 9. StorageSync Welcome Window................................................................................25

Figure 10. Example of Balloon Help on the Welcome Window ..............................................27

Figure 11. Backup Window ......................................................................................................28

Figure 12. Example of Online Help..........................................................................................29

Figure 13. Exit StorageSync Message ......................................................................................31

Figure 14 Backup Window .......................................................................................................35

Figure 15. Enter Password for Encryption................................................................................37

Figure 16. Sample Activity Summary Window After a Data Backup Operation.....................37

Figure 17. Drive Management Screen ......................................................................................38

Figure 18. Example of Selecting a Target Media Drive ...........................................................39

Figure 19. Example of Selecting Files and Folders for Backup ...............................................41

Figure 20. Restore Window ......................................................................................................47

Figure 21. Select Folder............................................................................................................48

Figure 22. Sample Activity Summary Window After a Data Restore Operation.....................48

StorageSync User’s Guide vii

Figure 23. Drive Management Screen ......................................................................................50

Figure 24. Example of Selecting a Target Media Drive ...........................................................51

Figure 25. Example of Selecting Files and Folders for Restore ...............................................52

Figure 26. Enter Password for Decryption ..............................................................................54

Figure 27. Can’t Find Valid Password Screen..........................................................................55

Figure 28. File Synchronization Window.................................................................................59

Figure 29. Screen When No Difference is Found Between Files............................................60

Figure 30. Example of a Compare List.....................................................................................61

Figure 31. Drive Management Screen ......................................................................................62

Figure 32. Example of Selecting a Target Media Drive ...........................................................63

Figure 33. Example of Selecting Files and Folders for Synchronization .................................65

Figure 34. Reports Window......................................................................................................69

Figure 35.Viewing Detailed Report Information......................................................................70

Figure 36. Precautionary Message when Deleting All Reports................................................70

Figure 37. Settings Window .....................................................................................................73

Figure 38. Backup Reminder ....................................................................................................77

Figure 39. File Name Prompt....................................................................................................79

Figure 40. Sample File Names and File Extensions in the Exception List...............................79

Figure 41. Upgrade Window.....................................................................................................82

Figure 42. StorageSync Upgrade Successful Message............................................................83

Figure 43. Uninstallation Screen ..............................................................................................92

Figure 44. Uninstallation Warning Message ............................................................................93

viii StorageSync User’s Guide

List of Tables

Table 1. System Tray Menu Options ........................................................................................23

Table 2. Welcome Window Buttons.........................................................................................25

Table 3. StorageSync Settings ..................................................................................................30

Table 4. Backup Settings ..........................................................................................................42

Table 5. Restore Settings ..........................................................................................................53

Table 6. Restore Options ..........................................................................................................53

Table 7. Synchronize Options...................................................................................................65

Table 8. Summary of StorageSync Settings .............................................................................72

StorageSync User’s Guide 1

Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 1 Contents

Product Overview ..................................2

StorageSync Editions.............................2

StorageSync Features ............................4

Why StorageSync?.................................5

The High Cost of Lost Data...................5

Developing a Backup Strategy ..............6

Synchronizing Your Data ......................7

Typographic Conventions......................8

SimpleTech Contact Information ..........9

2 StorageSync User’s Guide

Congratulations on purchasing StorageSync  the premiere software solution for backing

up, restoring, and synchronizing your valuable information. StorageSync provides an

intuitive, easy-to-use interface that lets you back up, restore, and synchronize data simply by

pointing and clicking your mouse.

Product Overview

StorageSync is a complete software solution for backing up, restoring, and synchronizing

data. Using StorageSync, data can be backed up from your computer’s local hard drives onto

any of the following SimpleTech removable media drives:

SimpleDrive

Bonzai USB Mini-Drive

PC Card hard drive

Once data has been backed up to these removable media drives, it can be restored by

transferring the data from the media drive to your computer’s local hard drive. StorageSync

also lets you backup data on one computer and restore to another. This feature makes

StorageSync not just a backup-and-restore program, but also an ideal synchronization tool.

StorageSync also boasts a media profiler capability that “remembers” the settings used with

the backup jobs for each removable media drive. If you change removable media drives,

StorageSync automatically uses the backup settings associated with the removable media

drive you attached.

StorageSync Editions

StorageSync comes in three editions:

An Evaluation Version

A Standard Edition

A Professional Edition

Evaluation Version

An unregistered copy of the StorageSync runs as an Evaluation Version. The Evaluation

Version of StorageSync has the same features as the Standard Edition, but is functional for a

limited time. When you start StorageSync, the initial screen that appears shows that the

program is not registered to a user and has no serial number.

The Evaluation Version of StorageSync works for 60 days after you install it. After you install

StorageSync, it reminds you to register the software every seven days. After 50 days, a

StorageSync User’s Guide 3

message appears each time you start StorageSync. This message shows the number of days

left before the program stops working. To continue using StorageSync after the 60-day period,

you must register the program with SimpleTech. For convenience, StorageSync gives you the

option of registering the program during the installation procedure. If you don’t register the

software at that time, you can do so any time during the 60-day evaluation period by clicking

the REGISTER button in a secondary window.

!

If the 60-day evaluation period expires, you can still register StorageSync by

clicking the Start button in the Windows taskbar, pointing to Programs, pointing to

StorageSync, and clicking StorageSync Registration.

Standard Edition

Registering the Evaluation Version of StorageSync transforms the program into the Standard

Edition. The Standard Edition of StorageSync does not have an expiration date and delivers

powerful backup, restore, and synchronization features (see “Standard Edition Features” on

page 4).

When you start the Standard Edition, the initial screen shows the name of the registered user

and the program serial number. In addition, the REGISTER button in the secondary windows

changes to UPGRADE, allowing you to upgrade to the Professional Edition.

Professional Edition

The Professional Edition of StorageSync provides valuable features that include compression,

encryption, and file revisioning (see “Professional Edition Features” on page 4). Upgrading to

the Professional Edition is easy. Just click the UPGRADE button in a secondary window and

follow the simple instructions. Instructions for upgrading to the Professional Edition of

StorageSync can be found in Appendix B.

4 StorageSync User’s Guide

StorageSync Features

Standard Edition Features

The Standard Edition of StorageSync supports the following features.

Backup

Supports full and incremental backup operations of one or more files and folders at a time.

Restore

Restores backed up data to its original location or to another destination path you select.

Synchronization

Compares and synchronizes files and folders that have changed on the local hard drive(s)

with the corresponding files and folders on the media drive.

Media Profiler

Lets users with different target media create profiles with different StorageSync settings

for each target media. StorageSync remembers the settings associated with each target

media and uses them when backing up, restoring, and synchronizing data.

Auto-Launch

Launches StorageSync automatically when a removable media drive is connected to your

computer.

Reports

StorageSync provides a robust reporting capability that logs all backup, restore, and

synchronization tasks performed. You can access this log to see the status of these

activities.

Reminder

StorageSync does not take backup lightly. For that reason, StorageSync can automatically

remind you to back up files at intervals that you define.

Professional Edition Features

The Professional Edition of StorageSync supports the following additional features.

User-selectable Compression

Backs up data using a minimum amount of space on the media drive. With StorageSync,

you can select the amount of compression to be used from nine compression levels.

On-the-Fly Encryption

StorageSync uses one of the most secure encryption algorithms available to protect your

backed-up data, making it virtually impossible for anyone to access your files without

your permission.

StorageSync User’s Guide 5

File Revisioning

StorageSync can be used to back up the same file up to 20 times as different versions or

revisions. With File Revisioning, you can select the file version(s) you want to restore or

restore only the latest versions. This feature is particularly useful for managing frequently

modified documents that require version control.

Why StorageSync?

Your valuable data is at the mercy of the next goof-up, catastrophe, hacker, or virus. In fact,

the loss of data ranks as the greatest fear of most computer users and organizations alike, and

it always seems to happen at the worst possible time. Recovery, if possible at all, can cost

precious time and money.

Data loss occurs for a variety of reasons:

Accidental deletion Hardware or software failure

Computer theft Human error

Computer viruses Natural disasters

Environmental hazards Power outages

File corruption Virus attack

Backing up your data with StorageSync is your only insurance against data loss.

The High Cost of Lost Data

Data loss can be very expensive. For businesses, lost data is not only costly in dollars,

downtime, and productivity, but also in terms of survival. According to the National Archives

and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., 93% of companies that lose their data for

10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. 50% of

businesses that found themselves without data for this same time period filed for bankruptcy

immediately.

For avocational computer users, lost data can make files irretrievably ruined. This means all

the personal finances, tax information, MP3s, digital photos, and address book information

that took months, and even years, to compile are all just a fading memory.

From this, you can see that data is a valuable resource and should be managed as such, like

cash, facilities or any other asset.

Consider the following facts about the perils facing your data:

6 StorageSync User’s Guide

More than 109,000 Terabytes of PC data are not being regularly backed up.

PC Backup and Higher Prioritization for the Enterprise and Consumer

As much as 60% of corporate data resides unprotected on PC desktops and laptops.

Business Continuity in 2002: It's Not Business as Usual

Survey finds PCs infected are increasing at a rate of more than 10% each month.

ICSA Labs, 2002

6% of all PCs will suffer an episode of data loss in any given year.

Pepperdine University Study, 1999

Developing a Backup Strategy

Backing up data is similar to insurance: you hope you never need either one. However, when

the day comes that you do need it, you’ll be glad you have it. For this reason, data backups

should not be taken lightly. On the contrary, we recommend that you create and adopt a

strategy for backing up your data.

The following guidelines will help you develop a plan that suits your backup needs.

Determining the importance of data can help you determine if you need to back it up, as

well as when and how often it should be backed up. For critical data, you may want

redundant backup sets that extend back for several backup periods. Less important data

usually does not need an elaborate backup plan, though you should back up this data

regularly.

Get into the habit of backing up data on a regular basis. How often you back up data is

based on how critical the data is and how frequently it changes. The important factor to

consider is to incorporate it into your routine. For convenience, StorageSync provides a

Reminder feature that reminds you to back up your data (see Appendix B for more

information).

The frequency of change can help you determine how often data should be backed up.

Data that changes every day, for example, should be backed up daily. Similarly, if certain

files do not change on a regular basis, it may be sufficient to back them up just one time.

Scheduling backups when system use is as low as possible speeds the backup process.

However, you can't always schedule backups for off-peak hours. So you'll need to

carefully plan when key system data is backed up.

Get most or all of your data on a single target media. If the data to be backed up cannot fit

on a single target media, use StorageSync’s Compression feature to squeeze as much

backup data as possible into the least amount of space on the target media (see

“Compression Type” and “Compression Quality” on page 74 for more information).

StorageSync User’s Guide 7

If security and ownership issues are of concern, use the encryption feature provided on the

Professional Edition of StorageSync to prevent the backed up data from getting into the

hands of unauthorized individuals (see Appendix A, “Use Encryption” on page 75 for

more information).

Implement a way to verify your backups. You can use StorageSync’s reporting facility to

ensure that your backup activities were successful.

Having your backup data at your office or home may help you overcome a computer crash

or mishap quickly. But if you suffer an earthquake, hurricane, fire, or flood, your data will

likely perish with everything else. Therefore, you may want to keep a copy of the backed

up data somewhere else — such as in a safety deposit box, for example.

Keep your target media drives free from viruses by using the latest virus protection for

your existing computer and for your backup devices.

Synchronizing Your Data

In today's computer-centric society, it is not uncommon for individuals to store information on

a number of computers. For example, you might edit and store a subset of data on a notebook

computer and yet another subset on a home computer, while keeping the entire set of data on

the computer at the office. The challenge of using different computers is figuring out how to

guarantee access to the latest version of data.

In addition to being an ideal backup-and-restore solution, StorageSync is an excellent

coordination tool for providing end-to-end synchronization. With StorageSync’s robust

synchronization feature, you can easily synchronize your data between local computer hard

drives and the following SimpleTech removable media drives:

SimpleDrive

Bonzai USB Mini-Drive

PC Card hard drive

During a synchronization, StorageSync compares the date and time between files and folders

on a media drive and corresponding files on a computer’s hard drive. After comparing files,

StorageSync uses color coding to show the results of the comparison, then allows you to take

the appropriate action. These include:

Synchronizing files between the computer and media drives by copying the most recent

files to the appropriate drive.

Overwriting files on the computer’s hard drive with the corresponding files on the media

drive.

8 StorageSync User’s Guide

Overwriting files on the media drive with the corresponding files on the computer’s hard

drive.

Taking no action.

StorageSync also allows files on the media drive to be deleted automatically if the

corresponding files on the computer’s hard drive have been deleted. This feature ensures that

deleted files and files that are no longer in use cannot make their way back onto a hard drive

or media drive.

Typographic Conventions

Throughout this User’s Guide, the following typographical conventions are used:

!

Notes indicate information of particular importance.

Cautions identify an operating procedure, practice, condition, or statement that

must be strictly observed to prevent undesirable results.

Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls and buttons are shown in bold.

Hyperlinks are blue.

The first time a technical term is used, it appears as a blue hyperlink. Clicking the hyperlinked

term takes you to the term’s definition in the Glossary. Clicking the term in the Glossary

returns you to the original location in the electronic file.

For easy reference, a listing of related topics and their page numbers appear at the beginning

of each chapter and appendix.

StorageSync User’s Guide 9

SimpleTech Contact Information

General Calls

We welcome your calls. Please contact SimpleTech toll-free, Monday through

Friday, from 6:30 am until 5:30 pm Pacific Time, by calling (800) 367-7330 or

(949) 476-1180. Voice mail is available during non-business hours.

E-mail

If you prefer, you can send information requests to the SimpleTech e-mail

address at: [email protected].

Fax Number

You can also send your requests for information to our 24-hour fax number:

(949) 476-1209

Web Site

Our Web site contains valuable information including LiveSupport about our

products. We encourage you to visit us at http://www.simpletech.com.

Customer Support

Customer Support, the customer-satisfaction arm of SimpleTech, is available toll-

free, Monday through Friday, from 6:30 am until 5:30 pm Pacific Time, by

calling (800) 367-7330 or (949) 476-1180.

10 StorageSync User’s Guide

Notes

StorageSync User’s Guide 11

Chapter 2

Installation

Chapter 2 Contents

Minimum Requirements...................... 12

Installing StorageSync ........................ 12

System Changes .................................. 18

12 StorageSync User’s Guide

Minimum Requirements

Before you install StorageSync, be sure your computer meets the following minimum

requirements.

One of the following operating systems:

 Microsoft Windows 98  Microsoft Windows 2000

(Professional and Advanced Server)

 Microsoft Windows 98 SE  Microsoft Windows XP

(Home and Professional Editions)

 Microsoft Windows ME

CPU: Intel Pentium or AMD processor 133 MHz and higher

RAM: At least 64 MB

Available hard disk space: At least 5 MB

Installing StorageSync

After confirming that your computer meets the minimum requirements, use the following

procedure to install StorageSync.

1. If you have removable storage attached to your computer, disconnect the storage form

your computer.

2. If you have the CD version of StorageSync, insert the CD into your computer’s CD-ROM

drive.

If you downloaded StorageSync from the SimpleTech Web site, double-click the

downloaded file.

In either case, the StorageSync Setup Wizard starts and the License Agreement appears

(see Figure 1).

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SimpleTech FV-U35/250 User manual

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