Advanced Backup Tutorial With ShadowBack

ShadowBack has a feature called "Advanced Backup". Advanced Backup allows the user to select exactly which files, OS-specific data, and application-specific data are going to be backed up.

The Advanced Backup dialog is accessible from the Main Dialog by clicking on the “Advanced Backup” button or by right clicking on the ShadowBack icon on the system tray and selecting the “Advanced Backup” menu option. Once this dialog is up, the buttons along the bottom mean:

Backup: Starts the back up process. If the button is grey, nothing has been selected for backup.

Cancel: Cancels out of the Advanced Backup dialog and closes it without activating any selected features.

Options: Brings up the dialog for options specifically related to the backup process.

The boxes next to specific items within the folder panes are toggles that show whether an item is going to be backed up; if the box is checked with a black check the item will be backed up completely. If the item is a folder with mixed contents (some marked for backup and some not), the check will be grey. If the item is a folder and nothing underneath it is scheduled for backup, the box will be empty. To change the backup state of an item, click on the check box to cycle through its available states.

After If an item is displayed in gray and italicized, it has been determined to be unnecessary by ShadowBack, or it cannot be backed up. It will not be added to the backup.

The folder pane on the left hand side of the Advanced Backup dialog shows all of the OS and application specific data that can be backed up, as well as all of the fixed drives on the system, and, if they are expanded, the folder tree within a fixed drive. Clicking on a drive or a folder in the left hand plane displays its contents in the right hand plane.

Once the user has selected all of the files, OS data and application specific data they wish to backup by clicking on the boxes next to those items and changing them to check mark boxes, they are ready to click on the "Backup" button to go to the next phase of the backup.

The “Turn on Realtime Backup” dialog gives the user the option to allow ShadowBack to continue to back up the computer after the initial backup is done. This allows backups to be as up to date as their latest save. Pick which option is best for you.

After ShadowBack has scanned the hard drive(s) on the computer, it will begin the backup process. If it is backing up to a CDR, DVDR, tape drive or any other drive with removable media, it will ask for new media if the device is empty. Simply follow the dialog instructions at this point, and the backup will eventually complete.