FileBack PC Tips

• If you use FileBack to back up a large number of files, you may wish to turn the file copy logging off so that just errors appear in the log. To do so, navigate to the "Status/Log" page and select "Minimal" under "Status Logging Method."
• To exclude a file or group of files from a backup, include the name(s) in the "Selected Files" list, preceded by an exclamation point. For example, to backup all files except *.TMP and *.~* files, the "Selected Files" line would read: *.* !*.TMP !*.~*
• If you often deal with sensitive documents, you may wish to enable the secure delete option available in the "Archive / Delete Options" of the advanced backup entry editor. 
• If you work with files that change often, try setting a maximum number of backups in a given period in order to keep older versions of those files around.
• FileBack waits between five and ten seconds after receiving the last directory change notification to start a backup in order to allow all changes to be finalized.
• Quickly restore a few files with the "Quick Restore" feature on the "Tools" page. Restore many files with the Restore Wizard (also on the "Tools" page).
• Double-click on a compressed .FBCB file to restore it, or temporarily open it.  You can also drag and drop an .FBCB file on the FileBack PC window.
• When the "Auto Backup on Change" option is enabled for a synchronization backup entry, FileBack will run that backup entry when it sees any change in either the source or destination directory.
• To create daily backups, create a backup group containing the backup entries you wish to run, then schedule the group to run at whatever time is most convenient. (see the "Scheduled Events" page)
• Directory Change notification only works on local drives when using Windows 95/98/Me on either end, but will detect any changes in directories on your own computer made by other computers on a network, or if you are running Windows 2000/XP on both ends.
• Right clicking on a backup entry will allow you to edit, run, copy, restore files, or delete that entry, or change its triggers and group membership.
• Click on the drop-down arrow next to buttons for additional options.
• Single or double-click on an entry in the status log box to see it in full, including the date it was processed.
• The size of the FileBack log is configured by clicking on the "Customize / Filter" option under "Log Display" on the "Status / Log" page.
• When FileBack is set to auto-load at Windows startup, it is loaded from the system registry. To prevent it from loading, uncheck the "Load at Windows Startup" options on the "Options" page.
• If you are running FileBack on a laptop with different hardware configurations, set the proper options under "Hardware Profiles" to enable or disable the appropriate FileBack PC options, or to automatically run certain backup groups when the profile changes.
• To prevent FileBack's backups from being backed up in incremental disk backups, clear the checkmark for the "Archive" bit under "Newest Backup" and "Older Revisions" on the "Attributes" page of the backup entry properties.
• If you are backing up to removable media, use one of the Prompt and Verification modes to prompt for the disk before the backup is run.
• Are your backup directories getting too large? Try using the cleanup wizard ("Tools" page) or schedule an automatic cleanup ("Scheduled Events" page).
• New versions of FileBack PC will be posted to the FileBack PC home page periodically. To get there quickly, click on the hyperlink on the "About" page.
• If you need to quickly copy one directory to another, use the "Quick Backup" feature on the "Maintenance Tools" page.
• In the backup list, click on a column to sort, or Shift+click on the header of a column to automatically size it.
• In the scheduled events list, click on the header of a column to automatically size it.
• Right-click on the FileBack icon in the system tray (near the clock) to quickly access commonly needed options.
• Are you performing some file operations where FileBack may get in the way? Instead of exiting, right-click on the icon in the system tray and select "Suspend FileBack PC."
• Lose your FileBack window behind the other windows on your system? Try left clicking on the icon in the system tray to bring it back to the front.
• Hover the mouse over the various items on the "Options" page for a more complete description of their use.
• If you are continually being prompted for a network password, store it in the backup entry by clicking on the "Network" button in the advanced backup entry editor.
• Try changing the revision numbering method to suit your own needs. Select your favorite option on the "Preferences" page.
• Avoid deleting any FB40SYNC.DAT files that you find. This is FileBack's way of keeping track of which files to keep and which files to delete in synchronization mode.
• Send questions, comments, and suggestions via e-mail to info @ maxoutput.com.
• If you need to backup a file with any spaces in its name, include "quotations" around the name in the "Selected Files" box.
• Recommend FileBack PC to a friend or co-worker.
• Higher numbers of revisions means a higher likelihood of retrieving an old version of a file. For an even better chance of retrieval, try limiting the number of revisions in a given time period.
• It's 4:37 PM on May 15th, and you have made some changes to a group of documents since yesterday afternoon that now you wish you hadn't. Use the File Restoration tool to retrieve the files to the way they were on 14-May at 2:15 PM. (This works only when the multiple revision feature is being used.)
• Working on a file at work and at home? Use the synchronization feature and a floppy, zip, or CD-RW disk to move the file back and forth.
• If you would like to see what files would be backed up by a file search specification in the "Backup Entry Editor," click the "Highlight" button.
• Under Windows 95, 98, and Me, keeping several backups of system files like AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, SYSTEM.INI, WINDOWS.INI, etc. is a good idea... just in case.
• The Network and Enterprise editions of FileBack support connections over previously established dial-up networking type connections.  The Enterprise edition will establish these connections for you.
• To add or remove a backup entry to or from a group, right click the entry on the "Backup Entries" page and click on the selected group under "Backup Groups." A checkmark indicates membership in a group.
• The FileBack.log file is saved to disk approximately every sixty minutes, and whenever FileBack PC is unloaded. It contains a detailed log of FileBack PC's past activities.
• FileBack PC supports extended wild cards ? and * in backup file specifications. For example, to back up all files that contain the word "FileBack" in the title, use "*FileBack*". To back up all files that start with "Document" but also contain the word "Template" in the title, the backup specification would read: "Document*Template*".
• FileBack PC file specifications are processed left to right, with those on the right taking precedence over those encountered earlier.  *.* !*.tmp would include all files, but then exclude *.tmp files.
• Need to access a backup file quickly? Open it using the "Quick Restore" tool.
• If you need to restore a backup file but don't want to overwrite the current version, use the Restore tool to restore it to another location. (It even recreates the directory structure in the alternate location!)
• Files deleted by the cleanup tool are deleted permanently. Be careful when setting the cleanup options!
• Do you have related backup entries? Try creating groups for them. You may have up to 25 groups, and each backup entry can appear in multiple groups.
• Under Windows 95 and 98 if you wish to backup the Windows registry, create a backup entry to backup SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT in your Windows directory. Choose only "Backup at system shutdown."
• If you need a daily reminder, FileBack related or not, create a Text Prompt on the "Schedule" page.