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Off-site Backup Services :: FAQ
- What is an Online Backup Service?
- Can we test the software before we buy it?
- Does it make sense to use Online Backup if you have a slow Internet connection?
- What files should you select?
- How do you delete files from the Backup server?
- Should you also have a local backup in addition to online backup?
- What is the Personal Recovery CD?
- What do you do if there is trouble connecting to the server or performing a backup?
- Can you backup open and locked files with the online backup software?
- I'm getting an Open File error message in my backup log. What does this mean?
- What is a FastBIT backup?
- Why is FastBIT important?
- What platforms does your service support?
- Can you backup other platforms with my client software?
- How do I find out about service packs, new releases and updates?
- What is an Online Backup Service?
An Online Backup Service is an Internet-based service that allows computer users to routinely backup and recover their important data using a secure and trusted server on the Internet.
If you use your computer to create and save valuable data for business or personal reasons, you should make some type of backup of your important data to prevent a total loss in the event of any kind of system failure or human error. Simple data backup can be done by saving your data to multiple locations, copying the data from its original location to removable media, another hard drive, or another computers hard drive on the network.
To make this task easier, specialized programs known as Backup Software exist to aid users in regularly making a backup copy of their data. Since some users are not interested in managing the tasks necessary for maintaining their own backups, a new breed of backup software was created, known as Online Backup Software. Online Backup software is designed to routinely copy your important files to a private, secure location on the Internet by securely transmitting your data over your existing Internet connection.
If you have a working Internet connection on your computer, you can use HHFO online-backup service to keep your important files safe from disaster on a daily basis.
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- Can we try the software before we buy it?
Sure! You can use a 15 day trial of our online backup service just fill in the sign-up form or you can send an e-mail to our sales department at sales@hhfohosting.com to discuss which of our packages are right for you.
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- Does it make sense to use Online Backup if you have a slow Internet connection?
Depending on the speed of your connection and the size of your backup, your initial backup over the Internet may take several hours. Many people with large backup sizes and slower Internet connections will often run their first backup over the weekend. Once the first backup is completed, each subsequent backup is usually a small amount of data that can be backed up in just minutes over a slower dialup connection.
Our software can also resume a canceled backup, so you can start the backup during your slow times and cancel it during your busy times. The next time you start the backup, it will pick up from where it was canceled until the entire backup is complete.
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- What files should you select?
Since your entire hard drive is likely to be much larger than the amount of storage you have purchased on the backup server, you should be selective in the files that you choose for backup. In general, you can avoid backing up any programs that you can reinstall from a purchased CD, such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.). Why pay for storage for "stuff" you can easily re-install? Try to focus your selection on things like your "My Documents", "My Pictures" or "My Music" folders and data files of your important programs like accounting, income tax, contact management, etc. Your online backup software comes with predefined filters, which allow you to automatically select categories of files without knowing where all the files are located. See the software's Help section on Filters to learn how they can be used.
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- How do you delete files from the Backup server?
In order to control how much data is stored on the online backup server, your online backup software allows you to view all of the data stored on the server and selectively remove files from the server. To view the data stored under your account, run your online backup software and click on the folder tab labeled "Restore". In the left windowpane, Right-Click on the Desktop icon and select "Get Volume List from Server". This will show you each computer that has been backed up to your account. Now you can navigate the folders to see what data is stored on the server. To delete files, click on the button with the Red "X" to enable the Delete Files mode. Mark any files you wish to delete by clicking your mouse in the empty box next to the file(s) you wish to delete. Click the "Delete Files Now" to issue the command to delete the selected files from the server. WARNING : Once a file is deleted from the server, it can no longer be restored.
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- Should you also have a local backup in addition to online backup?
It's up to you. We encourage people to do both local and remote backup for absolute protection. Users that want an added level of protection will perform local backups in addition to their online backup. Local backups can allow you to backup ALL of your files, while the online backup is a great way to automatically store your critical files off-site. When it comes to your important data, you can never be too safe.
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- What is the Personal Recovery CD?
The Personal Recovery CD is a service that offers copies all of your data from our servers onto CD(s). This allows you to restore the archive of your data from a CD without requiring an Internet connection. This is great for keeping long-term archives of your data or restoring large amounts of data without connecting over a slow Internet connection. Inquire about the availability of Personal Recovery CDs with your Service Provider.
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- What do you do if there is trouble connecting to the server or performing a backup?
You can view the technical support section of our web site for some helpful information as most problems can be solved by existing common problems and solutions listed there. Visit http://www.hhfohosting.com/support. Alternatively, you can send an email to our support department.
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- Can I backup open and locked files with the online backup software?
In the case of many backup software programs, files and databases that are in use during the backup may not get backed up successfully because they are locked to prevent any other program from altering the data. To solve this problem, NovaStor's Online Backup can be used with the optional NovaStor Open File Manager program to make sure that these open and locked files get backed up successfully. For more information about NovaStor's Open File Manager, click here .
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- I'm getting an Open File error message in my backup log. What does this mean?
See # 9 above.
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- What is a FastBIT backup?
The FastBIT patching process is the core technology behind our speedy backup service. The patching process involves the comparison of two different versions of the same file and extracting the differences between the files. When the differences are extracted from the two files, they are saved into a new file and compressed into what is known as a Patch. The patch file is often 85% to 99.9% smaller than the file which the patch was extracted from originally.
In order to perform a FastBIT backup, the software has to backup the files 3 times: the first backup is a full, the next backup will perform an incremental, and the third performs the first FastBIT backup. For more information about NovaStor's FastBIT T patching process, click here .
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- Why is FastBIT important?
The efficiency of FastBIT will dramatically reduce the time required to backup your data from any network location, include slow dialup connections.
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- What platforms does the HHFO offsite-backup service support?
The client software can be installed on any Windows 98SE, Me, NT, 2000, 2003 (.NET) or XP computer. The Client software communicates to the Server using the TCP/IP protocol.
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- Can you backup other platforms with my client software?
The Client software will only run natively on Windows 98SE, Me, NT 4.0, 2000, 2003 (.NET) and XP. If you want to backup computers with other operating systems, it is possible. Here's how... Since the client supports mapped network drives and the Network Neighborhood, it can backup data from any computer that is accessible via the network. A single client can backup the local computer and any number of local or remote network computers using the powerful user interface.
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- How do I find out about service packs, new releases and updates?
NovaStor publishes a Company Newsletter, NovaNews, on an approximately semi-monthly basis. Our company newsletter is the best way to stay in touch with the company and all the latest developments, plus learn tips and techniques and more. Click here to subscribe today.
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