Frequently Asked Questions about IDrive Classic hands-free online backup

On a first login in a machine, I see a screen with three buttons – ‘Edit my Backup set 'Edit Schedule Parameters' and Bandwidth Test. What are their functions?

IDrive is an automated online backup application. Hence, the 'My Documents' and 'Desktop' folders are backed up by default, with the scheduled time set to 'off-peak hours'. For Windows Vista, the default Backup set includes the 'Desktop', 'Documents', 'Pictures', 'Videos' and 'Music' folders.

If these settings are not altered, the application commences the backup of the default Backup set, once the scheduled backup time is reached.

However, you can change the above settings. On login, a screen is displayed as below, from where you can edit the Backup set and schedule parameters.

To set the time, date and frequency for the scheduled backup job, click the 'Edit Schedule Parameters' button.

To edit your Backup set, click the 'Edit my Backup set' button. This takes you to the main screen of the Classic interface. Here, go to the 'Backup' tab and under 'My Selection', select or deselect the files/folders that you wish to backup, using the check boxes provided.

Also, you can find out the upload/download speed and the time that it will take to backup/restore 1 GB of data at this rate, by clicking the 'Bandwidth test' button.

Click the 'Close' button at the top right corner to go to the main application screen.

How do I delete my Backup set data?

You can delete data from the Backup set in the following ways:

Right-click the file/folder/drive on the 'Contents of my Backup set' list and choose the 'Remove' option from the menu.
Select the file/folder/drive on the 'Contents of my Backup set' list and press the 'Delete' key on your computer keyboard.

What is the Automatic Selection feature?

The 'Automatic Selection' feature lists your most commonly used application data such as 'Microsoft Outlook', 'Microsoft Outlook Express', 'My Documents' and 'My Favorites' folders among others.

You can select/deselect the application types, based on your backup need.

To use this option, from the menu bar, go to File > Automatic Selection.

A screen is displayed, as shown below:

The selected files/folders can be seen under the 'Contents of my Backup set' panel, as shown below.

I see some files/folders marked in red color on the top pane of the main screen. Why?

The files/folders marked in red under 'My Selection' are excluded from backup. To include them in the Backup set, from the menu bar, go to Tools > Preferences > Exclude files and folders tab.

Next, deselect the desired files/folders from the check boxes provided.

How do I perform an Interactive backup?

Select the desired files/folders/drives (under 'My Selection') and click the 'Backup Now' button to start the backup process in the interactive mode.

How do I schedule a backup?

Select the required files/folders/drives for backup and click the 'Schedule Backup' button to perform the scheduled backup at the desired date/time. A screen is displayed, as shown below:

You can schedule the backup in the following ways:

Use Recommended Backup Time
Use Custom Backup Time
Start the Backup Immediately

The 'Use Recommended Backup Time' option enables faster backups at off-peak hours.

The 'Use Custom Backup Time' option allows you to schedule the backup for a future date and time.

The 'Start the Backup immediately' option allows you to backup your data immediately with the frequency 'Once'.

Note: The 'No Backup schedule' option deletes the scheduled backup job settings but not the contents of the Backup set.

Select the 'Frequency' from the drop-down box. The options include hourly, daily, monthly, weekday, weekend etc.

Notifications: You can opt to receive email notifications on the status of your backup jobs.

The 'Send log extract' and 'Mail to' options are enabled if the 'Notify on failure' or the 'Notify always' options is selected.

Click the 'OK' button to schedule the backup for a future date and time.

Advanced Options:
You can use the 'Advanced Options' to schedule backups when the computer is idle, receive desktop notifications, automatically start the missed scheduled backup when the computer is turned on and set the Cut-Off time for backups.

What is Bandwidth Throttle?

The Bandwidth Throttle feature helps optimize the bandwidth consumption so that your backups can take place uninterrupted and without hindrance to other applications. You can set separate bandwidths for the backups when the system is in use and when it is not.

Bandwidth Throttle (when system is not in use): This option lets you set the bandwidth to be used by your system for backups, when it is not in use. By default, it is set to 100%.

Note: The percentage set for Bandwidth Throttle is applicable for both scheduled and interactive backups.

Bandwidth Throttle (when system is in use): Select the 'Auto-Pause' option from the check box to use this option.

Auto-Pause option makes intelligent guesses on pausing and resuming backup to enable optimum desktop appearances during user activity.

This option lets you set the bandwidth to be used by your system for backups, when it is in use. This allows other applications to run without hindrance. By default, it is set to 25%.

Note: The percentage set for Bandwidth Throttle is applicable only for the scheduled backup.

What is the Bandwidth test feature?

On clicking the 'Bandwidth test' feature, you can find out the upload/download speed and the time that it will take to backup/restore 1 GB of data to your IDrive account, at this rate.

Can I backup Mapped / USB / External drives?

Yes, you can backup Mapped/USB/External Drives. The contents to be backed up must be a part of the Backup set and available at the time of backup.

How do I backup my Mapped drives?

Backing up data from the Mapped drive(s) is no different from backing up data from the local disk(s).

For those who wish to backup Mapped drive contents in the system Log-Off mode, follow the steps below:

Select the files/folders to be backed up from the Mapped drive, available under the 'Backup' tab pane view of the application’s main screen.
Next, from the menu bar, go to Tools > Mapped Drive Setup. The following Mapped Drive Setup screen is displayed.
Enter the Username/Password for the Mapped drive that you have selected.
Click the 'Save' button to save the settings.

Does IDrive perform schedule backup jobs in the Log-Off mode?

Yes, IDrive performs schedule backups in the Log-Off mode (even for Mapped drives).

I am unable to open my Outlook email client during the backup of my Outlook pst files. I get an error that indicates that the file may be in use. Why?

For Windows XP, Windows 2003 server and Windows Vista machines, the above issue should not arise.

However, for other Windows OS, the IDrive agent might lock your Outlook email client to perform a successful backup. To resolve the issue, close your MS Outlook email client before initiating the operation.

Can I backup open files with IDrive?

Yes, you can backup open files using the Open file Backup feature available with IDrive. This feature is available only for Windows XP, Windows 2003 servers and Windows Vista.

The most common open files that can be backed up using the 'Open file Backup' feature are Outlook files (.pst), QuickBooks, Quicken, ACT, MS-Money, MS-Word, MS-Excel, MS-Access, MS FoxPro etc.

To use this feature, from the menu bar, go to Tools > Preferences and select the 'Enable Open file Backup (available only for Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista)' option.

Ensure that the selected temporary location on the local computer for Open file Backup has sufficient free space to hold the open files during backup.

In case your open files are not getting backed up, restart your computer and try again.

How can I disable the Open file Backup feature?

To disable the Open file Backup feature (available only for Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista), from the menu bar, go to Tools > Preferences and deselect the option ‘Enable Open file Backup (available only for Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista)’.

How do I add items to IDrive Backup set from Windows Explorer?

To add a file/folder directly from Windows Explorer, browse to the required folder using Windows Explorer. Right-click the file/folder and then choose IDrive > Add to Backup set.

The selected files/folders are added to the existing Backup set and are backed up when you perform the next Interactive or Scheduled backup.

How do I perform interactive backups from Windows Explorer?

From Windows Explorer, browse to the required file/folder, right-click on it, select the IDrive option and click 'Backup this file Now / Backup this folder now'.

IDrive will immediately start a back up of the selected files/folders to your IDrive account.

Alternately, from 'My Selection' under the Backup tab, select the files/folders to be backed up and then click the 'Backup Now' button.

How do I open IDrive Explorer from the IDrive Classic interface?

On the IDrive Classic interface, from the menu bar, go to Tools and select the 'Open IDrive Explorer' option.

This opens the IDrive Explorer interface, using which you can perform all restore related operations with a typical Windows Explorer-like interface.

Do I need to restart my computer after the IDrive installation is complete?

There is no need to restart your computer after IDrive has been installed. However, to use IDrive Explorer, restart the computer after installation, when prompted.

How do I manage backups that I have scheduled with IDrive Classic?

You can edit the frequency and the scheduler settings for any of the backups you have scheduled by clicking the 'Manage all the scheduled jobs' option from the IDrive tray menu, as shown below

The frequency and the options pertaining to the desired scheduled backup job can be changed using the 'Manage all the scheduled jobs' screen, as shown below:

You can do this in the following ways:

1.Highlight any entry and click on the 'Edit' button.
2.Double-click on any entry in the list.

You can edit the backup options in the same manner, as you would while scheduling a backup job.

An unwanted scheduled backup entry can be deleted in the following ways:

1. Highlight any entry and click the 'Delete' button.
2. Highlight any entry in the list, click on the file and then the 'Delete' icon.
3. Highlight any entry in the list and press the 'Delete' key on the keyboard.

You can also stop the scheduled backup under progress. (It will show the status as 'In Progress' in the Status column).

To stop the scheduled backup, you can perform any of the following:

1. Click the 'Stop Transfer' button on the tool bar.
2. Go to Tools > Stop Transfer.

Note:

1. In the IDrive application, you cannot create multiple Backup sets. However, you can change the scheduled settings of the different user accounts.
2. The user who has logged in cannot change the default Backup set of other users.

Will my scheduled backup continue in case of sudden system restarts while the scheduled backup operation is under progress?

Yes, the scheduled backup that was in progress would automatically continue once you restart the computer.

Will a missed scheduled backup take place when the computer is restarted after the scheduled time?

Yes. The scheduled backup will commence as soon as you restart the computer, even if it is after the scheduled time. However, this is applicable only if you have selected the 'Start the missed scheduled backup when the computer is turned on' option from the check box in the 'Preferences' window.

However, if you have not selected the option, then the scheduled backup will commence only if you restart the computer within 30 minutes of the scheduled time.

In case you restart the computer after 30 minutes of the scheduled time, the scheduled backup will commence at the next frequency, as per the date and time that was set earlier.

How many prior versions of a file are stored in my account?

IDrive application maintains the history of changes made to all the backed up files. The recent 30 versions of a file are stored and maintained on the IDrive servers. You can select any of these 30 versions and restore to local computer as and when required.

How do I view the versions of a single file stored in my account?

You can view the versions of each file stored in your account in the following ways:

1) On the right pane of the Restore tab, right-click on the required file and select the 'View History' option from the list.

2) On the right pane of the Restore tab, click the required file and select the 'History' icon from the tool bar.

3) On the 'Restore' tab view, double-click the required file.

How do I restore the latest version of one or more files?

To restore the latest version of any file, switch to the 'Restore' tab. Here, you can see the list of files with their latest versions. Select the required files and click the 'Restore Now' button.

After selecting the files, choose the restore destination from the screen that displays, as shown below.

What is a Backup set? How do I restore files as of a Backup set?

A Backup set identifies a set of file versions that were backed up during a single backup operation. A Backup set is identified by the start date and time of the backup. A Backup set also allows users to restore point-in-time versions of files to their computers.

On the 'Restore' tab, go to the 'Backup set date/time' selection box. From this list of Backup sets, you can restore the files as of a particular backup date and time. Selecting a Backup set from the selection list shows the point-in-time view of the files.

How do I delete data from my account?

To delete a particular file/folder from your IDrive account, go to the 'Restore' tab. Next, select the file/folder to be deleted and click the 'Delete' icon on the toolbar.

How do I restore the files that are backed up as of a particular date/time?

IDrive maintains the backup data image at the time of backup, using which you can restore the files backed up as of a particular date/time.

You can access this option under the Restore tab, Preferences > Backup set Options > Show backed up files that existed on local machine at the date/time.

What is the Sync feature?

Sync option syncs your IDrive account for selected folders with your computer. This may result in deletion of data on your IDrive account that is not present on your computer.

This is an useful option if you have removed data from your computer, and wish to do the same automatically to your IDrive account.

How does the Sync feature work?

On the 'Restore' tab, once you click the 'Sync' icon after selecting the folder(s)/drive(s), the IDrive application displays the list of files that are not present on your local computer, but still available in your IDrive account for the selected folder(s)/drive(s).

On synchronization, these files are deleted from the selected folder(s)/drive(s) present in your IDrive account.

How do I restore a file with a long path name to my local machine?

To restore a file with a long path name, choose any option to restore data to the destination directory:

1) Restore to the same directory without overwriting the existing files (Recommended).

2) Restore to the same directory overwriting the existing files (Not Recommended).

How do I restore my backed up data in case my system crashes (or to a new computer)?

To restore data backed up to your IDrive account to the local machine, follow the steps below:

1) Download and install the IDrive Application.

2) Login to the Classic interface with your Username and Password. If you had set a private encryption key while logging into the application for the first time, then provide the same.

3) Go to the 'Restore' tab, select the files/folders to be restored. Select the desired location, when prompted.

Alternately, you can restore the files/folders using drag-n-drop or copy-n-paste options available with the IDrive Explorer interface. To use the Explorer interface, install the IDrive Explorer plug-in (from Tools in the Menu bar).

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about IDrive and its features