Contents:
General
Requirements
Get started
Menu "Settings"
Menu "Advanced Settings"
Menu "Notification"
Menu "Status"
Menu "Help & Co"
General:
Why saving data?
It is unavoidable that one day your PC or laptop does not work correctly. Either the hard disk is damaged or the system is corrupted. In this case you will be happy about having a backup copy of your personal data.
Another useful feature of backups is the possibility to be able to despose also of previous versions of the files. For example you can recover a unintentional deleted file or also undo changes using this feature.
Requirements:
Windows or Linux and Java 6 Runtime.
You can download Java 6 Runtime under www.java.com.
The automatical adding of AWorkingBackup to the auto start can only be used with Windows (english/german). For Linux you have to put AWorkingBackup manually to the auto start.
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Get started:
To start AWorkingBackup with Windows please double-click on the file AWorkingBackup.jar. With Linux you can start it within the console or you open it by holding down the rigth mouse button and selecting „open with“ and then „Sun Java 6 Runtime“.
To install a newer version (you can search for Updates within the program and download it if necessary) of AWorkingBackup you just need to replace the old file AWorkingBackup.jar with the new one. Your Settings are applied automatically.
When you open the program the first time it opens with the window in which you should add the folders/files you like to backup.
Opening the program the next time it is immediately minimized to the icon-tray bar. To open the window simply click on the icon or hold down the right mouse button and select „open“ or do the things you like to do directly from this place.
It is recommended to make a backup on a storage medium outside you PC - e.g. on an external or removable hard disk, an USB-Stick or on another PC in your network (the target-PC must be ready for share and under Linux the device must be mounted).
One of the most common errors is, that the target location is not connected to the PC or is not running. Please make also sure, that there is enough free space on your backup medium.
It is important to make your backup at regular intervals – therefore AWorkingBackup should be started automatically on starting your PC (for Windows the option "Run program on start-up" is activated as default, for Linux please add the program manually to autostart). Further more you should use the option “activate auto backup” (this option is selected as standard with a standard interval of one day and hour 19:00 o’clock).
Please notice: when the system time is changed the timer does not work correctly anymore and you can not make no more backups. You must restart the program. The time of the last backup and of the next auto backup will be in the past or in the future if a backup was running while the system time was changed and you have reseted the system time after this backup. If the date is in the past it doesn't matter. If the date is in the future you should make a manual backup to reset the correct time for the next auto backup (otherwise it could happen that no auto backups are made for a long time though you have selected to make regular backups).
The folders or files to backup are saved to the location selected. A folder with the name “version1“ is created. If you have got a version of the program with the possibility to keep previous versions the folder structure is as follows: If you have made changes to a file a folder with the name “version2“ is created. In this folder you can find the previous version of the file along with the structure of folders. For the next change in this file a folder “version3“ is created. The oldest version of your file is moved to the folder “version3“. In other words: The oldest kept version is in the folder with the highest number, the newest version is always in the folder “version1“ (this folder contains the actual state). If you have got a program version without the possibility to keep previous versions or if you have selected yourself to keep 0 previous versions there is only the folder “version1“.
Renamed folders/files are treated in the same way as deleted folders/files. They are moved to the folder of the previous version (if this option is possible and selected). The renamed folders/files are copied completely new (folders with all included files) to the folder with the actual version ("version1"). Deleted folders/files do not exist any longer in the folder "version1". If you have set the number of previous versions to keep to 0 the deleted files are lost for ever.
If you have selected „Remove deleted files from backup-folder (from all versions)“ in the menu „Advanced Settings“ all deleted folders/files are also deleted from all previous versions. They are lost for ever.
The same applies to excluded folders/files/expressions and to folders/files which are removed from the source list, except the distination folder for the removed source is different from all remaining destination folders. In this case the backup of this folders/files remains in the last state.
Files for which the actual user has no read access or files which are just accessed are not saved and cause an error entry in the logfile. It is recommended, to make available the access for these files or to include them in the list of exclusions if a backup of these files is not essential. Symbolic links (which exists within Linux and Windows Vista) are not saved. It is not possible to backup files or folders with the same name itemised in the source list (of course it is possible to save them within the parent folder).
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Menu "Settings":
With the button “Add” you open a dialog where you have to select the folder or file to backup and the backup-destination. Do this for source and destination and then click on the OK-button.
To remove a row (several rows) you must select the row(s) to delete an click on the button “Remove”.
If you like to discard the changes you have made click on the button “Cancel”. If you like to apply them click “Apply”, if you like to apply the changes and close the window click “OK” and if you like to apply the changes and make a backup at once click the button “Apply & backup now”.
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Menu "Advanced Settings":
Here you can select your language (the default language is you system language) and you can turn on or off the sound after the backup.
The option to put the program to auto start (in this case the program starts automatically every time you start your PC) is only for Windows (english/german) available. On first start of the program this option is activated for Windows. If you don’t like to start the program on starting-up your PC automatically you can deactivate this function here. For Linux you must add AWorkingBackup to auto start manually.
You can activate or deactivate the scheduled auto backup and select the interval, the time-unit and the hour (minute) for the auto backup. If you have activated the auto backup a backup is made automatically at the desired time.
In the full version of AWorkingBackup the number of previous versions kept can be changed here.
In addition you have the possibility to exclude specified files, folders or expressions from backup. If you click on the “Add”-button a dialog is opened and ask you if you like to exclude files or folders or file extensions. Select what you like. If you select “Files extensions” a new dialog is opened – here you can enter your expressions (e.g. zip).
If you don't like any backup (no version) of deleted folders/files do this by checking ”Remove deleted files from backup-folder (from all versions)“. During the next backup the affected folders/files are removed.
All changes you have made take effect after clicking on the button “OK” or “Apply”. They are also saved when you click on the button “Apply & backup now”. In this case a backup is also started.
Only the change of the language does not take effect before you start AWorkingBackup new (at the latest by restarting your PC).
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Menu "Notification":
You have the possibility to send a notification about done backups to an email address you like. For this purpose you have to specify the data (sender mail address, SMTP-Server and if necessary username and password) of the email account that you like to use to send the notification. And you have to enter the mail address of the receiver.
Then you can choose, if a notification is sent when errors are occured only or if a notification should be sent after every backup.
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Menu "Status":
Here you get some information about the actual status of AWorkingBackup.
During a running backup you can see here the progress of the current backup.
In addition you see the date of the last backup, the date of the last successful backup and if auto backup is activated also the date of the next scheduled backup.
Green symbols mean that everything is running properly - regular auto backups are made, the program is automatically started on start-up of PC (only for windows) and the last backup is not dated back more than 30 days.
Yellow means: warning - auto backup is deactivated, the program does not start automatically on start-up of your PC (only for Windows), the last backup is dated back more than 30 days or no files to backup are selected.
Red means an error – the last backup wasn’t running successful. In this case open the log-file by clicking on the button “Show log-file“ - here you can find the error.
Please notice: when the system time is changed the timer does not work correctly anymore and you can not make no more backups. You must restart the program. The time of the last backup and of the next auto backup will be in the past or in the future if a backup was running while the system time was changed and you have reseted the system time after this backup. If the date is in the past it doesn't matter. If the date is in the future you should make a manual backup to reset the correct time for the next auto backup (otherwise it could happen that no auto backups are made for a long time though you have selected to make regular backups).
Only for Windows you can find information to your version of program refering to the registration at the top on the right. You can register your copy of AWorkingBackup by using the Buttons "Register now". Then you get your personal registration key, which you enter with the button "Enter registration key".
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Menu "Help & Co":
Here you can see your current installed version of AWorkingBackup and you can check for updates by clicking the button “Check for updates“. For Linux you need to download the newest version manually from our homepage (you can check for updates with the build in button, but you are asked to write the link in your browser yourself).
To install a newer version of AWorkingBackup you just need to replace the old file AWorkingBackup.jar with the new one. Your Settings are applied automatically.
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