FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is basic online backup TM?

basic online backup TM is a secure, online data backup service. It provides a simple and effective way to protect your data from hazards like file corruption, accidental deletion, or hardware failure.

basic online backup TM regularly backs up your files to a secure data centre automatically, so that you never have to worry about losing important data.

basic online backup TM provides protection for home users, business laptops and desktops and small business fileservers running Windows. Top

What's so special about basic online backup TM?

basic online backup TM is simply the best online backup service available. Here are just a few of the reasons we can claim this distinction:

• basic online backup TM is simple to set up.
• It performs backups automatically in the background while you continue working.
• It encrypts all your files before transferring them to our offsite data centre.
• It's fast because it backs up only the data that has changed.
• It backs up both open and locked files.
• It's cost effective and reliable. Top

How do I use basic online backup TM?

Simply install the software on your computer, select the files you want to back up, and then never worry about data loss again. Once you set it up, basic online backup TM automatically backs up your data for you at regular intervals. You don't even have to think about it! Top

How much does it cost?

basic online backup TM has a cost for a software license, and for the amount of data you want to backup. The following shows the cost of basic online backup TM per month, but billing can be provided quarterly or annually as well as monthly.

Desktop and Laptop license £3.00 per month
Fileserver license £6.00 per month.
Data storage £1.00 per Gb, per month. Top

What's the difference between Desktop and Fileserver licenses?

The basic online backup TM has two different types of licenses, Desktop/Laptop and Fileserver.

You need a desktop or laptop license for each business computer you want to back up, and a Fileserver license for each server you want to backup.

The basic online backup TM server license offers all the features of the desktop license, plus these additional features:

• Microsoft Windows and Mac server OS support.
• Network share support.
• Backup & restore of Exchange, SQL, and VMware.
• VSS writer backup and restore to Exchange, SYSVOL, and Active Directory.

Please Note: If you want to backup your personal data that is stored on a network share when you are in the office, as well as your local data, a desktop and server license is required. Top

Which platforms does basic online backup TM support?

The basic online backup TM supports Windows 2000, XP, and Vista for desktops and laptops, and the server license supports Windows Server 2000, 2003, 2008 and Windows Home Server. Top

Can I use basic online backup TM if I am behind an HTTPS proxy?

Yes! basic online backup TM needs direct outbound access through SSL port 443, or an HTTPS proxy server that will allow connections through it to public servers on SSL port 443. That's just a fancy way of saying that as long as your Internet Service Provider lets us through, we can back up your data even through an HTTPS proxy. If you are having trouble, we suggest contacting your Internet Service Provider to make sure your settings are configured properly to let us in.

For additional information on how to set your proxy configuration, see: Proxy Configuration. Top

Is basic online backup TM secure?

Absolutely! basic online backup TM gives you the ability to select your data's encryption method using a secure key with 448-bit Blowfish encryption or your own private key with 256-bit AES encryption. Your files are encrypted on your computer using the key of your choice, and then transferred to the basic online backup TM servers using 128-bit SSL encryption, the industry standard for safe and secure data transfer.

Please note that if you select to use your own private key, it will be impossible for our team at basic online backup TM to decrypt your data, so you must be very careful not to lose it. Top

Which files should I back up?

We recommend you back up data that is difficult to replace, like photos, email, contact lists, financial records, and office documents. If you're not sure what you want to back up, basic online backup TM offers you several backup sets in the “Backup Sets” tab of the application. You can tell basic online backup TM to use the default backup sets, create custom backup sets, or select specific files or folders that you want to back up. Top

How often can I restore my data?

You may restore files as many times as you need to. Top

What happens if I delete a file marked for backup?

If you delete a document and then run a backup, basic online backup TM assumes that you no longer need a backup copy of that document, and marks the file to be removed from our system. (We keep it on file for 30 days, just in case you change your mind.) After 30 days, the file is deleted from our servers and you are no longer able to get it back.

You cannot delete files from the basic online backup TM servers, but once a file is marked for deletion it is removed in 30 days and no longer counts against your storage space. Top

How can I view backup status?

In the system tray, double-click the basic online backup TM icon. The Status window appears, displaying the current backup status. Top

Are there any size limits or file types that I can't back up?

You can back up files of any type or size with only a few exceptions; OS-specific files, such as Pagefile and Prefetch files on Windows, cannot be backed up. EFS encryption files are supported by basic online backup TM however, other types of encrypted files may not be able to utilize the incremental backup feature. Top

Can I share my backed up data with others?

The question is not really can you share your backups, but should you? The only way that you can share your backed-up data is to give your username and password to someone else, and for obvious security reasons, we strongly advise you against this. If you don't want to compromise your privacy or data integrity, you should never share your basic online backup TM account information with anyone. Top

What do the symbol overlays on my file icons mean?

The green check mark means the file is currently backed up on our servers.

The yellow circle with an up arrow means that it is a file that has been previously backed up, but has been changed or modified and will be backed up again when the next backup runs.

The red exclamation point means it is not backed up on our servers but will be when the next backup runs. Top

How long does it take to back up?

For a typical system on a typical broadband line, and if you continue working on your computer during the backup, Basic Online Backup backs up data at the rate of about 2-4 GB per day. If left undisturbed on a fast connection, however, you can back up over 9 GB in a single day. You may experience faster or slower speeds depending on your connection.

During installation, basic online backup TM runs a bandwidth test and lets you know about how much you can upload a day. But if you want to get an estimate of the transfer rate before you begin your initial backup, you may want to use a bandwidth meter to measure your broadband connection speed. Top

Will subsequent back ups take as long as the first?

After your initial backup, subsequent backups are relatively quick. Chances are that you won't even notice them. This is possible because basic online backup TM performs what are called differential backups, which means that it only backs up the portions of your files that have changed since the last time they were backed up. This saves lots of time, bandwidth and storage space. Top

What if I lose my connection to basic online backup TM during a backup?

No problem. The next time you get online, basic online backup TM continues where it left off when you lost your connection. Top

How do I cancel my basic online backup TM account?

Users of basic online backup TM must contact our technical support via Email to cancel an account. Email address: onlinebackupsupport@basic.co.uk Top

Will basic online backup TM back up everything?

basic online backup TM was designed to back up your most important data files, such as your email, contact lists, photos, and financial data. It was not designed to back up your Windows operating system and application files.

If you need to restore these types of files, our recommendation would be to restore your computer them using the original install CDs. Our team at Basic Business Systems Ltd can provide professional assistance in the complete recovery of a failed desktop, laptop or server.

Remember, Operating Systems like Windows and Applications like Email and Microsoft Office can always be reinstalled from the original CD’s. Your data however can never be recreated, but when backed up using basic online backup TM can always be recovered. Top

How does basic online backup TM protect my data?

Your data is stored in its encrypted state in basic online backup TM data centres with 24x7x365 support, which includes on-site monitoring and security, state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression systems, redundant power distribution units, and seismic safeguards that can withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. In addition, we use a proprietary protection mechanism based on a complex encoding structure to ensure that your data is safe, even in the event of multiple hardware failures. Top

Does basic online backup TM back up data stored on external drives?

basic online backup TM supports drives that Windows recognizes as "fixed." However, we do not support "unfixed" removable drives such as thumb or flash drives.

You can tell if your drive is "fixed" by doing the following:

1. Click Start Menu, then click My Computer.
"Fixed" drives appear under Hard Disk Drives while unfixed drives appear under Devices with Removable Storage.

2. If you do not see these sections, click View > Arrange Icons by > Show in Groups.
If your external drive is not "fixed," first copy the data onto one of your "fixed" drives, then select the data for back up. Top

Basic Business Systems Ltd. Brookside Road, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6AT. United Kingdom
t: +44(0)115 984 2000 e: enquiry@basic.co.uk