Creating a Backup

FileFort Backup

Help v 3.31

Creating a New Backup Job

To create a new backup, click on the New button on the toolbar or press Ctrl+W. This will open the wizard to help you set up a new backup job.

What To Back up

On the first page of the wizard, select the folders you wish to back up. You may add as many folders as you wish from any available drives.

You may also set up inclusion and exclusion rules based on pattern matching or file types.

See more about the first wizard page in the New Job Wizard ~ What to Back Up section in the Screen References section of this manual.

Backup Location

In the second step of the wizard, select the backup destination where the backup will be saved. The options are:

Cloud Backup Options

  • Back up to Google Drive or Google Docs account - the backup will be uploaded to the Google Drive server. You'll need your email address and password for your Google account. If you don't have a Google account, you can click on the "Sign up for a free Google Docs account" link in FileFort's New Job Wizard, on the Google Drive setup page.
  • Back up to Amazon S3 - the backup will be uploaded to Amazon S3 servers. You'll need an Access Key and Access Secret, which you generate by going to your Amazon S3 account, create a bucket and then from the My Account/Console menu select Security Credentials and click the Access Credentials link. If you don't have an Amazon S3 account, you can register for a free account by clicking the "Sign up for a free Amazon S3 account" link in FileFort's New Job Wizard, on the Amazon S3 setup page.
  • Back up to Dropbox - the backup will be uploaded to your Dropbox account. You'll be redirected to a browser where you'll authorize FileFort to upload to a folder in your Dropbox account. If you don't have a Dropbox account, you can sign up for a free account by clicking the "Sign up for a free Dropbox account" link in FileFort's New Job Wizard, on the Dropbox setup page.
  • Back up to a remote server using FTP - the backup will be uploaded to an FTP server. Selecting this option will open the FTP list. If you need to add an FTP server, click the Add button. See section of this manual for more information on setting up an FTP server to use with FileFort.

Hard Backup Options

  • Back up onto a USB stick - the backup will be saved to the USB stick (flash drive, thumb drive, memory stick) you specify. You will also be able to choose to automatically perform this backup job each time the stick is plugged in.
  • Back up to CD/DVD/Blu-ray using Express Burn Software - the backup data will be written to a disc using Express Burn. Make sure the correct disc burning drive is selected from the Backup Drive drop menu. Learn more about Express Burn at www.nch.com.au/burn/index.html.
  • Back up onto an external hard drive - the backup will be saved to the selected external hard drive. You will also be able to choose to automatically perform this backup job each time the drive is plugged in.
  • Back up to a network folder - the backup will be saved on a network folder. Enter the folder name in the Folder field, or browse to the folder location and select it for the backup.
  • Back up to a local folder - the backup will be saved on a local folder on the same machine. Enter the folder name in the Folder field, or browse to the folder location and select it for the backup.

For more information about backup locations, see the New Job Wizard ~ Backup Location topic in the Screen References section of this manual.

Backup Type

In the third step of the wizard, select a backup type and specify other options for the backup.

Backup Type

  • Full - all files in the selected folders will be backed-up, and existing backup files will be overwritten.
  • Historical - creates a full backup every time, and keeps versions from each month.
  • Incremental - only the files that have changed since the last backup will be backed up.

Create self-extracting backup
Ticking this checkbox will create the backup as an executable (.exe) file, which does not require FileFort to be installed for the backup to be restored.

Encrypt backup using MEO Encryption
Ticking this checkbox will enable you to password protect your backup using MEO encryption software. Enter your MEO password and confirm the password to encrypt. Learn more about MEO and download a free copy at www.nchsoftware.com/encrypt/index.html.

Create a zip backup
Ticking this checkbox will enable you to create a zip backup, rather than the default format FileFort creates (.bkz). Archives can be restored using any application that is able to extract zip archives.

Mirror files exactly in subfolders
Ticking this checkbox will enable you to create a mirror of the folders and files, on a specified destination folder. Files can be restored entirely from FileFort, or by copying the desired files with Windows Explorer.
All Backup Type are supported (Full, Historical, Incremental) on USB Stick, External/Backup Hard Drives, or Network Folder destination. Cloud Backup destinations are not yet supported.

Learn more about the backup types in the help topic New Job Wizard ~ Backup Type found in the Screen References section of this manual.

Job Start Interval

In the final step of the wizard, specify how often the backup is to run and at what time.

  • Schedule Backup - Check this box if you wish the backup to automatically run at the time/date you specify.
  • Schedule Type - Select to run the backup daily or weekly.
  • Job Start Time - Specify the time of day the backup runs. You may want to consider a time you will not be using your computer, but when the computer will be turned on.
  • Job Start Day - If you specified a weekly backup, select the day of the week the backup should run.

The backup will run starting on the day and time you specify above. If FileFort is not running at the time (or your PC is not turned on), the next time you run FileFort you will be told that the backup did not run. You can then choose to do the backup right away by checking the box labeled "Run backup immediately."

Learn more about scheduling your backup in the New Job Wizard ~ Job Start Interval topic in the Screen References section of this manual.

Creating a Backup© NCH Software
NCH Software