ABC Backup User's Guide

Program Description

System Requirements
Windows 95/98/Me or Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP/2003
Approximately 2MB of free disk space 

Installation
Download the �abcbackupsetup.exe� file
Make sure you have administrator privileges in the system where you wish to install ABC Backup. 
Start �abcbackupsetup.exe�  and follow the Installation Wizard steps.
Run the program.

Uninstall
Close the ABC Backup  program window.
Select �ABC Backup� in the Windows Start menu and click �Uninstall�.
The Uninstall Wizard will guide you through the necessary steps.

Or you can use the Windows Control Panel �Add/Remove programs� applet to remove ABC Backup.

Starting the program
Select �ABC Backup� in the Windows start menu and click the �ABC Backup� item. 

Quick start

Start the program. You will see the main program window containing the main program menu and toolbar:

Add � add a task

Edit � edit existing tasks. You should select a task first to make this button enabled.

Delete  -  delete a task selected

Run � manually start a task selected for immediate execution

Preferences � change options. Set default file paths and a naming scheme. 

The main window contains the list of existing tasks along with some of their important properties: task name, file name, scheduled start time, timestamp, number of completed executions, status of execution. The list is empty on first start. The user can define tasks, adding them to the list. The program will count executions and show actual tasks properties.

To view or edit properties of an existing task, select it in the list and click the �Edit� button.

Creating a new task

Click the �Add� button. Follow the step-by-step Wizard instructions to create a new task.

Overview of the New Task Wizard steps:

Step 1. Choosing a name for the project

Enter a name for the new task and a filename to save its options.
Example:  Your Project 1

By default the program uses �Task 1� as a project name. And �task1.zad� as a file name.

Step 2. Selecting files

Specify the kind of storage where you wish the files to be copied from.  For example, a folder on your PC or a directory on a remote server. Then click the �Add� button and select files and/or directories on your computer that you wish to copy or archive. 

Step 3. Compression

This feature is used to reduce the backup size using the ZIP compression algorithm. Select the �Compress files� option and enter a name for the archive if you need a compressed backup. Select the �Change file name on every run� option.

Step 4.  Destination

Choose the type of the destination storage.

Local/LAN  -  if you wish the files to be copied onto a local disk or a disk that is available through your LAN 
FTP � if you need the files to be copied to a remote server via FTP.

Then, select a target directory where you wish the files to be copied or a file name for a solid archive. In order to do this, you should select appropriate options from �Copy compressed archive�, �Copy files as is (Mirror)�, �Delete source files�. 

For an FTP transfer, enter your login information and the path where you need to copy your files.

Step 5. Setting a schedule

Select the interval and time to begin the event. Enter the start and the end date. Then choose a period:

Daily � select the number of days

Weekly � select day(s) of week

Monthly -  select the day of the month 

Once � Enter the exact date 

Step 6. Other actions 

If you need a third-party tool to be used for this task, select the following options:

Exit the program and unload it from memory

Wait while the program finishes

Start the program before executing the task

Wait while the program finishes

Start the program after executing the task

Wait while the program finishes

In this manner, you can start or stop third-party applications before or after making backups. 

Step 7. Save task

Your new task is now saved. It will be executed at the time scheduled if ABC Backup is running on your PC.

Editing a task

You can edit task properties later. Select it in the list and use the �Edit� function.

Executing a task

You can start a task manually, if needed, without scheduling its start time. Simply select it and click the �Run� button.

Deleting a task

Select a task and click �Delete�.

Preferences

After installing the program all preferences are set to their default values. Use the �Preferences� button to edit them.

The first page of the preferences dialog contains the following options:

• Start the program automatically on system start
• Only one instance (do not start another copy of the program if one is already running)
• Minimize to tray. The program will sit in the system tray after using the Exit function.
• Notify when a scheduled task is executed
• Save windows position

The second page contains the following options:

• Default task name
• Path to the folder where tasks files are saved
• Default compressed archive name
• Default path to save compressed archives
• Default folder to copy files �as is�

Change necessary options and click �Save�.

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