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Using Backup4all - FAQ 6

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Aug 21, 2019
Backup4all - all versions
We strive to keep our articles as accurate as possible. If you notice any inconsistencies or outdated info please let us know.
This section contains answers for frequent questions regarding the registration process of Backup4all.

On this page:

How to set the computer to Stand by after backup

This article explains how to set the computer to Stand by after backup.
Follow these steps:
  1. Open Backup4all, go to Backup Properties (Ctrl+P) -> Advanced
  2. In the Run action after backup section, check Run program or action
  3. Select <Stand by> from the list.
  4. Press Save. If you run a backup tag, please set the action in the last executed backup job from that tag.

How to abort the backup when source drives are not available

If you run a scheduled backup and don't want to run the backup while one of the source drives is not available, you can follow the steps bellow to abort the backup:
  1. Open Backup4all
  2. Go to Backup Properties -> Scheduler
  3. Select the Abort backup when source drives are not available option
  4. Press Save

How to open backup jobs from FTP

Follow these steps:
  1. Open Backup4all
  2. Go to File menu and select Open from
  3. In the left side of the window, select FTP server
  4. Press Configure FTP button
  5. Select an existing configuration or manually enter the FTP settings. Press OK
  6. Press Show to display the folders and selected file types (.bkc or .ini).
  7. Press Scan to display a list of only .bkc/.ini files from all folders and subfolders in that location.
  8. Select the backup job(s) you want to open and press Open.

How to change the application priority

Follow these steps to change the Backup4all application priority compared with other running processes on your computer:
  1. Open Backup4all
  2. Go to File -> Options -> Preferences page
  3. Under Application priority section, move the cursor to a higher or a lower position
  4. Press OK to save the changes.

How to sort the backup jobs alphabetically

Follow these steps to sort the backup jobs alphabetically in backup list:
  1. Open Backup4all
  2. Go to File -> Options -> Preferences page
  3. Under Other section, check the Sort jobs/tags alphabetically in Navigation Pane option.
  4. Press OK

How to open backup jobs from SFTP

Follow these steps:
  1. Open Backup4all
  2. Go to File menu and select Open from
  3. In the left side of the window, select SFTP server
  4. Press Configure SFTP button.
  5. Select an existing configuration or manually enter the SFTP settings. Press OK
  6. Press Show to display the folders and selected file types (.bkc or .ini).
  7. Press Scan to display a list of only .bkc/.ini files from all folders and subfolders in that location.
  8. Select the backup job(s) you want to open and press Open.

How to move backups jobs to another tag

For each backup job, select another tag in Backup Properties->General page.

How to erase the destination disc before the backup execution

If you backup to rewritable discs (CD, DVD or Blu-ray), when you re-use the discs, Backup4all can automatically erase each disk before burning data files on it.
Please follow these steps to set Backup4all to erase the disc before writing it:
  1. Open Backup4all
  2. Go to Backup Properties -> Destination -> Optical
  3. In Destination settings section, check the Erase before writing option.
  4. Press Save.

How to open backup jobs from a local hard drive

If you want to open a single backup job, you can press File -> Open and browse your computer for your backup job or you can follow the steps bellow:
  1. Open Backup4all
  2. Go to File menu and select Open from
  3. In the left side of the window, select Local hard drive
  4. Browse your local computer for backup jobs.
  5. Press Show to display the folders and selected file types (.bkc or .ini).
  6. Press Scan to display a list of only .bkc/.ini files from all folders and subfolders in that location.
  7. Select the backup job(s) you want to open and press Open.

How to speed up the files tree expand

This article shows you how to speed up the files tree expand in Explore View or Restore Wizard.
Follow these steps:
  1. Open Backup4all
  2. Go to File -> Options -> Preferences page
  3. Under Views section, uncheck the Show explorer icons option
  4. Press OK

How to run the backup jobs one after another

You can configure Backup4all to run the backup jobs one after another. There won't be two backup jobs running in the same time.
After the current backup job is processed, the following one will start.
To do that, you need to assign the same tag to all backup jobs you want to run.
You can drag and drop the backup jobs to a specific tag from the left side column or you can manually select the tag for each job in Backup Properties -> General page.
When all jobs you want to run have the same assigned, you can schedule that tag to automatically start the backup.

How to set the computer to hibernate after backup

This article explains how to set the computer to hibernate after backup.
Follow these steps:
  1. Open Backup4all, go to Backup Properties (Ctrl+P) -> Advanced
  2. In the Run action after backup section, check Run program or action
  3. Select <Hibernate> from the list.
  4. Press Save. If you run a backup tag, please set the action in the last backup job from that tag.

How to restore a backup from SFTP to another computer

Follow these steps to restore a backup from SFTP:
  1. Install Backup4all on the new computer.
  2. Open in Backup4all the backup catalog (.bkc file) from the backup destination. Go to File -> Open From -> SFTP server.
  3. Configure the SFTP server and open the backup catalog. The backup job will be recreated in Backup4all.
  4. When asked if you want to change the backup destination, please make sure you indicate the correct location of the backup catalog and backup files.
  5. Press Restore.
  6. Select the location for restore or use the original location.
  7. Press Finish.

How to restore a backup from FTP to another computer

Follow these steps to restore a backup from FTP:
  1. Install Backup4all on the new computer.
  2. Open in Backup4all the backup catalog (.bkc file) from the backup destination. Go to File -> Open From -> FTP server.
  3. Configure the FTP server and open the backup catalog. The backup job will be recreated in Backup4all.
  4. When asked if you want to change the backup destination, please make sure you indicate the correct location of the backup catalog and backup files.
  5. Press Restore.
  6. Select the location for restore or use the original location.
  7. Press Finish.

How to set the computer to Log off after backup

Follow these steps:
  1. Open Backup4all, go to Backup Properties (Ctrl+P) -> Advanced
  2. In the Run action after backup section, check Run program or action
  3. Select <Log off> from the list.
  4. Press Save.
If you run a backup tag, please set the action in the last backup job from that tag.

How to lock the destination to a removable drive

In case you have a Removable USB drive, you can lock the destination to a particular drive.
This method is useful when your Windows OS assigned another drive letter to your removable destination drive.
Using the lock option from Backup4all, the backup application will use the device ID to identify the destination drive.
Steps to follow:
  1. Connect your destination drive
  2. Open Backup4all
  3. Go to Backup Properties -> Removable page
  4. Select the current destination drive letter.
  5. Check the Lock the destination to this removable drive option
  6. Press Save

How to restore a backup from network to another computer.

Follow these steps to restore a backup from network:
  1. Install Backup4all on the new computer.
  2. Open in Backup4all the backup catalog (.bkc file) from the backup destination. Go to File -> Open From -> Network.
  3. Configure the network (if necessarily) and open the backup catalog. The backup job will be recreated in Backup4all.
  4. When asked if you want to change the backup destination, please make sure you indicate the correct location of the backup catalog and backup files.
  5. Press Restore.
  6. Select the location for restore or use the original location.
  7. Press Finish.

How to get the backup jobs back after Windows installation

After you install Windows, please follow these steps to get back one or multiple backup jobs:
  1. Download Backup4all from our website and install it.
  2. Open in Backup4all the backup catalogs (.bkc files) from the backup destination.
That will recreate the backup jobs in the left side backup list of Backup4all.

How to lock the Backup4all interface with a password

This article will explain you how to lock the Backup4all interface with a password.
  1. Steps to follow:
  2. Open Backup4all
  3. Go to File menu and select Options
  4. On General page, under Security section, check the Lock program interface with a password
  5. Press Set password and type the password to lock the program's interface.
  6. Press OK.
  7. When you'll try to open Backup4all, a window will appear asking you to enter the interface password.

How to change the comparison criteria for a backup job

Backup4all uses the .bkc backup catalog to store information about the backed up files. When running a backup, the source files are compared with the information stored in the .bkc file to determine which files will be backed up.
The possible comparison criteria in Backup4all are:
  • Size (used by default) - cannot be unchecked
  • Date modified (used by default)
  • Date created (used by default)
  • CRC32
  • Read-Only (used by default)
  • Archived (used by default)
  • Hidden (used by default)
  • System (used by default)
  • Compressed
  • Temporary
  • Encrypted
  • Not Indexed
  • Offline
  • Reparse point
  • Sparse file
There are six template criteria you can select from:
  • None
  • Default
  • Custom
  • Archive attributes only
  • FAT Attributes
  • NTFS Attributes
You can customize the criteria in order to fit your needs.