The Online Backup FAQ

What is The Online Backup? The Online Backup is online backup for your valuable computer files. Quick and easy to install and use, The Online Backup works in the background as you work, securing your data in a Tier 4 Data Center encrypted for 100% privacy and security.

How do my files get backed up? Once you have installed the The Online Backup software, The Online Backup will automatically back up your files every day. Just leave your computer on and connected to the Internet and The Online Backup will take care of the rest.

What types of computers will The Online Backup run on? The Online Backup runs on Windows and Mac computers. It runs on Windows 2000, XP, and Vista, (including 64-bit systems) and all Mac OS X versions.

How much data can I store with The Online Backup? The basic plan includes 10 gigabytes, which is about enough space to back up 30,000 pictures or 2000 music files. If you want more space, you can easily buy more. We recommend backing up only irreplaceable files, and not music and video. The Online Backup automatically selects the best files to back up. Ten gigabytes is more than enough space for most people. You can purchase more storage space when needed.

Which files does The Online Backup back up? By default The Online Backup will back up your documents, pictures, spreadsheets, accounting files, email, databases and other "work" files on your computer. You can add and change file selections after The Online Backup is installed. The Online Backup will back up network drives and USB drives.

What files will not be backed up? The Online Backup was designed to ignore files that are not usually backed up, like Windows and Mac system and application files, and certain temporary files.

How do I restore my files? Restoring files is easy with The Online Backup. You can restore right from your desktop using the The Online Backup software, or from any other computer using just a web browser. You can even back up from a PC and restore to a Mac, or Mac to PC. You can select from any of multiple versions of each of your files, or simply select the latest version of everything.

How secure is The Online Backup? Can you read my data? Before your files are sent over the Internet, they are encrypted with military grade 448-bit technology. If you use a private encryption phrase known only to you, nobody (not even The Online Backup) can read your data. You can optionally select an automated encryption method that allows The Online Backup to help recover your data in the event you forget your private encryption phrase. Your files are then sent to the The Online Backup Data Center using an additional layer of encryption called Secure Socket Layer (SSL) with the highest level of encryption and validation technology available (Extended Validation 128-256 bits). Your files are stored on the The Online Backup Servers in their encrypted form.

Can The Online Backup be used to hack into my computer or access my files? No. The The Online Backup application running on your computer does not accept inbound connections. It always initiates all connections, and only connects to the The Online Backup Servers through a connection encrypted and protected through Extended Validation (EV) SSL. This is the most secure connection available. It guarantees that your connection to The Online Backup cannot be used or accessed by anyone else.

What about open and locked files? The Online Backup will back up open and locked files on Windows except for certain operating system files that never need to be restored. The The Online Backup Open Files Agent does not require Windows VSS, therefore it works with both Windows NTFS and FAT32.

How long will backups take? The first backup takes the most time - sometimes days or even weeks, depending on your file sizes and bandwidth. But after that, backups take an average of about 5 minutes for a personal computer used for "normal" purposes, and 20 minutes for an office computer. (from a study of 5,000 users conducted on September 15, 2008) Of course, if you add a lot of files, The Online Backup will have to back those up, too. Backup speed is governed by the size of your files, the upload speed of your Internet connection, and the amount of traffic sharing your branch of the Internet.

How long will The Online Backup keep my files? You are in complete control over how many versions of your files The Online Backup stores, and for how long. You can set The Online Backup to store an unlimited number of versions for periods of time ranging from seven days to ten years after they have been deleted from your computer.

Does The Online Backup keep multiple versions of my files? Yes. The Online Backup keeps any number of versions of your files, allowing you to restore from any of your previous versions by date and time. The default is 3 versions.

Will The Online Backup interfere with my other programs? No. The Online Backup is designed to play nicely with other programs. It automatically throttles its resouce usage (CPU, Bandwidth, etc.) when other applications need those resources, too.

Is the The Online Backup User's Guide online? Yes. The user's guide is at this link.

I'm a geek. May I have more technical info? So are we. ("Never be ashamed of who you are." - J.B.E. Zorg, The Fifth Element, 1997) Here ya go...