Guard-Drive FAQ

What is Guard-Drive? Guard-Drive is online backup for your valuable computer files. Quick and easy to install and use, Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive software, Guard-Drive will automatically back up your files every day. Just leave your computer on and connected to the Internet and Guard-Drive will take care of the rest.

What types of computers will Guard-Drive run on? Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive? 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. Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive back up? By default Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive is installed. Guard-Drive will back up network drives and USB drives.

What files will not be backed up? Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive. You can restore right from your desktop using the Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive? 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 Arcam Engineering) can read your data. You can optionally select an automated encryption method that allows Guard-Drive to help recover your data in the event you forget your private encryption phrase. Your files are then sent to the Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive Servers in their encrypted form.

Can Guard-Drive be used to hack into my computer or access my files? No. The Guard-Drive application running on your computer does not accept inbound connections. It always initiates all connections, and only connects to the Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive cannot be used or accessed by anyone else.

What about open and locked files? Guard-Drive will back up open and locked files on Windows except for certain operating system files that never need to be restored. The Guard-Drive 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, Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive keep my files? You are in complete control over how many versions of your files Guard-Drive stores, and for how long. You can set Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive keep multiple versions of my files? Yes. Guard-Drive 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 Guard-Drive interfere with my other programs? No. Guard-Drive is designed to play nicely with other programs. It automatically throttles its resouce usage (CPU, Bandwidth, etc.) when other applications need those resources, too.

What is the Remote Security Suite? The Remote Security Suite can protect your data even if your computer is lost or stolen. It can also help recover your computer, and help the police identify the thief. The Remote Security Suite is included in Guard-Drive. Click here for more information.

Is the Guard-Drive 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...