The main user interface provides quick access to the three main functions.
.topic 100
The OutBack Plus - Backup function is performed by a "Wizard" type of interface using 4 steps:
Step 1 - Select the Groups of data to include in the Backup.
Step 2 - Select the Data Items to be included in the Backup.
Step 3 - Select a Backup Location.
Step 4 - Create the Backup.
.topic 105
Step 1 - Select the Groups of data to include in the Backup.
In OutBack Plus, the data to be included in the backup is organized into "Groups".
The "Standard Groups" are shown on the left side of the window.
Check the "Groups" to be included in the backup.
See the section "Personal Groups" for information on how to include additional files and folders in the backup.
Once the groups are selected (checked) - click "Next Step"
.topic 110
Step 2 -- Select the Data Items to be included in the Backup.
The selection window is divided into 5 main areas and functions:
1. Groups
When a Group is selected in the leftmost column, the data applicable to that group appears in the center column.
2. Selecting Data Items to Backup
You may include all of the data for the Group, or select portions:
Items with a Check mark will be included in the backup.
The green square will be solid green only if all of the items in a folder are selected (checked).
If no items are selected in a folder - the square will be empty.
3. Quick Select Functions
The "Select All" and "Clear All" buttons may be used to select (or clear) all of the items in the current Data Group or in all Data Groups.
4. Status Information
The amount of data to save and other information is shown at the bottom.
5. Wizard Functions
When all desired items in all groups are selected, choose 'Next Step" to proceed to step 3.
.topic 120
Step 3 -- Select a Backup Location
The first time the program is run, you will be prompted to find the disk and folder which you wish to use for the backups. This becomes the default location for the next backup.
Each time you make a backup, you may select a different location. If you select a new location - this location will become the default for the next run.
Choose the location by clicking the "Browse" button.
The backup files will automatically be named with the "user name" and "date and time" as a part of the file name.
You may remove the "date & time" via the Options menu.
Advanced Options
Job Options
You may, optionally, save the Group and Item selections as a "Job". Enter a name in the drop down box or select one from the box to update a prior job. Once you have saved the selection as a "Job" - you can select the same "Job" from the Backup Now! function.
Multi-Part Files
You may, optionally, create the backup file in multiple parts or segments which may then be copied to a other media (e.g., Zip Disks). The image shows the setting to create a multi-part file which will be copied to Zip100 disks (which really have a 95mb capacity).
When the backup is saved as a multi-part set, each segment has a file type
like ".o02" (e.g., OBP5Backup.JIM.2004-09-28.16-43.o02 followed by
OBP5Backup.JIM.2004-09-28.16-43.o03 followed with the final segment named
OBP5Backup.JIM.2004-09-28.16-43.opz).
You would first save the backup to some temporary folder on your main drive (say "My Documents") and then, when the backup is complete, copy each segment to a separate disk.
Options when Backup is Complete
When the backup is complete, the program will normally display a log of the actions taken and then end.
You may also choose other alternatives from the drop down list:
Note: the Hibernate/Standby mode is only applicable if supported by your computer.
Passwords
You may protect the backup file from being read by others using a password by checking: "Password Protect File":
The password is case sensitive. The password is used to encrypt the data within the backup file. This type of encryption can resist attacks by amateurs if the password is well chosen and long enough (at least 16 characters) but it will probably not resist attacks by determined users or experts. Therefore, we suggest that you always use long passwords, and when possible, do not rely solely on this encryption system to protect sensitive data.
OutBack Plus will optionally remember your password for re-use on the next backup if you check the "Remember Password" box
Choose Backup Now to make the backup.
.topic 130
Step 4 -- Create the Backup
While the backup is being created, a window displays the progress:
After the all of the files are saved, the data is verified. (See Backup Options further information).
A log file is created showing all activity. The log is displayed unless turned off in the Backup Options.
.topic 150
If Internet Explorer is found on your machine, OutBack Plus will also (if desired) make a backup of the Internet Explorer Favorites, Cookies, Offline Web Folders, and critical Internet Explorer settings.
Please note that many of the web sites that you visit will store information in the "cookies" folder. Many people dislike cookies but they are quite helpful if you often visit a site which relies upon them.
To backup the Internet Explorer data, check the items in the Internet Explorer data group.
.topic 140
In addition to the data shown in the "Standard Groups", you may add any file(s) or folders you wish to have included in the backup.
There are two types of "Personal Groups":
(1) Personal Folder Group -- to include a selected folder in the backup.
(2) Personal Files Group -- to include selected files in the backup.
The "Personal Groups" are created or modified at the first step of the backup using the buttons:
The details for each type of "Group" follow in the next sections.
.topic 190
Select "Restore" from the OutBack Plus main window to begin the restore process.
There are three "Restore Types" - as shown on the left side of the first restore window:
As you move the mouse cursor over the "Restore Types" (on the left), hints for each restore type will show on the right.
Click one of the "Restore Types" and then select the "Next Step" button to proceed.
.topic 195
Restore All/Selected Data
This will restore all or selected data files and settings from the backup file.
You would use typically this type of restore:
when moving data files to a new machine
to recover accidentally deleted data file(s)
to recover from a system hardware failure
to copy data to/from a laptop for a trip
Note: the data restored from the backup file will replace the data currently on the machine where the restore is done.
Search Personal Folder Data
This will restore selected Outlook Personal Data files from the backup file for review or analysis.
Note: the Personal Folder data will not replace the currently in Outlook.
The restored data can be opened within Outlook without disturbing the existing data.
Additional Help will be shown after the data files are restored to assist with the operation in Outlook.
Import Outlook Data Files
This will restore selected Outlook Personal Data files from the backup for Import into Outlook.
You would use typically this type of restore:
when moving to Outlook 2003 from any older version of Outlook
to merge Outlook data from the backup with the data currently in Outlook.
Additional Help will be shown after the data files are restored to assist with the operation in Outlook.
.topic 200
Selecting a Backup File
OutBack Plus will retain the name and location of the last backup/archive done. You may browse to restore from any backup or archive file.
Select Items to Restore
The items available in the backup file are shown on a list just as shown when they were saved.
The date and time of the backup file are shown in the OutBack Plus title area for reference.
Select the "Group" in the column on the left. (1 above).
Click on the check box beside the name for each Item which you wish to restore from the backup (2 above).
Click the "Restore Now" button to do the Restore (3 above).
During the restore, the files and folders being restored will be shown to indicate that the restore is progressing.
.topic 202
Selecting a Backup File
OutBack Plus will retain the name and location of the last backup/archive done. You may browse to restore from any backup or archive file.
Select Items to Restore
The Outlook Personal Data items available in the backup file are shown.
Check the item(s) which you wish to reload to search.
Each selected (checked) item will be restored under a different name (as shown in the status bar - see above) so as not to interfere with the data currently in Outlook.
Click the "Restore Now" button to restore the selected item(s).
OutBack Plus will reload the data item(s) from the backup and show a "Guide" window in the upper right corner of the screen.
Follow the "Guide" to open the restored data item(s).
.topic 204
Selecting a Backup File
OutBack Plus will retain the name and location of the last backup/archive done. You may browse to restore from any backup or archive file.
Select Items to Restore
The Outlook Personal Data items available in the backup file are shown.
Check the item(s) which you wish to reload for Import.
Each selected (checked) item will be restored under a different name (as shown in the status bar - see above) so as not to interfere with the data currently in Outlook.
Click the "Restore Now" button to restore the selected item(s).
OutBack Plus will reload the data item(s) from the backup and show a "Guide" window in the upper right corner of the screen.
Follow the "Guide" to import the restored data item(s).
.topic 210
As all Outlook data is stored in a single large data file (Personal Folder) you must take some care when doing the restore otherwise you may get unexpected results. The restore possibilities can be broken down into categories:
New install of Outlook or a damaged copy Outlook
This method would be used when Outlook is unused or unusable on the target machine.
You would typically use this method:
when moving to a new machine
after re-installing Outlook
after re-installing Windows
copying data from a desktop machine to a laptop for a trip
Follow the instructions under: "Restore - All/Selected Data".
Check ALL items to do a full restore.
Recover lost data
You would typically use this method when restoring data to recover accidentally deleted messages.
Follow the instructions under "Restore - Search Personal Folder Data".
Merge Outlook data
You would typically use this method when restoring data from a laptop (after a trip) but retaining the existing data.
Follow the instructions under: "Restore - Import Outlook Data Files".
Warnings on Restore (files in red)
If OutBack Plus shows one or more personal files in red, there is a problem with the Outlook file names. See "Windows and Outlook Version Differences" for more information.
Restoring from an old version of Outlook to Outlook 2003
Restore the older Outlook data files using the method described under "Restore - Import Outlook Data Files"
.topic 1200
The Program Options are available via the menu "Options"
Select (click) an Item on the left of the Options Window
.topic 1210
By default - the logs will be shown automatically.
.topic 1220
The default compression is [6]. Greater compression also requires more time.
.topic 1230
Verify All Files
By default, all of the files included in the backup will be verified when the backup is complete.
If this option is checked, each file is extracted to be validated. This may be time consuming for very large backup files.
If you remove the check, the file backup structure will be verified but the files will not be extracted. This may save some time in some situations.
Show Folder Path in Status
When selecting files for the backup (Step 2 of the backup) information about the file or folder to be selected is shown in the status bar while the mouse pointer is over the file name or description in the "tree".
If this option is selected, the path for the file will also be shown (when appropriate) in the status bar.
Include Date & Time in File Names
If checked - the system default setting - the date and time will be included in name of each backup file.
For example, the file name would look like:
OBP4Backup.JIM.2004-05-10.16-16.opz
The backup file above would have been made on May 10, 2004 at 4:16 pm for user name: Jim.
If not checked, the backup file would be named like:
OBP4Backup.JIM.opz
If the file name does not include the date and time, a new backup will replace any prior backup of the same name in the same target folder. In some cases this may be desirable. However, note that this will mean that you have only one copy of the backup. If that copy is damaged or lost - you will not have any backup protection.
Start Outlook when Backup is Complete
Use this option if you wish to automatically start Outlook when the backup has finished.
Show File Icons
The list of items to backup or restore will normally show the icon assoociated with a particular file (item). If this option is unchecked - the file icons will not show. The display of large lists if files is much faster if the icons are not shown. Note: changing this setting does not affect a list that is already showing.
Do "My Documents" in Summary
If this option is checked, the items from "My Documents" will not be shown in detail in the list of items to backup. This will make the backup list load much quicker in cases where there are a large number of items in "My Documents". (Note - the option may not be availble in all releases of OutBack Plus).
.topic 1235
Many files contain compressed data.
The most popular compressed files are shown in the list.
Further compressing these files while storing them in the OutBack Plus file is of limited use.
You may add other more file types by selecting the "Add" button.
If you wish to compress these files - remove the check from the item.
.topic 1240
When restoring files, OutBack Plus will automatically preserve any "critical" prior data file with the same name.
For example, if you restore "Outlook.pst" and you have an existing "Outlook.pst" file, OutBack Plus will save the original file as "Outlook.pst.000".
If there is already a preserved copy (Outlook.pst.000) then the current Outlook.pst would be renamed as "Outlook.pst.001"
Hence, if you restore something by mistake, you can always recover the prior version of your file.
All operations are recorded in the Restore Log for use if required.
Notes:
1 When restoring Internet Explorer Cookies or Favorites, no attempt is made to preserve the prior data.
2 If you do not wish to preserve files while restoring, remove the check mark beside "Preserve Replace Files".
3 Non-critical files (e.g., a signature file) will be sent to the recycle bin when being replaced rather than being preserved as above.
.topic 1250
OutBack Plus requires access to the Internet to perform the "Live Update".
If a proxy server is used for your Internet Access, check the "Use a proxy...." box and enter the appropriate parameters.
.topic 820
OutBack Plus will check to see if a backup is overdue and advise if you have not done a backup.
You may change the time elapsed between the reminders by choosing menus: "Tools\Set Reminder Time".
By default, the reminder is done using the internal OutBack Plus Backup scheduler.
If you do NOT wish to use the schedule function, you may enable the check box "Use startup in Start Menu for Reminder". You may wish to do this on older systems to conserve system resources. Note: if this option is used, the reminder will only occur when the machine is restarted. If you use the "StandBy: or "Hibernate" features of Windows (such that you do not actually start your machine), then the reminder will NOT occur
If your backup is overdue, a "Reminder" window will appear as:
The default location for the backup is shown in the middle window. You may change the location for the backup using the button labelled: "Browse for Alternate Location".
The "Backup Now" button will run the backup without showing the "wizard" steps.
The "Run OutBack Plus" button will launch the OutBack Plus "wizard".
.topic 830
OutBack Plus will retain the location of the previous backup file.
If you always save the backups to the same physical disk, (e.g., a network disk drive), the disk space used will continue to increase unless you delete the older backup files.
OutBack Plus will, optionally, delete old backup files found at the same location.
The "Set Backup Purge" option is available from the menu "Tools"
AFTER the current backup is completed successful, OutBack Plus will check to see how many backup files are present at the same location.
If there are more files that specified in the option list, OutBack Plus will delete the oldest ones leaving only the requested number of files.
The automatic purge is only done after the current backup is completed. Hence, you require enough space on the backup medium to accommodate the new file before the old one(s) are deleted
.topic 835
OutBack Plus will retain backup logs for each backup.
OutBack Plus will, optionally, delete old log files found in the standard data history folder.
The "Set Log File Purge" option is available from the Tools menu.
The purge of log files is done only after the current backup is successfully completed.
.topic 840
OutBack Plus includes an integrated scheduler which provides the ability to schedule a backup to be run at a pre-determined time.
Select "Schedule Backups..." from the "Tools" menu to add or change item in the schedule. If you have not created any scheduled items, you will be prompted to add an item.
Adding a Scheduled Job
The first time the schedule function is used, the "Add Job" wizard will appear automatically. You may also add a new job using the "Add" button on the Scheduled job list.
A - Job Options:
Enter a name for the "Job". The name is not critical. If you have previously created a job you may click the down arrow on the drop down box to select a prior job.
Select any options to be done when the backup is complete.
B - Schedule:
Select an appropriate day, days, or date for the scheduled backup.
"Run at Time:" Select the time to start the backup.
"Remind Me:" If a reminder time is selected, a reminder window will be shown before the Backup begins:
If the "Close" action is chosen, the reminder will appear again in 5 minutes until the time backup is due.
If you have a machine which can 'hibernate', you may elect to "wake" the machine to do the backup.
The "Job Priority" is only used if two or more backup events are missed because the machine was not running. When the system is next available, the scheduler will attempt to run the highest priority job of the jobs that were missed.
C - Advanced:
You may select a folder to be used for the backup when running this "Job". If no folder is selected, the backup will be saved to the same folder as used for the last backup done.
You may also select the groups to be used for the this "Job". For example, you may have a daily job that only saves the Outlook group and a weekly job to save all groups.
C - Shortcut:
You may, optionally, create shortcuts to run the "job" in place of or in addition to the schedule.
All of the options set on pages (A), and (C) will be effective when run from the shortcut.
When done, click "OK".
Viewing and Managing the List of Scheduled Items
Once you have at least one scheduled item, the list of items will show.
You may temporarily disable an item by removing the check in the first column.
To change or delete an item, select it and then choose "Change" or "Delete"
Once the item has been done, the date of the last run will show in the last column.
.topic 860
Microsoft Outlook will exclusively lock data files while the program is running.
Outlook may be running even though not visible to provide services to other applications (e.g., Palm Pilot Synchronize programs).
It is not possible to include exclusively locked files in the backup.
OutBack Plus will, optionally, automatically close other applications to allow the backup to proceed.
Programs are closed if checked in the list. NOTE: If you do not have a program shown in the list there is no need to remove or uncheck the item. If the program is not running - the item is ignored.
Programs are closed in the order shown in the list. To change the order, select and item and click "Move Up" or "Move Down".
Select an Item and choose "Properties" to change details regarding the Item. Or, to add a new program, click "Add Item"
If "Close" and/or "Kill" boxes are checked, OutBack Plus will request that the application "Close". You may enter a time delay (in seconds) that OutBack Plus is to wait for the program to close.
In some cases, a program will not "Close". This will typically happen if the program is waiting for input (e.g. waiting with a message "Save changes Y/N ?"). To close the program without waiting for any response select "Kill" as well. Note: killing a program can lead to loss of data (e.g. if the program is waiting for input).
If the "Start" box is checked, OutBack Plus will start the program after the backup is completed. The program will only be started if it was closed by OutBack Plus unless you check the ["Start" even if the program was nor previously running] box.
If you wish to start a program that is not normally running - you should provide the path to the program in the box labelled "EXE Path". This is NOT required for standard programs like Outlook.
The program may be restarted with parameters. Parameters containing blanks must be enclosed in quotes ("). Separate multiple parameters with blanks.
When adding a new program, you must enter the actual program exe name under "EXE Name".
.topic 850
The "Test Backup" function will perform a detailed test of the backup file.
The function operates as follows:
1. Select "Test Backup" from the menu
2. Browse to find the backup file to test
3. A progress window will be shown while the file is being tested.
4. If errors are found, a log will show providing details of the problems.
The "Test" will typically show:
.topic 500
OutBack Plus is updated to add features and correct any deficiencies reported.
The Live Update function allows you to retrieve the current update(s) via the Internet.
An Internet connection is, of course, required for this function but the connection is NOT required for the general day-to-day operation of OutBack Plus.
.topic 510
The Live Update window provides two main functions: (1) retrieve updates to the program, and (2) retrieve current information about the status of the program.
When "Check for Updates" is chosen, the program will retrieve the current status information:
Once "Continue" is chosen, the updates are downloaded and applied.
A restart of the program will be required to complete the updates.
.topic 666
The "Backup Now!" function allows you to start a backup quickly. It will show a window as:
If you have Scheduled Jobs (See "Tools - Schedule Backups"), you may choose the "job" to run from the drop-down list; or, choose to redo the last backup.
The default location for the selected backup is shown in the middle window. You may change the location for the backup using the button labelled: "Browse for Alternate Location".
The "Backup Now" button will run the backup without showing the "wizard" steps (similar to a scheduled backup).
The "Run OutBack Plus" button will launch the OutBack Plus "wizard".
.topic 800
The OutBack Plus backup file can be saved to a CD or DVD disk.
Direct saving to CD's or DVD's disks is supported as long as the disks have been pre formatted to accept direct file writes. You will need to have some type of CD/DVD software installed on your system that makes your CD/DVD drive act as a standard drive.
The most popular programs are "Easy CD Creator" and "NERO". Many manufacturers ship PC's or CD drives with some limited subset of these programs. There are others programs that may be supplied with your machine.
If you have "NERO" - use the "InCD" portion of NERO. Note: InCD will only work with CD-RW or DVD-RW disks.
If you have "Easy CD Creator" - use "Drag-To-Disc" (or "DirectCD" for older versions).
In all cases, the CD/DVD disk must be formatted prior to saving the OutBack Plus backup file directlly to the CD.
Windows XP Users Note: Windows XP includes built-in functionality to use CD media as a destination to write files to within Windows Explorer. This functionality is only included for Windows Explorer. This does not allow other applications such as OutBack Plus to write to the CD. Direct write software is still required to allow other applications to write to CD, such as the software mentioned above.
If you do not have the direct write software, you can still save the backup file to the CD by:
1. Make a backup to some temporary location on your hard drive (say "My Documents" ).
2. Copy the completed backup file to the CD using the software supplied with the CD drive.
.topic 1503
The Error 503 is generally the result of a problem with acces to the backup device.
If saving to a CD, possible causes of this error are:
The CD is not formatted for direct save of data.
A CD-RW disk has developed a 'bad area' - may be corrected by a reformat.
A CD-RW disk is marked Read-Only.
The CD is formatted but the access software (e.g. Drag-To-Disk or InCD) is not ready.
Out of date driver software for a CD writer. Note: this is a common problem when using Roxio Eazy CD Creator 5 with Windows XP. (Creator 6 and 7 do not suffer from the same problems).
See the AJSystems Knowledge Base article "How do I save the backup to CD's or DVD's" for additional information.
If saving to a network drive, or a local drive under Windows 2000/XP, you may not have the appropriate permission to save to the target drive or target folder.
See the AJSystems Knowledge Base: http://ajsystems.com/kb/ for additional information.
.topic 1507
The Error 507 is generally a result of an I/O problem with the target device. Some possible causes of this error are:
Target device is full.
A "bad spot" on a CD-RW disk (possibly cured with a reformat).
Loss of connection on a network disk (especially with wirless networks).
Out of date driver software for a CD writer.
Hardware problems with the a disk, disk controller or network.
Attempting to save a backup file greater than 4gb on a disk formatted with the FAT32 file system. You must use the NTFS disk format (the default format for Windows XP) if files are larger than 4gb. If you can not use the NTFS format - save the backup in smaller "chunks" - see: Multi-Part Backups in Backup - Step 3.
See the AJSystems Knowledge Base: http://ajsystems.com/kb/ for additional information.
.topic 900
"Microsoft Outlook Data Files not found" error on starting OutBack Plus
You may receive this error message for any of the following reasons:
A - Outlook has not been configured
Before running a backup or a restore, you must run Outlook at least once on the machine to establish the data locations which Outlook will use.
If Outlook has not been run, launch the program. You may skip the entry of email account data if you will be restoring the account data from the backup.
B - Outlook is configured for use with Microsoft Exchange Server
OutBack Plus is designed to operate on local Outlook data files. When Outlook is used with Exchange Server, the "Outlook Today" data will reside on the Exchange Server rather than the local machine.
When Outlook is used with Exchange, you may also have local copies of data. The local data is typically in Offline Storage Files (OST files) or Personal Address Books (PAB files). You may also have local Personal Folder Files (PST files).
If you are using Outlook with Exchange, configure the local files before using OutBack Plus. Once the local files are configured, you may backup or restore the local data using OutBack Plus.
