Frequently Asked Questions About AutoSave


Here are some common questions.

How does AutoSave know which files to ignore so that it can only save my working files?

I'm a fairly well organized person and keep my files all organized in a single folder. How do I tell AutoSave to only watch that folder and ignore everything else?

I'm working with just a couple of files of a type that AutoSave is currently excluding and I only want those files backed up. How do I do that?

How do I just backup a single group of files?

How do I restore all of my files?

I'm a laptop user and when I travel, I'm not connected to my network or normal backup device. What happens then?

I'm a reseller or I am interested in purchasing multiple copies. Who do I contact?


Q. How does AutoSave know which files to ignore so that it can only save my working files?

A. AutoSave uses a process known as filtering. We have identified the types of files that Windows and Window's applications use so that we can ignore them while we are working.

If you would like to see what they are and to see how they are grouped, please do the following:

  1. Run the Setup Wizard
  2. Select Custom Setup
  3. You will be presented with a tabbed dialog box
  4. Select the tab marked Exclude Files
  5. You will see a complete list of file types that we are excluding

You can simply scroll through this list, but if you press the Default Exclusions button, you will be presented with a list of file groups and the file types we have associated with those groups on the right. The groups are as follows:

    1. Programs
    2. Temporary, cache and recycled
    3. Internet and HTML
    4. Video Clips
    5. Images
    6. Drawings
    7. Sounds
    8. Fonts, cursors and icons
    9. Help files
    10. Compressed and zips
    11. Others

Q. I'm a fairly well organized person and keep my files all organized in a single folder. How do I tell AutoSave to only watch that folder and ignore everything else?

A. This is quite easy to do. By default, AutoSave processes any files that it sees created or saved, and then decides whether or not to back it up for you. If you only want to process a single folder, then do the following:

  1. Run the Setup Wizard
  2. Select Custom Setup
  3. You will be presented with a tabbed dialog box
  4. Select the tab marked Include Files
  5. You will see a list of the files that we are including
  6. Click on *.* and then press the Remove button
  7. Press the Launch Explorer button, which will bring up Explorer
  8. Find the folder that you wish to watch.

Simply drag and drop it onto the Include Files dialog and you will see it automatically added. Press Ok and then at the next dialog, press Finish. AutoSave will automatically update itself and now will only monitor the folder you have selected.

Q. I'm working with just a couple of files of a type that AutoSave is currently excluding and I only want those files backed up. How do I do that?

A. This is also quite easy to do. By default, AutoSave processes any files that it sees created or saved, and then decides whether or not to back it up for you. If you are working with a file type that is currently excluded, then do the following:

  1. Run the Setup Wizard
  2. Select Custom Setup
  3. You will be presented with a tabbed dialog box
  4. Select the tab marked Include Files
  5. You will see a list of the files that we are including
  6. Press the Launch Explorer button, which will bring up Explorer
  7. Find the folder that contains the files that you wish to watch

    Simply drag and drop those files onto the Include Files dialog and you will see them automatically added. Press Ok and then at the next dialog, press Finish. AutoSave will automatically update itself and now will only monitor the folder you have selected.

Q. How do I just backup a single group of files?

A. To do this, simply double-click on the AutoSave icon in the system tray. This will bring up the AutoSave Control Panel.

  1. Select Backup Wizard.
  2. Next, select "Specify a custom group of files"
  3. You will be prompted to add the files or folders that you wish to backup.
  4. Press the Launch Explorer button.
  5. Simply find the folders and/or files, drag them onto the dialog.
  6. Click Next and AutoSave will scan the folders added.
  7. Click Next again, and you will be presented with a summary.
  8. Click Finish to begin the backup.

Please Note: This backup will take place in the background so you can close the AutoSave window and continue working. This is the simple beauty of AutoSave -- it works in the background and doesn't interfere with what you are doing.

Q.How do I restore all of my files?

A. To do this, simply double-click on the AutoSave icon in the system tray. This will bring up the AutoSave Control Panel.

  1. Select Restore Wizard.
  2. Next, select "Restore all files" or "Select specific drives, directories or files".
  3. You will be prompted to add the files or folders that you wish to backup.

Please Note: If you select a different drive/directory to restore to, then all of the appropriate directories will be created in that drive/directory.

Q. I'm a laptop user and when I travel, I'm not connected to my network or normal backup device. What happens then?

A. Each time that you start Windows, and AutoSave starts, it checks for the presence of the backup location. If it cannot find the location that was previously selected, then you will be presented with a dialog that will inform you of this.

In this dialog, you will have the option to either change the backup location, to use Logging mode or to just Stop until the next boot cycle.

Change Backup Location: Use this option to change the location of the backup archives. In this situation, we would highly recommend that you select the Logging option.

Logging: In this mode, AutoSave simply keeps track of all files that have been worked on or created and at the next boot cycle, when the originally selected backup location is available again, AutoSave will simply backup those files, automatically and transparently. You won't even know that it is happening! This is the recommended choice for this situation.

Stop: This tells AutoSave to shut itself down until the next boot cycle.

Q. I'm a reseller or I am interested in purchasing multiple copies. Who do I contact?

A. Please click on the Contact Us button on the left and either send an email to our Sales department or contact our corporate offices. We'll be glad to discuss different opportunities with you.