Data migration FAQ

Here are answers to common questions about migrating Connected data.

The migration process reassigns Connected data associated with one computer to another. Therefore, if you replace a registered computer, you can migrate its Connected data to your new computer so that you retain access to it. To learn more about the migration process, see Migration overview.

The actual migration process, which reassigns a computer's backup set and user-created rules to another computer, is relatively quick. The required post-migration tasks the Agent performs on the new computer, such as the initial sync, restore, scan, and back up, typically take much longer. The exact amount of time depends on several factors, including the number and size of files involved with each task.

Yes, you can migrate from one computer to another even if the name or number of drives on them differ. However, although these differences do not impact the migration process, they can affect the location in which the Agent restores files from your old computer. If the original drive or volume does not exist, the Agent restores files to C:\From missingDriveName drive on Windows-based computers or (User's Documents Folder)/From missingDriveName volume on macOS-based ones.

For example, suppose that you replace your computer and migrate its Connected data to your new one. After migration, you create a request to restore all files in D:\My Reports from your backup set. However, if your new computer does not have a D: drive, the Agent restores the files to C:\From D drive\My Reports.

Yes, you can migrate files across different bit platforms of the same operating system.

For example, suppose that you get a new laptop with a Windows 64-bit operating system to replace one that has a Windows 32-bit OS. You can migrate your Connected data from your old laptop to the new one even though they have different bit platforms.

Yes. The type of file encryption does not affect the migration process; however, it can affect restored files. For more information, see the encryption section of the FAQ What types of items can I restore?

CAUTION: Do not restore a user's EFS-encrypted files while logged on to the computer as an administrator. If you do, the restored files get encrypted under your Windows user account, and the user will not have access to them. To restore EFS-encrypted files on behalf of someone else, you must log on to the computer using the user's credentials before starting the restore request.

Yes, you can migrate between computers with NTFS and FAT32 file system formats if they have the same type of operating system. However, note the following:

  • FAT32 volumes do not support EFS encryption. If you migrate from an NTFS device with EFS encryption, files you restore to the FAT32 volume on the new computer do not retain their encryption.
  • FAT32 volumes have smaller limits than NTFS for the size and number of files they support. If you migrate from an NTFS device, you cannot restore files larger than 4 GB to the FAT32 volume. In addition, you can restore only up to the maximum number of files that FAT32 volumes allow (268,435,437). If these limits prevent you from restoring certain files, you can use the Connected web application to download them to another device.

For more limitations of FAT32 file systems, see Microsoft documentation about the file system.

No. Because of differences in platform-specific file attributes and file system hierarchies, Connected does not support migration between computers with different types of operating systems.

The migration process deactivates the Agent on the old computer so it no longer backs up or syncs files. If your old computer is still operational and you log on to it, the Agent starts but does not process files. In addition, the process permanently deletes the old computer from your profile, which removes your access to it from other Connected applications.