Backup FAQ

Agents provide automatic continuous protection of your files, by default. Starting with Agent version 4.9.0, you can also initiate backups on demand. For continuous protection, while you are logged in to your computer, even if it is locked (but not in sleep or hibernation mode), the Agent runs in the background and monitors your protected files for changes. When it detects one, the Agent automatically backs up the file during its next backup. If your computer has an active network connection, backups for most files occur every 15 minutes. Modified Outlook .pst and IBM Notes .nsf files are queued for backup once every 24 hours. If you do not have an active network connection, backups resume automatically when the computer regains its connection. If your Agent supports on-demand backups, you can supplement its continuous protection by initiating a backup whenever one is not already in progress. For more information, see Initiate a backup on demand.

The administrative backup policy assigned to your Agent defines which files it backs up by default. You can manage your backup and change the set of items selected for backup to ensure that the Agent protects files according to your needs. For more information, see Manage backups.

Connected offers two platform-specific Agents so that you can back up Windows and macOS-based computers. Both Agents support only a computer's locally accessible disk drives or volumes. They do not support backups from the following locations:

• Removable or network shared drives
• On Windows-based computers, substituted (virtual) drives
• On macOS-based computers, case-sensitive or Windows volumes

The Agent can back up most types of files. However, the types and locations of files that your Agent can back up depend mostly on the administrative backup policy that applies to you. For example, policy might prevent your Agent from backing up MP3 files or it might prevent the backup of MP3 files from only specific folders. To view the policy that affects your Agent, see View your backup policy.

In addition to files excluded by administrative policy, there are a few types of files, typically temporary in nature, that the Agent never backs up:

• Microsoft Office "owner" files, which start with $~
• macOS-based .DS_Store files, which contain folder attributes
• Temporary files identified by a .tmp extension

While backing up files, the Agent provides special support for the following file types:

• Bundles (macOS). The Agent can back up and restore bundles. The Connected web application displays stored bundles as hierarchical sets of folders and files. However, when you restore a bundle to a device, it retains its original format.

• Encrypted files. The Agent can back up and restore encrypted files, as follows:

  • Full-disk encryption. Files retain their system-level encryption only if restored or downloaded to a device that also uses full-disk encryption.

  • Encrypted file system (EFS) encryption. Files retain their EFS encryption if you restore or download them to another NTFS device that also uses EFS encryption. FAT32 volumes do not support EFS. Therefore, EFS-encrypted files that you restore or download to a FAT32 volume do not retain their encryption.

  • Third-party application-level encryption. Files that are open and accessible at the time that they are backed up might retain their third-party encryption; closed files always retain it. Files that retain their encryption are not accessible on another devices unless decrypted with the same third-party application and encryption key or password that encrypted them. In addition, you cannot view an encrypted file while it is stored in Connected.

  NOTE: To ensure that your data remains secure, Connected encrypts your files while it transfers or stores them, even if they have retained their encryption.

• File links. The Agent can back up and restore hard links but not symbolic links. When the Agent restores a hard link, it breaks the link association.

• Mail files (Windows). The Agent can back up and restore Microsoft Outlook .pst and Lotus Notes .nsf mail files that reside on an NTFS volume.

  To back up mail files, the Agent uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), which must be enabled. As with other file types, if the Agent cannot back up a mail file, it retries a set number of times. If the Agent exhausts all retries without backing up the file, it logs an error.

  If you try to restore a mail file while it is open exclusively (Windows platforms), the Agent renames the file that it downloads. When renaming the file, the Agent appends a number to the file's name (fileName.#.extension). For example, if the Agent cannot restore the open file MyOutlook.pst, it saves the downloaded file as MyOutlook.1.pst. 

• Open files. On Windows-based devices, the Agent can back up back up files on an NTFS volume that are opened exclusively by another application. On macOS-based devices, the Agent can back up open files but only while another application is not actively modifying them. Neither type of Agent can restore open files.

  To back up open files on Windows-based devices, the Agent uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), which must be enabled. If the Agent cannot back up an open file, it retries a set number of times and logs an error if it exhausts all retries without success.

  If either a Windows- or macOS-based Agent fails to back up a modified open file, exit any application that has the file open to ensure the change is complete and the file is closed.

  If you try to restore a file while it is open exclusively (Windows platforms) or open with advisory locking (macOS platforms), the Agent renames the file that it downloads. When renaming the file, the Agent appends a number to the file's name (fileName.#.extension). For example, if the Agent cannot restore the open file Report.docx, it saves the downloaded file as Report.1.docx. 

• Security descriptors. The Agent can back up and restore security descriptors, which are objects that prevent unauthorized access to files. Security descriptors include information that identifies the file owner, permissions that the owner has granted to other users, and actions that the file system logs for auditing purposes.

  While restoring items, the Agent restores each item’s security descriptor except for the following, which inherit the default descriptor of the restore location:

  • Folders that the Agent creates as part of the restore path and were not previously backed up.
  • Items that did not have a security descriptor when backed up.
  • Items for which the Agent fails to restore the security descriptor for some reason.

  In each case, the security identifier (SID) assigned to the owner field of the security descriptor is the SID of the user performing the restore.

• Sparse files. The Agent can back up and restore sparse files, which are files that contain empty spaces (represented as strings of zeros) along with meaningful data (nonzero data).

  When restoring a sparse file, the Agent restores the file and all allocated sparse data that was previously backed up.

• Windows user state files. On Windows devices, Agents back up user state (.mig) files according to administrative policy. These files, generated by a third-party tool such as Microsoft State Migrate Tool (USMT), contain data such as Windows and user application settings that you can migrate to a replacement or re-imaged computer.

  If your backup policy permits, when you start a restore request that includes a .mig file and your device is running Agent 4.9.0 or later, you can choose to import the .mig file automatically when the entire restore completes. Selecting this option when restoring files after replacing or re-imaging your computer is a quick way to restore your Windows environment to its previous state.

Agents provide automatic continuous protection of your files, by default. Starting with Agent version 4.9.0, you can also initiate backups on demand. For continuous protection, while you are logged in to your computer, even if it is locked (but not in sleep or hibernation mode), the Agent runs in the background and monitors your protected files for changes. When it detects one, the Agent automatically backs up the file during its next backup. If your computer has an active network connection, backups for most files occur every 15 minutes. Modified Outlook .pst and IBM Notes .nsf files are queued for backup once every 24 hours. If you do not have an active network connection, backups resume automatically when the computer regains its connection. If your Agent supports on-demand backups, you can supplement its continuous protection by initiating a backup whenever one is not already in progress. For more information, see Initiate a backup on demand.

The Agent's Backup Status dialog box shows exactly when the next backup starts. For information about how to access Backup Status and the data it contains, see View a device's backup status.

No. There is no limit to the number of files that you can back up or to the size of each file.

No. Connected provides data protection and not long-term archival storage. Although it retains the most current copy of your protected files indefinitely, it keeps previous versions of those files for only a limited time before permanently deleting them. Similarly, when you delete a protected file from your computer, Connected keeps its copy for only a limited time. Files permanently deleted from Connected are no longer available for access. If you have questions about the retention policy that affects your files, contact your Connected administrator.

No. The Agent backs up only the files of the person currently logged in to the computer. Therefore, when you are logged in, the Agent backs up only your files, even if someone with whom you share the computer also uses Connected.

Connected stores files that the Agent backs up from your computer in a device-specific backup set. If Connected protects multiple computers for you, you have multiple backup sets. You can access files in your backup sets at any time, from any device, using the Connected web application.

From a web browser

You can use the Connected web application, accessible from any supported browser from a computer, to perform a variety of actions on files in your backup sets:

• Search for a file. Search for a file in a specific backup set or across all of your Connected data.
• View or print a file. View a file or one of its previous revisions. While viewing a file you can print it.
• Download a file or folder. Download a file or folder to your device.
• Restore a file. Create a request to restore a file to its original computer. After creating the request, you must start the request to restore the file.

Yes. Although administrative policy defines which files your Agent backs up by default, you can customize these selections to meet your needs. The Connected web application lets you browse the files and folders on your computer, shows you which ones are currently selected for backup, and lets you change these selections if policy allows. Alternatively, on Windows-based computers, you can you can add or remove items directly in Windows Explorer; however, you cannot see the current selections.

For more information about modifying backup selections, see Manage backups.

Although you have permission to mange backups, there are a few reasons why Connected might prevent you from selecting a particular item. The most common reason is due to administrative policy. For example, your Connected administrator might create locked inclusion rules to ensure that the Agent always backs up common types of files for safekeeping, such as documents, text files, and images. Other locked rules might exclude files that Agents should never back up, such as files in the Recycle Bin or temporary Internet files.

In addition to locked administrative rules that prevent you from selecting specific files and folders, you cannot select items from the following locations:

• A network or removable drive
• A locked encrypted drive
• A folder to which you do not have permission to access, such as a certain system folders
• A Windows drive or macOS volume that administrative policy skips
• A folder skipped by smart scan technology, when enabled by policy (More information.)

  Backup policies that use smart scan technology do not scan or back files up from the following folders:

  • Windows-based computers (all drives):

    • \$Recycle.Bin\*

    • \MSOCache\*

    • \Program Files (x86)\*

    • \Program Files\*

    • \recovery\*

    • \System Volume Information\*

    • \Windows\*

  • macOS-based computers:

    • /Volumes/%/.fseventsd/*

    • /Volumes/%/.Spotlight-V100/*

    • /Volumes/%/.Trash/*

    • /Volumes/%/.Trashes/*

    • /Volumes/%/Applications/*

    • /Volumes/%/Backups.backupdb/*

    • /Volumes/%/bin/*

    • /Volumes/%/dev/*

    • /Volumes/%/etc/*

    • /Volumes/%/Library/*

    • /Volumes/%/opt/*

    • /Volumes/%/private/*

    • /Volumes/%/sbin/*

    • /Volumes/%/System/*

    • /Volumes/%/tmp/*

    • /Volumes/%/usr/*

    • /Volumes/%/var/*

    • /Volumes/%/Volumes/*

  NOTE: The folders in these lists are subject to change without prior notice.

When managing backups from a device's file system, the Connected menu item is listed, but dimmed, for items governed by locked admin rules. The menu item is not available for network, removable, or locked encrypted drives, folders to which you do not have access, or folders skipped by smart scan technology.

When managing backups from a browser, the Connected web application uses the following icons to identify items whose backup selection you cannot change.

•   File always included in backups by policy. You cannot override this locked selection.

•   File always excluded from backups by policy. You cannot override this locked selection.

•   Folder unavailable for selection. Policy prevents you from including or excluding the folder or any of its contents.

•   Folder unavailable for selection. You lack permission to access the folder so you cannot include or exclude it or any of its contents.
•   Folder always excluded from backups by policy. In addition, you lack permission to access the folder or any of its contents.

The application does not provide access to network, removable, or locked encrypted drives and folders skipped by smart scan technology.

The web application must communicate with your computer's Agent to retrieve your current backup selections for display. To do so, your computer must be turned on, have an active network connection, and the Agent must be running. The computer can be locked, but not in standby or hibernation mode.

If you continue to receive this error message after verifying that all requirements are met, contact your Connected administrator.

When you delete a protected file or manually exclude it from backups, the Agent no longer backs it up. However, Connected retains its copy of the file in your backups set so that you can restore or access it in the future, if necessary. If you delete a protected file from your computer, Connected marks its copy as 'deleted'.

A badge or symbol on the Agent icon indicates the Agent's current status.

Windows	macOS	Description
		The Agent is running but not actively backing up or restoring files.
		The Agent is backing up or restoring files.
		The Agent is not operating properly or not connected to Connected. When the Agent starts, it displays this icon until it has established a connection with Connected. If the connection fails, verify your credentials and that you have an active network connection.
		The Agent encountered an error while backing up or restoring one or more files. To see which type of error the Agent encountered, point to the Agent icon. For information about resolving errors, see Troubleshoot backup errors.

The Agent backs up files silently in the background so you might not notice its activity. However, there are two methods you can use to determine your current backups status:

1. View current progress of an active backup. The quickest way determine whether a backup is in progress is to point to the Connected icon to see its current activity. During a backup, the status message that appears identifies which file the Agent is currently processing and how many files remain.
2. View detailed backup status of current or previous backup. The Agent provides a detailed backup status regardless of whether a backup is in progress. This information includes the current backup status, the time that the last backup occurred, backup-related statistics about the files in your backup set, and the list of any files the Agent failed to back up and the reasons for those failures. You can also see the list of files pending backup. For more information, see View a device's backup status.

Depending on the size of your backup set, your first backup can take hours or, in the case of an extremely large backup set, a few days to complete. Therefore, in addition to the typical manner of monitoring backup progress, Connected provides an enhanced status of your active first backup in two locations:

• Files tab. During a device's first backup, its tile on the Files tab provides an estimate of how much of the backup has completed. When the first backup completes, Connected removes this status information from the tile.

• Profile page. The device tiles on your profile page provide status of all active and completed first backups. During a device's initial backup, its tile displays the number of files already backed up and an estimate of how much of the first backup has completed. When the first backup completes, Connected replaces this status information with a check mark (). To see the completion date of the first backup, point to the check mark.

  TIP: To access your profile page, in the upper-right corner of the Connected web application, click your name, and then click My Profile.

The files on your computer that the Agent protects create the device's backup set. You can view the contents of your backup set using the Connected web application. For more information, see View a device's backup set.

The Pending tab of the Agent's Backup Status dialog box lists your pending files and folders. To open Backup Status:

Right-click the Connected icon () in the Windows notification area (or click the icon in the macOS menu bar), and then click Show Backup Status.

The Pending tab lists up to the first 10,000 of your pending items, based on the current sort criteria. By default, the tab sorts items by Last Backed Up value, in descending order. For more information about this tab, see View items pending backup.

The first three columns of the Pending tab use icons to denote certain characteristics of pending files:

• Column 1 (). Uses the following icons to indicate items that policy prevents or might prevent you from removing from your backup set:

  •   A file you cannot remove due to locked administrative policy.
  •   A folder that administrative policy does not prevent you from removing but which might contain items governed by a locked policy that prevents their removal.

• Column 2 (). Uses the following icons to indicate backup status:

  •   A file or folder the Agent is currently backing up.

  •   A file or folder not eligible for the next backup. To see when it will be eligible, point to the icon.

    The Agent automatically initiates the backup of most items under Connected protection every 15 minutes. However, there are two exceptions:

    • Outlook .pst and IBM Notes .nsf files. These mail-related files change frequently so the Agent backs them up only once every 24 hours.
    • Items with backup errors that should resolve themselves. The Agent tries to back up these items several times, increasing the time period between each attempt.

  Items without an icon in this column are eligible for the current backup or, if one is not in progress, the next backup.

• Column 3 (). Uses the icon to indicate a file or folder the Agent failed to back up but will attempt to back up again. On macOS-based Agents, to see information about the error, point to the icon.

  To account for a backup issue that might resolve itself, the Agent attempts to back up the item multiple times. Examples of resolvable issues include temporary network interruptions and files that are locked while open in another application. The Agent waits an increasingly longer amount of time between each attempt until the backup either succeeds or reaches its maximum number of retries. If the retry limit is reached, the Agent moves the item to the Errors tab and marks it with the icon.

The Pending tab of the Agent's Backup Status dialog box identifies files and folders that require backup. If you right-click an item in the list, a menu with the following options appears:

• Remove from Backup. Removes the item from your backup set (and the pending list), if policy allows.

  You can remove an item unless a locked administrative policy prevents it. The following icons on this tab indicate items that are, or might be, governed by such a policy:

  •   A file or folder you cannot remove due to locked administrative policy.
  •   A folder that administrative policy does not prevent you from removing but might contain items governed by a locked policy that prevents their removal. If this is the case and you remove the folder from backup, it reappears in the list after the next backup if the error still exists.

• Show in Explorer (on Windows) or Show in Finder (on macOS). Opens the folder that contains the item.

For more details about managing items on the Pending tab, see View items pending backup.

There are several factors that determine how long it takes to back up files:

• The number and total size of files that the Agent needs to back up.

  To back up a large number of files or very big files takes longer than to back up fewer and smaller files. For example, your initial backup, which occurs after you install the Agent for the first time, can take a very long time. However, because the Agent backs up files in the background, you can continue to use your computer while files back up.

• The number of other applications currently running on your device.

  If your device performs many tasks at the same time, the Agent does not receive the full processing power of your device. Try to limit the number of applications that you use while backing up a large number of files or very large files to see whether performance improves.

• The number of applications actively using your network connection.

  The more applications that use your network connection, the less bandwidth available to the Agent. Try to limit your network activity when backing up a large number of files or very large files to see whether performance improves.

• The speed of your network connection.

  Ensure that your network connection is working correctly. If you experience slow performance on a computer over a wireless connection, try a wired connection, if possible.

• The amount of network bandwidth allocated to your Agent.

  Administrative policy sets the maximum amount of bandwidth that the Agent uses to back up files. If policy allows, you can lower this setting when using slow network connections, such as public hotel and airport connections, to allocate more bandwidth to other applications. If you find that backups are slow, ensure that the Agent uses the maximum bandwidth that policy allows. To view the current limit or restore the limit set by policy, see Set Agent network bandwidth limits.

If you back up a file, it becomes the current version in your backup set and the existing active or deleted file typically becomes its previous version. The exception to this is if you rename a protected file on your computer and your backup set already contains a deleted file with the same name and location. In this case, Connected does not recover the deleted file as the previous version and your backup set contains both active and deleted versions of identically named files.

For example, suppose that on Monday you create Report1.txt and Report2.txt and the Agent backs them up. On Tuesday, you update Report2.txt and delete Report1.txt from your computer. After the Agent backs up this change, your backup set contains the following:

• Report1.txt (deleted)

• Report2.txt (active - version 2)

  Report2.txt (active - version 1)

On Friday, you rename your local copy of Report2.txt to Report1.txt. After the Agent backs up this change, your backup set contains the following:

• Report1.txt (deleted)

• Report1.txt (active - version 2)

  Report2.txt (active - version 1)

  Note that Connected retains any previous versions of the file, which have the original file name. In this example, it retains the first version, named Report2.txt.

Backing up folders works in a similar manner. If you back up a folder, the Agent typically backs up its contents to the existing folder, reactivating the folder if it is deleted. The exception to this is if you rename a protected folder on your computer and your backup set already contains a deleted one with the same name and location. In this case, the Agent backs up the folder as a new item and not to the deleted folder. As a result, your backup set contains both active and deleted versions of identically named folders.

The Agent keeps track of its progress while backing up files. If it suddenly stops before completing a backup, it uses this information during its next backup to continue from where it left off. For example, suppose that you shut down your computer after your Agent has backed up only 1 GB of a 2 GB file. The next time that you start your computer and the Agent restarts, it automatically continues to back up the file from the point that it left off. Therefore, it has only 1 GB left to back up. It does not start over at the beginning of the file.

You must wait until the Agent completely backs up a file before you can view it using the Connected web application.

The Agent can detect and protect changes to files only while it is running. However, to supplement its continuous mode of data protection, the Agent occasionally scans your computer searching for modified files to back up. One of these scans occurs each time that the Agent restarts, such as when you restart your computer. Therefore, changes that you make while the Agent is not running are detected and backed up the next time the Agent starts.

No. The Agent requires a network connection to back up your files to Connected. However, if the Agent is running while your computer is offline, it continues to monitor your files so that it can back up the appropriate ones when your connection gets restored.

For example, suppose that you disconnect your computer from the network. While your computer is offline and the Agent is running, you modify one of your protected files. When your computer reconnects, the Agent backs up the modified file during its next backup.

If the Agent does not back up a file that you selected for backup, it is typically for one of the following reasons:

• If you included the file through a web browser, you did not save your selection.

  After selecting the file on the Manage Backups page of the Connected web application , you did not save the new rule. You must save your selections to put them into effect.

• After you included the file for backup, one of the following occurred:

  • Your Connected administrator created a locked admin rule that excludes it

    Locked admin rules take precedence over your selections; therefore, the Agent excluded your file from backups.

  • You excluded a folder that either contains the file or a subfolder that contains it

    User rules take precedence in the reverse order that you create them so the last rule has the highest priority. If you include a file and later exclude the folder that contains it, the Agent does not back up the folder or the file. For example, suppose you include C:\Reports\myReport.txt on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, you exclude C:\Reports. This user rule takes precedence over earlier rules so it not only excludes C:\Reports from backups, it also overrides your explicit rule to include C:\Reports\myReport.txt so the Agent excludes that file now, too.

  Connected does not automatically delete a rule if one with a higher priority overrides it. By retaining the rule, the Agent can potentially reapply it if the higher-priority rule gets removed in the future.

  For detailed information about the precedence of rules, How Agents process backup policy rules.

There are several possible reasons why the Agent might fail to back up files:

• Your device does not have an active network connection.

  The Agent requires an active network connection to back up files.

• The file resides on an unsupported device type.

  Agents do not back up files from the following locations:

  • Removable or network shared drives
  • On Windows-based computers, substituted (virtual) drives
  • On macOS-based computers, case-sensitive or Windows volumes

• Your Windows user account does not have permission to access the file.

  The Agent runs under the context of your Windows user account. Therefore, if you do not have permission to access the file, such as if you get an “access is denied” error trying to open the file, the Agent cannot back it up.

  If possible, adjust the permissions on the file so that your user account can access it. After you correct the file permissions, the Agent automatically attempts to back up the file again.

• Administrative backup policy prevents the Agent from backing up the file.

  A Connected administrative backup policy controls the types and locations of files that you can back up and whether you can perform backups over metered connections. For information about how to determine which files your policy backs up, see View your backup policy.

• The Agent does not back up that type of file.

  • Microsoft Office "owner" files, which start with $~
  • macOS-based .DS_Store files, which contain folder attributes
  • Temporary files identified by a .tmp extension

• The file exceeds the maximum supported path length.

  The Agent supports the following maximum path lengths (folder path + file name):

  • macOS. 1015 characters
  • Windows. 250 characters. This number is shorter than the Windows maximum because it takes into account characters that the Agent temporarily appends to the file name when it downloads the file.

• Another application either has the file open exclusively (Windows) or has the file open and is actively modifying it (macOS).

  Windows-based Agents cannot back up a file open exclusively by another application. macOS-based Agents can back up an open file, but only while another application is not actively modifying it. If a modified file fails to back up, exit any application that has the file open to ensure that the change is complete and that the file is closed.

Files and folders the Agent failed to back up are unprotected. The Errors tab of the Agent's Backup Status dialog box lists items the Agent failed to back up after multiple attempts and that now need attention. It also provides information about each error. Use the information on this tab to troubleshoot problems so the Agent can protect your items. For more information, see Troubleshoot backup errors.

The first two columns of the Errors tab use icons to denote certain characteristics of files with backup errors:

• Column 1 (). Uses the following icons to indicate items that policy prevents or might prevent you from removing from your backup set:

  •   A file you cannot remove due to locked administrative policy.
  •   A folder that administrative policy does not prevent you from removing but which might contain items governed by a locked policy that prevents their removal.

• Column 2 (). Uses the icon to indicate a file or folder the Agent no longer tries to back up because it reached its maximum number of attempts.

  The Agent attempts to back up failed items several times, waiting an increasingly longer amount of time between each attempt, until it either succeeds or reaches its maximum number of retries. If it reaches the retry limit, the Agent stops its attempts until either you restart the Agent (which resets the retry count) or you explicitly instruct the Agent to try again after you resolve the error. To do so, right-click the item, and then click Retry at Next Backup.

The Errors tab of the Agent's Backup Status dialog box lists files and folders the Agent failed to back up after multiple attempts and that now need attention. It also provides information about each error to help you troubleshoot the problem. If you right-click an item in the list, a menu with the following options appears:

• Remove from Backup. Removes the item from your backup set (and the list of failed items), if policy allows.

  You can remove an item unless a locked administrative policy prevents it. The following icons on this tab indicate items that are, or might be, governed by such a policy:

  •   A file or folder you cannot remove due to locked administrative policy.
  •   A folder that administrative policy does not prevent you from removing but might contain items governed by a locked policy that prevents their removal. If this is the case and you remove the folder from backup, it reappears in the list after the next backup if the error still exists.

• Show in Explorer (on Windows) or Show in Finder (on macOS). Opens the folder that contains the item.

• Retry at Next Backup. Instructs the Agent to attempt to back up the item again during its next backup.

  If you resolve an error, use this option to ensure the Agent attempts to back up the item during the next backup. You can use this option regardless of whether an item has reached its retry limit.

For more information about resolving backup failures, see Troubleshoot backup errors.