Upgrading to a New Computer

Upgrading to a new computer: how to move the Data Protection software

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If you are replacing an old computer, need to reload the operating system from scratch, or reformat your hard disk, etc. You may need to move the Data Protection software from one computer to another, preserving the account information, pass phrase, and incremental backup cache. This topic will describe how to reliably transfer the backup settings and incremental backup cache.

If you have completely lost the Data Protection program files on your old computer, then please see the Restoring after a Crash topic instead.

Moving the Data Protection software, settings, and backup cache to a different computer:

Please follow these instructions precisely. The order of these steps is important. If you have questions about this process, please contact us.

1. Copy your data files to the new computer. It is not required, but this process will be easier if the files on the new computer have the exact same location as they did on the old computer.

NOTE: You can perform steps 2 - 6 while your data files are being copied. Do not continue to step 7 until all of your files have finished copying to the new computer.

2. Export your settings profile. On the old computer, open the Data Protection Software, and use the File -> Export Profile command (see Settings Profiles).

3. Set backup schedules to manual. On the old computer, change the backup schedule to manual for all backup destinations.

4. Download and install Data Protection on the new computer.

5. Move the incremental backup cache to the new computer. Move all of the incremental backup cache files from the old computer to the new computer. This information is located in the (installed-folder)\folder-cache and (installed-folder)\folder-cache-local folders. Move these folders so that they are in the corresponding location on the new computer.

6. Import your settings profile on the new computer. On the new computer, use the File -> Import Profile command to import the settings profile you exported in step 1. Re-enter the username that you were using on the old computer on the My Account page.

VERY IMPORTANT: Do not setup a backup schedule and do not start a backup until you have completed all of the previous steps and the next two steps (steps 7 and 8).

7. Update Folder locations. On the new computer, go to the Folders page. If any of the folders are in a new location on the new computer, highlight the folder and click the Move button to change the location.

Note that you should select the location that represents the exact same location that was previously selected for your top-level folder. This is very important. If you have questions, please contact us.

8. Verify your settings are correct using Visualize! On the Folders page, use the Visualize! button to verify that your backup policies are correct -- anything that you expect to be backed up should be highlighted in green. Anything you do not expect to be backed up should be highlighted in red or grey.

9. Schedule backups on the new computer. On the new computer, use the Schedule page to set a new backup schedule.

If you have any questions, please contact us. We will be happy to assist you.

IMPORTANT: If the old computer will still be operational, you should remove the account information on the old computer and change the schedule to manual. You can not use the same account for two different computers (doing so can mix your data together and cause other problems). You should always use a new sub-account for the new computer if you will need to continue to backup information on the old computer (in which case you do not need to perform the steps in this article, simply create the new sub-account and then configure the software on the new computer without moving the incremental backup cache).