AISBackup: Features.

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 The time in Wales is: 10 December 2024 15:27:41

AISBackup Features

Introduction

AISBackup is a backup program designed to provide backups of your PC data to the following media:

  • Local Hard Drives.
  • USB connected external drives.
  • Cloud drives that are accessible via drive letters.
  • Network Drives.
  • Networked NAS and LAN Disks.
  • Using the File Transfer protocols FTP, FTPS and SFTP.
  • CD, DVD and Blu-ray.

Tape drives are not supported.

Backups to CD, DVD and Blu-ray are done via a built in Disc Writer, a third party Disc Mastering application or a third party Packet Writing interface, see the documentation that came with your Disc writer software.

AISBackup is job based, each job contains a list of files and folders to be backed up and the media to which the backup is to be made.

Once a backup job has been created simply click Run Backup to start the Backup process.

Only files that are new or have changed since the previous backup are physically added to a pre-used backup job, this considerably reduces the time needed to maintain a complete system backup (after the initial backup that is).

Each time a backup is run a new session is created. When files are added to the backup any previous versions remain on the backup. Each version of a backed up file is held in it's own session.

AISBackup can be set to remove redundant files from disk based backup media using an Advanced Backup Session Manager. AISBackup can also prune DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM and Blu-Ray RE that have been created using a third party packet writing system.

Backup jobs can be based on pre-existing backup jobs.

There is an option to allow an individual or a selection of AISBackup jobs to be added to the Microsoft Task scheduler. There is also an option to create desktop or start-up shortcuts for one or more backups. If jobs overlap the schedule they are automatically queued.

Backups may be password protected to two levels.

Backups may be tested for restore capability during or at any time after the backup session.

The contents of each backup remain online to ease the process of restoring files. Simply select the file, or files that you want to restore, select the destination of the files and then click Restore. If the contents of the file(s) you wish to restore are offline you are prompted to load the appropriate media (CD, DVD, BD or Network Drive) during the restore process.

Individual sessions may be selected during a Restore process; this enables you to restore all files that existed on a particular date, and optionally to remove the files that did not exist on that date (from the restored folders). Other restore options include:

  • Right Click File / Open File
  • Right Click File / Open With
  • Right Click File / Save As.
  • Select files then drag and drop them onto Windows Explorer.
  • Select then drag-and-drop Folders onto Windows Explorer.

AISBackup can backup and restore the following additional files without the need to purchase extra 'add-ons':

  • Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory.
  • NTFS File and Folder Security Settings and alternate data streams.

    This optional setting creates AISBackup proprietary zip files that cannot be read with WinZip.

    AISBackup enables alternate data streams to be opened or restored as normal 'visible' files.
  • and for IT specialists: Reparse Points, Junction Points and Hard Links.

Opened Exclusive Files

AISBackup supports open file backup by using Microsoft Volume Copy Shadow Service.

The backup files:

The actual backup database is a series of modified zip format files that are not compatible with, for example,Windows compressed folders.

If a file to be backed up is over about 3.9GB or is likely to span backup media, a propriety backup file known as a huge file is created instead of a zip format file, these files are identified by the file extensions AIL and AII.

Restore Options:

Normally AISBackup can restore files within the current Windows session, any file that is currently in use will be restored after a re-boot.

If Windows itself is been restored and major updates have been applied to AISBackup since the restore was made then you may use an AISBackup Restore CD, which must be made by yourself. Alternatively, if you have a Windows 32-bit set-up DVD then that may be used, along with a copy of AISBackup on CD or USB flash drive to make the restore.

If the hard drive in your PC has failed then AISBackup can be used to set-up and restore your PC using the AISBackup Restore CD or a 32-bit Windows set-up DVD. We recommend that you make the AISBackup restore CD or AISBAckup restore USB flsh drive.

There are other options for major system recovery restores for example:

  • Restore via a dual or multi-boot system.

  • Restore using another computer; it is recommened that the computer doing the restore is running the same or higher operating system as Microsoft may change the format of some system files.