Dobry Backuper has been designed on one, very simple conception: create once and use always. This means, that once your backup has been created and set up, it can be further used. In other words, you have to specify just one time what (what files) and how to backup (method, compressing, filters), and when a new backup should be built. After that you can refer to this backup in order to just restore the data from it or track the current status. However, of course, you can take the whole control over things and make changes in an already created backup or build up a backup at any time.
According to Dobry Backuper conception, one should distinguish four important program work phases with each backup: creating , setting up , building and restoring . While creating you direct the program, specifying what should be backed up and where the backup should be stored (remember: it should be a safe place). While setting up, you specify by what method backing up should be done, what files should be excluded from the backup; whether you should use the compression of the archives you get or whether the archive size should be limited (for instance, for the further record on CD or transfer by e-mail). You can also set up a schedule on which your backup will be built automatically. Building is a direct saving of backup files in backup archives . It can be done automatically on the pre-set schedule or by the user's command. Restoring is a copying of the saved files from the backup archive to the original or assigned by the user hard drive location. It obviously is executed only by the user's command, i.e. by your command.
So, you have had your Dobry Backuper successfully installed and launched!
Once the program started, you will first see the dialog saying 'the program is not licensed' . However, you may use it during the trial period for evaluation purposes. If you have already purchased the license and are ready to enter the license code, then press Licenses and just enter the code.
In case you have no license code or are not ready to enter it yet, press Try It . To learn more about licensing read the section «Installation and Licensing».
The main window of Dobry Backuper application consists of four parts: the toolbar, the list of backups, backup content table and backup properties area.
The toolbar, though can be customized by the user, includes a set of the most useful buttons by default:
New Backup - creates a new backup;
Add Files - allows adding files to the current (chosen from the list of backups) backup;
Remove Files - removes backup files chosen from the backup content table;
Build - starts backup building process;
Stop - ends any running task;
Restore - restores files back to the initial hard drive location from the chosen archive of the current backup;
Log - shows or hides the log drawer.
The list of backups contains all the backups opened or created by the current user. To choose the needed backup, just make your pick from this list. Right under the list of backups, the pop-up list of the built backup archives is located, which defines from which archive restoring can be done. For more details, see the «Managing backups» and «Managing backup archives» sections.
The backup content table is located on the right of the opened backup list and displays files and folders included in the current backup (or in the first one, if more than one backup have been selected). For more details, also see the «Managing files in a backup» section.
Backup properties area is located down under the backup content table. It contains four pages and allows setting up the location for the current backup (some safe place for storing archives and the accompanying information file), various backup parameters, and a schedule for automating its regular building. For more details, also see the «Backup properties» section.
Dobry Backuper application by its nature requires no extra settings and you can start creating your first backup right away:
Step 1. Creating a new backup.
Press New Backup on the toolbar. In the file dialog, the program will offer, to choose files and folders to be backed up. Select all the necessary files and folders, and press Choose . Then Dobry Backuper will add to the opened backup list a new line with the name, with the same name as that of the first chosen file or folder. Later on, you can rename your backup (see the «Managing backups» section), but that will do so far. In the content table, you will see all the files and folders to be backed up.
Then, you can specify where the future backup archives and backup information file should be saved. This can be done by choosing in the Drive pop-up list the needed media and by specifying the folder in the field Folder . On this phase, however, it is not that necessary, as if you skip this step, the program itself will ask you to do it before creating a backup.
For more details, see the «Creating a new backup» section.
Step 2. Setting a backup.
Now you can set up any parameters of your backup. Though, again, it is not so necessary, because the default settings of the created backup allow building it. So, you can leave it alone or refer to the «Backup properties» and «Managing files in a backup» sections of this Help.
Step 3. Building a backup.
This step is the final in your work with a backup. Further, you will not have to repeat the above steps, though it is not restricted. You can always change both your backup settings and its contents, and even its name. And now, just press Build on the toolbar and the program will build a backup archive, whose name will appear at the end in the pop-up list Backup archives .
That's it - your backup is ready! In future, you can rebuild the backup to update it or, the best way is to let the program do it, having set your schedule to provide regular updating of the backup. To find out more, please refer to the next section.