Creating a Backup

Main Window Layout

On the left side of the main application window there is a list of all disks and partitions available for backup. If a disk or partition is missing from the list, Active@ Disk Backup cannot back it up — for example, because the disk is offline. To refresh the list of partitions, click the Reset button.

To the right of the partition list is the backup list, which displays brief information about the backup at the root level — including backup name, data size, and number of partitions — as well as all partitions included in the backup.

Below the backup list are the backup name field and backup options controls. Below the partition and backup lists is the property panel, whose content changes depending on the selected item. It may display information about the selected disk, partition, or backup description.

The bottom part of the window contains the Create button and a progress indicator, which is not visible until a backup is in progress.

Choosing a Backup Name

Click the Browse… button to open a file selection dialog and enter the required backup name and location. Backup files use the .ADB extension.

Selecting Partitions to Back Up

Drag and drop a partition from the partition list on the left to the backup list on the right. Once a partition is dropped, its icon changes to reflect its status as included in the backup. The backup summary is also updated to reflect the new backup size and partition count.

Setting Backup Options

Below the backup list there are two checkboxes: Compress and Encrypt. To compress the backup (the default option), select the Compress checkbox.

If the data on the disk being backed up contains sensitive information, you may want to encrypt the backup. To do so, select the Encrypt checkbox. You will be prompted to set an encryption password. Make sure you do not lose this password, as it will be required to restore the data. Without the password, it will be impossible to restore the backup.

Adding a Backup Description

You can optionally add a description to the backup. To do this, click the backup item at the top of the backup list. The property panel at the bottom of the window will display a text field where you can enter any descriptive text.

Starting Backup Creation

Once you have entered the minimum required information — a backup name and at least one selected partition — the Create button in the bottom-right corner of the window will become enabled. Click Create to start the backup process.

While the backup is in progress, the Create button is replaced by a Cancel button, and progress information is displayed to its left, including the current operation, the amount of data processed, and the estimated time remaining.