Backup Activity (Windows Only)

The Backup activity lets you create a plan customized for the content, storage device, and schedule of your choosing. Backup is available for the Windows version of Toolkit.

File types and procedure

Toolkit backs up your data but excludes program files, application data, temporary files, and other types of system files and folders.

Toolkit initially saves a full backup of the selected data to your storage device when a Backup plan is created. With successive backups, Seagate only saves the data that has changed since the preceding backup. This helps reduce the time and space required for each scheduled backup.

Locating backed up files

When Toolkit backs up files to your external storage device, it creates the following folder hierarchy on the drive:

X:\Toolkit\Backup\Name\c\

Within the \Toolkit\Backup\Name\c\ folder, your backed up files are typically in a copy of the source user folder, however, this may vary depending on the settings you chose for the Backup plan.

Viewing archived files

When you update files on your computer, your Backup plan will copy the previous version to the following archive folder:

X:\Toolkit\Backup\Name\C_Archive\

Set up a quick backup

You can quickly back up personal files with just a few clicks. Your personal files include all non-system files on Windows.

1. Open Toolkit.
2. On the Main Menu, click Backup.
3. Click Back Up Now.

Toolkit backs up your personal files and creates a new backup plan. The plan is set to continuously back up personal files to the storage device whenever files are added to your computer or changed. You can change details of the auto-generated plan—see Edit a backup plan.

Create a custom backup plan

A custom Backup plan lets you choose the content, device, and schedule for your backups.

1. Open Toolkit.
2. On the Main Menu, click on the Backup activity.
3. Click Custom.
4. Proceed through the steps in Define your Backup plan.

Define your backup plan

Toolkit guides you through the steps needed to define your Backup plan.

Step 1: Select content

There are two ways to select the content to include in your backups: Basic and Advanced.

Basic

1. Click the checkboxes to include the following non-system content:

2. When you’re finished selecting content, click Next.

Advanced

1. To select content with greater control, click Advanced.
2. Use the sidebar and the content window to manually select folders.

Step 2: Select the destination drive

1. Click the destination drive for your backup.
2. Once you’ve selected a device, click Next.

Step 3: Schedule backups

1. Click on a time period to select how often you want to back up your content.
2. Adjust settings for the selected time period, for example, selecting a specific hour or day.
3. Click Start Backup.

Your changes are saved. Toolkit backs up selected folders at the scheduled time when:

• Your PC is on.
• Your storage device is connected to the PC.
• Toolkit is running.

Pause/resume a backup plan

To pause the backup plan:

1. Open Toolkit.
2. On the Main Menu, click on the Pause icon on the Backup activity.

Alternatively, you can click on the Backup activity to go to the Backup screen, and then click Pause.

To resume the backup plan:

1. Open Toolkit.
2. On the Main Menu, click on the Play icon on the Backup activity.

Alternatively, you can click on the Backup activity to go to the Backup screen, and then click Resume.

Edit a backup plan

You can change the content, destination, and schedule of your Backup plan.

1. Open Toolkit.
2. On the Main Menu, click on the Backup activity.
3. On the Backup screen, click Edit plan.
4. Proceed through the steps in Define your Backup plan.

Delete a backup plan

1. Open Toolkit.
2. On the Main Menu, click on the Backup activity.
3. On the Backup screen, click Delete plan.
4. (optional) If you want to remove all files that have been backed up to the device, select the checkbox next to Delete all files backed up to the device.
5. Click Delete to confirm.

View report

You can review a report of backup activity. The report lists files that were not backed up or only partially backed up, and includes details on the cause as well as file paths on the host computer and backup drive.

1. Open Toolkit.
2. On the Main Menu, click on the Backup activity.
3. On the Backup screen, click View report.

Previous Toolkit versions (Windows 7 | 8 | 8.1)

In legacy versions of Toolkit, Pause/Resume, Edit, Delete, and Report actions are accessed through a menu on the Backup screen:

1. Open Toolkit.
2. On the Main Menu, click on the Backup activity.
3. On the Backup screen, click on the More icon ().
4. Select an action.

Toolkit Backup FAQ

Click Toolkit Backup FAQ for answers to common questions about creating and using Backup plans.