Is my drive supported? How do I get a manual? Does NovaBACKUP 7 support Windows 98SE / ME? I want to backup my entire computer except a certain type of file, for instance, my music files. Do I have to unselect each one manually from the selection window? What's the difference between the Backup Settings and Global Settings windows? I want to create a large backup to a secondary hard drive, but I also want to make sure that I leave a certain amount of disk space free. Can I do that? Can I password protect a backup? Can I run NovaBACKUP from a command line? I've created a scheduled backup using the NovaBACKUP Scheduler. Do I have to be there when a backup starts? What is the difference between NovaBACKUP Open File Backup option and NovaStor's Advanced Open File Manager? Should I use software compression, hardware compression or both? I backed up 130MB of data to a CD-R media. I'd like to do another backup. Can I use the same CD-R until it is full? Can I use previously formatted CD-RW or DVD-RW disks with NovaBACKUP 7.x? Does NovaBACKUP read backup sets created by another vendor? How do you determine if a drive is supported by your software? How do I find out about service packs, new releases and updates? Is my drive supported? Most likely YES. A list of drives which have been tested successfully with NovaBACKUP is available on the technical support page. Note, however, that many drives that do not appear on this list will work with NovaBACKUP 7. NovaBACKUP 7 has unparalleled compatibility, so quite often drives that do not appear on this list will still work. How do I get a manual? The full and complete manuals for the NovaBACKUP application is located on the CD-ROM or downloadable from the Technical Support page. Does NovaBACKUP 7 support Windows 98SE/ME? NovaBACKUP 7.3 and below support Windows 98SE, otherwise known as Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows ME. It is still available as a trial download or to purchase. I want to backup my entire computer except a certain type of file, for instance, my music files. Do I have to unselect each one manually from the selection window? No. Simply use the "Filters" feature from the Settings Window. From there, you can add the file extension that you would like to exclude from the backup to the Filter list. What's the difference between the Backup Settings and Global Settings windows? The conditions that you set in the Backup Settings window are only for the current backup set that you are working with. The conditions you set in the Global Settings window will apply to all backup sets created with NovaBACKUP. At the start of every new backup set, your backup settings will be identical to the global settings. I want to create a large backup to a secondary hard drive, but I also want to make sure that I leave a certain amount of disk space free. Can I do that? Yes! You have the ability to specify how much free space you would like to leave open on any hard drive. By going to the Device tab, you can access the properties for all your hard drives - where you can specify the threshold for free space. Can I password protect a backup? Yes, by using the Encryption feature from the Settings window, you are able to encrypt the file with an alphanumeric password. This secret key, which is 8 - 20 characters long, will be required upon restoration of the backup. Can I run NovaBACKUP from a command line? Yes. It is a very simple command that can be run at a run prompt, command prompt, or even through the Windows Scheduler. Please see our online technical tip for more information. I've created a scheduled backup using the NovaBACKUP Scheduler. Do I have to be there when a backup starts? No, as long as there is writable media in the target drive, you're set! What is the difference between NovaBACKUP Open File Backup option and NovaStor's Advanced Open File Manager? NovaBACKUP has supported NovaStor's advanced Open File Manager plug-in for extra protection when you need it since the release of version 7.1. New in version 7.3 is an Open File Backup Option, a check box on the options screen that, when checked, allows NovaBACKUP to hook into Microsoft's Volume Shadow-Copy Service (also known as VSS) in order to back up open files. The Open File Backup option is limited to Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2003 machines, and not all programs (meaning some older legacy programs) are supported in VSS so they aren't supported with this type of Open File Backup implementation. NovaStor's Advanced Open File Manager, however, is not limited to those operating systems or the unsupported legacy applications. For a technical white paper on our Advanced Open File Manager versus Microsoft's Volume Shadow-Copy Service (VSS) click here. Should I use software compression, hardware compression or both? It is important to understand that some data (such as text) generally compresses very well, while other data compresses hardly at all. It is also important to note that compressed data rarely compresses at all, and attempting to compress data which is already compressed (including data in a format that is compressed by definition such as MPEG) can actually cause the file size to grow. For this reason, it is recommended that either hardware compression or software compression be selected, not both. Generally speaking, hardware compression works more efficiently than software compression, and should be used instead of software compression. I backed up 130MB of data to a CD-R media. I'd like to do another backup. Can I use the same CD-R until it is full? Yes, using the Multi-session feature allows you to do this. Should you start another backup session and there is not enough room on the multi-session CD-R, NovaBACKUP will fill the media and ask for an empty one so that it may span the backup to multiple CD-R's. Can I use previously formatted CD-RW or DVD-RW disks with NovaBACKUP 7.x? You must use a blank disc or one which has not been formatted. Previously formatted disks (formatted by programs such as DirectCD or InCD) will not be recognized correctly for recording just as the disc would not be usable by any other main burning applications (such as NERO or ROXIO). A formatted disc is already set with sector sizes which are incompatible with normal recording. Does NovaBACKUP read backup sets created by another vendor? As there is no industry standard for backup utility software, NovaBACKUP will not be able to read backup sets created by another vendor’s software. Our software will only support the restoration of backup sets originally created by NovaBACKUP. How do you determine if a drive is supported by your software? In mid 1998 the "standard T-10 committee's MMC command" set was adapted by almost all manufactures. Some vendors still had proprietary command, but the majority was moving to this standard. In Spring 1999, even the vendors still having proprietary command set moved to the new standard. So in a nutshell, any drive conforming to the MMC standard established by the T-10 committee is compatible. Every now and then a vendor will violate the command set. If this is the case, we will note it in our unsupported list. We only added one drive to our unsupported list in all of 2002....that's how rare it is. How do I find out about service packs, new releases and updates? NovaStor publishes a Company Newsletter, NovaNews, on an approximately semi-monthly basis. Our company newsletter is the best way to stay in touch with the company and all the latest developments, plus learn tips and techniques and more. 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