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1.
What is an Online Backup Service?
An Online Backup Service is an Internet-based service that
allows computer users to routinely backup and recover their
important data using a secure and trusted server on the Internet.
If you use your computer to create and save valuable data
for business or personal reasons, you should make some type
of backup of your important data to prevent a total loss in
the event of any kind of system failure or human error. Simple
data backup can be done by saving your data to multiple locations,
copying the data from its original location to removable media,
another hard drive, or another computers hard drive on the
network.
To
make this task easier, specialized programs known as Backup
Software exist to aid users in regularly making a backup copy
of their data. Since some users are not interested in managing
the tasks necessary for maintaining their own backups, a new
breed of backup software was created, known as Online Backup
Software. Online Backup software is designed to routinely
copy your important files to a private, secure location on
the Internet by securely transmitting your data over your
existing Internet connection.
If
you have a working Internet connection on your computer, you
can use DataStash's Online Backup Service to keep your important
files safe from disaster on a daily basis. Check the pricing
of our Online Backup Service. If you want to manage your own
backups, we encourage you to pick the solution that best meets
your needs, so take a look at our other Backup Software to
determine which backup solution is ideal for you.
2.
I have a slow Internet connection, does it make sense for
me to use Online Backup?
Depending on the speed of your connection and the size
of your backup, your initial backup over the Internet may
take several hours or even days. Many people with large backup
sizes and slower Internet connections will often run their
first backup over the weekend. Once the first backup is completed,
each subsequent backup is usually a small amount of data that
can be backed up in just minutes over a slower dialup connection.
Our
software can also resume a canceled backup, so you can start
the backup during your slow times and cancel it during your
busy times. The next time you start the backup, it will pick
up from where it was canceled until the entire backup is complete.
3.
What files should I select?
Since your entire hard drive is likely to be much larger than
the amount of storage you have purchased on the backup server,
you should be selective in the files that you choose for backup.
In general, you can avoid backing up any programs that you
can reinstall from a purchased CD, such as Microsoft Office
(Word, Excel, etc.). Why pay for storage for "stuff" you can
easily re-install? Try to focus your selection on things like
your "My Documents" folder and data files of your important
programs like accounting, income tax, contact management,
etc. Your online backup software comes with predefined filters,
which allow you to automatically select categories of files
without knowing where all the files are located. Check the
online help for Filters to learn how they can be used.
4.
What happens if I exceed my quota?
Additional storage costs is $14.95/month per each additional
GIG of storage used.
5.
How do I delete files from the Backup server?
In order to control how much data is stored on the online
backup server, your online backup software allows you to view
all of the data stored on the server and selectively remove
files from the server. To view the data stored under your
account, run your online backup software and click on the
folder tab labeled "Restore". In the left windowpane, Right-Click
on the Desktop icon and select "Get Volume List from Server".
This will show you each computer that has been backed up to
your account. Now you can navigate the folders to see what
data is stored on the server. To delete files, click on the
button with the Red "X" to enable the Delete Files mode. Mark
any files you wish to delete by clicking your mouse in the
empty box next to the file(s) you wish to delete. Click the
"Delete Files Now" to issue the command to delete the selected
files from the server. WARNING: Once a file is deleted from
the server, it can no longer be restored.
6.
Can I backup more than one computer to my account?
Yes. We allow you to backup any number of computers to your
account. You only pay for the storage space that you use.
Your account should already be setup to allow you to backup
several computers. If you have any problems backing up more
computers to your account, simply call or E-mail support
to request additional computers on your account.
7.
Should I also have a local backup in addition to my online
backup?
It's up to you. We encourage people to do both local and remote
backup for absolute protection. Users that want an added level
of protection will perform local backups in addition to their
online backup. Local backups can allow you to backup ALL of
your files, while the online backup is a great way to automatically
store your critical files off-site. When it comes to your
important data, you can never be too safe.
8.
What is the Personal Recovery CD?
The Personal Recovery CD is a service that we offer which
copies all of your data from our servers onto CD(s). This
allows you to restore the archive of your data from a CD without
requiring an Internet connection. This is great for keeping
long-term archives of your data or restoring large amounts
of data without connecting over a slow Internet connection.
When the Personal Recovery CD is ordered, it includes all
of your account data. Each CD holds approximately 650 MB,
so accounts with more that 650 MB of storage will require
multiple CDs. For pricing info, click
here.
9.
How do you calculate my billing?
Monthly Billing Customers - On a monthly basis, we will compare
your pricing plan to your actual storage usage and determine
your costs for that month. If your storage usage is below
that amount of storage provided in your base plan, no additional
charges will be processed. If your storage usage is greater
than your base plan amount, an additional charge is calculated
based on the additional increments of storage space needed
to accommodate for your storage usage for the month. A new
calculation is performed every month to determine the billing
total for that month.
Monthly
Billing Example: Base Plan: $14.95 per month for up to 250
MB of storage; Additional Storage: $14.95 per month for each
additional GIG
10.
What do I do if I have trouble connecting to the server or
performing a backup?
During business hours (9am - 5pm EST) you can call our technical
support group for assistance. You can also view the technical
support section of our web site for some helpful information.
11.
What is a FastBIT backup?
The FastBIT patching process is the core technology behind
our speedy backup service. The patching process involves the
comparison of two different versions of the same file and
extracting the differences between the files. When the differences
are extracted from the two files, they are saved into a new
file and compressed into what is known as a Patch. The patch
file is often 85% to 99.9% smaller than the file from which
the patch was originally extracted. In order to perform a
FastBIT backup, the software has to backup the files 3 times:
the first backup is a full, the next backup will perform an
incremental, and the third performs the first FastBIT backup.
For more information about DataStash's FastBIT™ patching process,
click here.
12.
How do I cancel my online backup service?
We never like to see anyone cancel their online service, but
in the event you must cancel your service, please call 877.721.7155
and speak with a customer service representative. Once an
account is canceled, the data may be permanently deleted,
so if you want a copy of your backups, please consider a Personal
Recovery CD prior to cancellation. If you wish to cancel your
account via E-mail, send a message to the sales
team and please provide your complete contact information
including address, phone & E-mail along with your Username
and Password for the online backup service.
13.
Who is VOLstate?
VOLstate,
Inc. is the parent company of DataStash. VOLstate is
an Internet Service Provider located in East Tennessee. Started
in 1996, VOLstate serves businesses and individuals throughout
the state of Tennessee with Internet Access and related services.
14.
Why does my Credit Card statement say VOLstate for my DataStash
bill?
DataStash is owned by VOLstate,
Inc. The invoice and billing are generated by VOLstate.
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