Backup4all 5 introduces new and exciting features

Backup4all 5 was now released and is available for download. An important part of it was completely redesigned thus we highly recommend the upgrade. You can download it here: Download Backup4all.

There are still three different editions for Backup4all, but they are now combined in a single setup so you’ll be able to use the edition you want when the setup finishes either by trying an edition or by entering your key. Here are some of the new features that were added in this new version:

Online backup. Starting with Backup4all 5 is now possible to back-up your data to two more online destinations: Amazon S3 and Windows Azure. These are two of the most popular online file storage web services and leaders in terms of reliability. In order to back-up your data online you’ll need to have an existing account with either Amazon S3 or Azure. Once those are in place, go to File->Options and define a configuration based on the credentials you obtained on signup. You’ll be able to create new backup jobs that use those configurations when you switch the destination to either Amazon S3 or Azure. You can read an article on how to use these two destinations here: Backup to Amazon S3 and Backup to Azure.

We’ll add more online destinations in future versions, Google Drive will be one of the next.

Block-level backups. This new option improves the backup speed of large files when using incremental. Block-level backups will analyze the source files and will back up only the modified parts of the files. It will read data directly form the disk or volume instead of relying on the reported information using a specific block size. The size of that block can be left automatically as it currently is in Backup4all, or can be adjusted manually. A smaller block means the backup will take longer to finish, while a larger block will result in a faster backup. The advantage of block-level backups can be seen when backing up for instance Microsoft Outlook profiles. Instead of backing up the entire file, which can be very large in size, with block-backup only the blocks of data that had changes will be backed up.

In Backup4all for a new backup job just go in its Properties and under Type you’ll be able to check the option to enable block-backups (this cannot be changed for existing backup jobs, only for new ones). You can read more about block backups here: What is block level backup.

Smart backup type. Backup4all 5 has now by default a new type selected, smart backup. The smart backup type will combine full, differential and incremental types with cleanup actions in order to efficiently manage the stored backup versions according with the free disk space in destination or the maximum allowed space set by the user. Using this type, Backup4all will decide automatically what is the best action to execute when a new backup runs. By default, the smart backup type is limited to use only 80% of the destination free disk space (or 50Gb) but you can modify that from the properties section of that job.

Read more about it in this article: Smart backup type.

Contextual menu. When you right-click a folder or file from Windows Explorer you’ll have access to quick Backup4all actions. Right-clicking a file will give you the option to start the new backup wizard with the selected files as source or add those files to an existing backup job. Right-clicking a folder gives you an additional option of restoring the contents from a backup job in that particular folder. Context menu integration can be enabled from the File->Options->Preferences->Views section of Backup4all 5.

Ribbon interface. The interface was completely redesigned and now offers a ribbon look (Office style). All the important options are now easily accessible from the ribbon bar and backup jobs are shown in a list/card view area. Under the ribbon bar you can also display a quick access toolbar where you can add any commands you want. An option to restore the default layout is available too, so if you want to revert back to the initial design that’s easily done.

Backup4all now has a navigation pane on the left where you can see the backup tags and grouped jobs, as well as the history/scheduler views.

Notifications. The new version includes notifications for 24 actions. This means that whenever a backup job finishes, if any of the actions available in the notifications area occurred, a popup window will be displayed with that information. Notifications can be enabled/disabled individually from the File->Options->Notifications section, where you can also set for how long a notification should be shown and if you want it as a popup or not.

Password management. Backup4all 5 can store your passwords now and you can manage how those are stored. The passwords can either be stored in your local Windows account or in encrypted configuration files protected by a master password. If you choose this option you’ll have to enter the master password everytime you start the application or when the first backup job starts.

These passwords are not stored in the destination folder and if you lose the master password they can’t be recovered anymore.

Improved plugin manager. The plugin manager, available from File->Tools->Plugins, was redesigned to be more user-friendly. Now it’s possible to download a list of remote plugins and choose which one you want to install, without having to interact at all with the actual plugin file (i.e. .xml file). Sure, if you created your own plugin you can still add it manually.

Backup tags. All jobs can now be tagged to allow better group management. You can group restore/repair/test and clean jobs too, not only backups. Once grouped you can manage these jobs easier as the actions you choose for a particular tag applies to all the jobs marked that way.

Online account. By creating an account online via https://secure.backup4all.com you can access your orders and manage your profile, products and keys. If you have ordered in the past you’ll be able to claim your keys from previous orders and associate them with your account. Lastly, there’s a contact option that will send us also the information related to your account and this way we’ll be able to answer your questions faster.

Lots of other smaller features were added or updated as this release is one of the most important updates for Backup4all in the recent years. We strongly recommend updating to this version and the good part is that you can give it a try before deciding to make the switch. Backup4all 5 will install separately from your older installation and you can test it for 30 days: Download Backup4all 5

When you’re ready to make the switch, just import the backup jobs from the older version and purchase an upgrade. Prices for upgrades vary depending on what license you currently own, but you can quickly check the pricing by entering your key here: Upgrade Backup4all

Of course, as always we encourage feedback so if you want to share with us your opinion regarding this new release feel free to add your comment.

Update: Since the first release of version 5 we’ve launched several new minor version where we’ve improved the functionality of new features or corrected reported errors. The list below shows the complete list of changes since the release of version 5.0:

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.370 (21-Feb-2014)

Fix: Shutdown after backup didn’t work in Windows XP/2003/2008 R2 (x64)
Fix: Custom icons for backup jobs were not correctly loaded
Fix: Runtime error when cancelling a Test operation
Fix: Language didn’t stay selected when switching from English
Fix: “Playing sound” showed up in log files even when not used
Fix: Auto-dismiss “insert disk” notification when a disk is inserted during spanned backups
Fix: Notification sounds after backup didn’t play entire audio
Fix: Modified text on notification message for spanned backups
Fix: Test after backup didn’t verify last disk for spanned backups in certain situations
Fix: Shutdown after backup didn’t work in certain situations for test, cleanup and restore operations

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.360 (14-Feb-2014)

Fix: Improved the speed of mirror backups with ZIP
Fix: Added additional information in activation error messages
Fix: “Invalid floating point operation” error in certain situations
Fix: Access violation at address 00903784 in module ‘Backup4all.exe’. Read of address 3C0A5075.

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.359 (12-Feb-2014)

Fix: Backup4all was causing occasionally a computer restart on Windows 7 when no user was logged in
Fix: Explore View ribbon menu was not shown in certain situations
Fix: In certain situations the tray notification app was consuming too much CPU, slowing down the system
Fix: Abort with “User press cancel” was not shown in log
Fix: Excluded files not removed even if option was checked for mirror backups
Fix: The system cannot find the file specified error when browsing for folder in New Backup Wizard

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.357 (11-Feb-2014)

Fix: Tray menu improvements
Fix: Show full setup download link on hash mismatch in web installer
Fix: Limit by file version was not loaded correctly from .ini
Fix: “Show warning and error messages when scheduled” wasn’t showing up in logs
Fix: “Too many copies” error during activation in some situations
Fix: Runtime error when the app doesn’t have enough rights to open an sqlite file
Fix: Several other minor fixes

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.355 (7-Feb-2014)

Fix: Application was freezing when opening a bkc from VPN sources
Fix: Username in scheduled backups was modified automatically in certain situations
Fix: Errors with limit by file number and standard zip
Fix: Error when using a password for the application interface
Fix: Error “Cannot focus a disabled or invisible window”
Fix: Fixes for tray message notifications (now in perfect sync with main interface)
Fix: Backups created with 0 files occurring when using specific options from the Compression tab
Fix: Sometimes the folder/files rights are not set after moving Backup4all application folder and settings
Fix: bTray.exe is duplicated when switching from all users to current user
Fix: bService log size is now limited to 50MB
Fix: Access violation at address 05B4CF91 in module ‘bResourceStrings.bpl’. Read of address 13CB800C.
Fix: Access violation at address 05B46473 in module ‘bResourceStrings.bpl’. Read of address DC458910.
Fix: Several other minor fixes

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.346 (31-Jan-2014)

Fix: Settings folder path was reset without user interaction
Fix: Removable and external drive letters were not detected if Backup4all was running as a standard user (without admin rights)
Fix: Increased the limit for the port number field in email notifications
Fix: Improved GUI look for getting started and ribbon backstage on Windows XP and 2003
Fix: Miscellaneous errors when backing up open files
Fix: Error when comparing file versions
Fix: Microsoft Outlook backup problems
Fix: Opening a .bkc from a very slow network raised a time-out exception
Fix: “Access violation at address 04C064DD in module bResourceStrings.bpl. Write of address 00000000” when trying to use a particular backup plugin

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.336 (24-Jan-2014)

Update: Proxy settings are now recognized when backing up to Amazon S3/Azure
Fix: The password set in “Lock program interface with a password” wasn’t saved in certain situations
Fix: “Restore Default Layout” was showing buttons from “Jobs” on other sections that shouldn’t have those
Fix: Added debug log for loading file/folder dictionary and folder tree from catalog
Fix: Hash mismatch error while trying to install via the web installer in certain situations
Fix: Errors when trying to backup to Samba shares were not correctly reported
Fix: Access violation at address 04B48053 in module ‘bResourceStrings.bpl’. Read of address 02650014.
Fix: Access violation at address 008FECF4 in module ‘Backup4all.exe’. Read of address 00000010.
Fix: Access violation at address 008FECF4 in module ‘Backup4all.exe’. Read of address 00000010.
Fix: Access violation at address 0416CF91 in module ‘bResourceStrings.bpl’. Read of address 0008C00C.
Fix: Access violation at address 01645153 in module ‘Backup4all.exe’. Read of address 00000018.

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.325 (15-Jan-2014)

Update: Import from previous versions will offer to copy application specific settings too
Update: Display updates in List mode for running backups
Fix: Cleanup runs correctly but reports error for Smart backups
Fix: Access violation at address 00486D8C in module ‘Backup4all.exe’. Read of address 00002D11.
Fix: Messages count is wrong in Backup4all
Fix: Error when managing custom filters
Fix: Inconsistencies for messages displayed in tray
Fix: Error “This operation is not valid because the current image contains no valid header”
Fix: Error when backing up on specific hosts using “Explicit SSL”

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.314 (06-Jan-2014)

Fix: Disabling or changing settings for scheduled jobs didn’t work correctly
Fix: Error when creating scheduled jobs in Windows XP with “Run whether the user is logged on or not” option on
Fix: Empty notification window when opening from tray
Fix: “Cannot create a file when that file already exists” error for paths longer than 255 characters
Fix: Create schedule task fixes
Fix: Main update link from check for updates window was invalid
Fix: Access violation at address 00A81D28 in module ‘Backup4all.exe’. Read of address 710A12BE.
Fix: Access violation at address 009AEA06 in module ‘Backup4all.exe’. Read of address 00000000.
Fix: Access violation at address 7C84CD12 in module ‘ntdll.dll’. Write of address 00000014.
Fix: Fixed password import for FTP and SFTP
Fix: FTP connection error in certain situations

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.309 (20-Dec-2013)

Fix: Test operation showed full backup as mirror in some situations
Fix: Modified confirmation message shown when importing from previous versions
Fix: Out of memory error when importing from version 3
Fix: Several fixes when importing backups from other versions

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.307 (18-Dec-2013)

Fix: Fixed SQL access violation error (TSQLException error)
Fix: Cannot run scheduled tag (Invalid command line parameter or no imtStart messager received error)
Fix: Runtime error at app startup
Fix: Removed notification message for statistic calculations

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.305 (17-Dec-2013)

Fix: Backup for Outlook 2013 failed when using the built-in plugin
Fix: Errors in particular situations when backing up jobs on non-English systems

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.304 (16-Dec-2013)

Fix: Errors when running an imported mirror backup job (destination errors)
Fix: Several other important fixes
Fix: Backup4all was not starting on Windows XP
Fix: Problems at startup on Windows 2003 Server

Changes in Backup4all 5.0.300 (10-Dec-2013)

New: Online backup to Microsoft Azure
New: Online backup to Amazon S3
New: True incrementals (bit-level/block level backups)
New: Smart backup type
New: Added Repair as a new backup action
New: Obfuscate file/folders names in zip
New: Windows Explorer contextual pop-up menu
New: Group backup configurations using tags
New: Password storage management
New: Notification messages
New: Suspend/resume the entire application
New: Compress the catalog on destination
New: Use NTFS change journal to scan for modified files
New: Allow processes to use up to 4GB of memory
New: View Statistics log
New: Copy scheduled tasks
New: Save scheduler files in bkc
New: Run missed schedules
New: Scheduler view
New: Schedule a restore/repair operation
New: Use command line as default when scheduling
New: Restore using command line
New: Access Backup4all according to system privileges
New: Test & repair jobs and tags
New: Display progress for the current backup job
New: Navigation pane
New: Quick access toolbar
New: History view
New: Show job details in card/list mode (with filters and groups)
New: Change the backup groups order
Update: Redesigned interface (ribbon style)
Update: Redesigned Plugin Manager (with automatic plugin load and customization)
Update: Windows 8.1 full compatibility

You can download the new version here: Download Backup4all 5

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