Laptops and tablets can be particularly vulnerable to data loss, and manually backing up files can be a time consuming and tedious process. This service provides faculty and staff who use laptops or tablets a simple and automatic tool for backing up, synchronizing and restoring their files. It helps to protect important files and provides an easy way to recover files in the event of a problem.
Contact the service desk to set up your account. You will receive an email confirmation with instructions on how to activate your account and install the Backup Exec Agent.
Features
- Automatically backs up and synchronizes the contents of My Documents, Favorites and Desktop folders
- Permits easy recovery of the contents of those folders in the event of a problem
Requirements
- Computer in the Austin or ENGR Active Directory
- An active connection to the UT network
- Windows XP, Tablet PC or Vista Operating System
- The Symantec Backup Exec Agent
How to Restore Data
- Open the Symantec Desktop Agent at the lower right corner of task bar.
- Under Views in the Desktop Agent Tasks Bar, click Restore.
- Select the items you want to restore.
Restore Dialog Box Options
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Restore to the original folders on this computer | Select this option to restore files and folders to their original location. |
| Redirect the restore to an alternate folder on this computer | Select this option to restore files and folders to an alternate folder on the same computer. |
| Preserve folder structure | Select this option to restore the data with its original directory structure. If you clear this option, all data (including the data in subdirectories) is restored to the path you specify. |
| Options | |
| If file already exists | Select one of the following:
|
| Restore deleted files | Select this option if you want to restore files even though the source file has been deleted. |
| Preserve security attributes on restored files | Select Preserve security attributes on restored files to preserve security information in restored files. You may need to uncheck this box to successfully restore a file if the source file security conflicts with the destination security. Unchecking this option causes the security information to be removed from the restored file. |
How to Modify Backup Selections
By default, the system automatically backs up and synchronizes the contents of My Documents, IE Favorites and Desktop folders. You can add additional files to be backed up.
- Open the Symantec Desktop Agent at the lower right corner of task bar.
- Under Views in the Desktop Agent Tasks Bar, click Backup Selections.
- Select any additional folders to be backed up. Please only select data folders. The backup application is not designed to recover your computer or program files.
How to Verify Backups
There are a couple of ways to verify your system is backing up your files.
- Open the Symantec Desktop Agent at the lower right corner of task bar.
- Under Views in the Desktop Agent Tasks Bar, click Backup Selections. Verify the any customized backup selections are set.
- Under Views in the Desktop Agent Tasks Bar, click Restore. Verify the Backup Selections you have selected is available for restore.
- Under Views in the Desktop Agent Tasks Bar, click History. Look for any errors or warnings. There should be some current logs that indicates the new files are backed up.
Symantec Backup Agent FAQs
- What if I get a new computer?
- Please contact the ITG Service Desk to installation of the Backup Agent.
- How long do files remain on the server after it's been deleted from the laptop?
- Files are purged after 60 days.
- Where can I place files so they are not backed up?
- Files located outside of the My Documents and Desktop folder are not backed up.
- How much bandwidth does Backup Agent utilized and will it impact system performance?
- It uses 1.5 Mbps and should not slow down your computer.
- Is there a limit to the amount of files that can be backed up?
- Capacities larger than 20GB should also consider Backups with Norton Ghost or other backup mechanisms to a failsafe pair of external USB hard drives appropriately secured.