This tutorial will show you how to create a Custom Backup plan using the Seagate Dashboard software.
To begin, launch the Seagate Dashboard.
Once the Dashboard has launched, click on the PC backup link.
If no backup plans have been created, the PC backup page displays and you'll see two selections.
The selections available are the Protect Now and the New Backup Plan.
Using the choices available in the New Backup Plan you can schedule your own custom backup
that is suited to your needs.
To continue, click on the New Backup Plan button.
The first step is to select the files that you want to backup.
There are two methods for selecting the files.
The first is the Personal Folder method.
By default, the Personal Folder method selects all non-system file types to add to the backup plan.
You may modify the selections for this method by clearing the any folders you do not want
included in the backup.
These are all the steps required to select folders using the Personal Folder method.
You may click the Continue button to proceed.
The second method is the Specific Folder selection.
The Specific Folder method allows you to select individual files to add to your plan.
To use the Specific Folder method, first click on the Specific Folder button to launch the File Tree view.
The File Tree View will display and you will see icons representing your Operating System
and the direct attached storage devices that you have connected to your system.
In this view you will be able to access the files and folders by expanding the tree structure.
To expand the file tree structure, click on the Arrow button to the left of the O.S. entry.
Once the tree expands, you may select files and folders from the directory by putting
a check in the corresponding check boxes.
Or you may expand the folder and select individual files by adding or removing the checkmark.
After you have made your selections, click on the Continue button to continue setting up your Backup plan.
Next, you will be prompted to select the Destination drive which will store your backed-up data.
Click the Selection box for the drive you want to use as your Destination drive.
Then click the Continue button.
Next, you will need to specify the frequency that your backups will occur.
There are six schedules from which you may select.
The first schedule is the Snapshot.
A Snapshot is a one-time backup of all your selected files and, is very useful if you
want to manage the scheduling of your backups manually.
The next selection is the Monthly schedule.
The Monthly schedule will back up your selected files to the Destination drive once a month.
With this schedule you are required to select the week, the day, and time of day to run your backup.
The next selection is the Weekly schedule.
To use the Weekly schedule, you select the day of the week and time of day that you want
your backups to occur.
The next selection is the Daily schedule.
With the Daily backup schedule, all you need to set is the time of day you want the backups to run.
If you will be backing up your data daily, be sure to select a time when the computer
is turned on but you will not be using the full processing power.
The next selection is the hourly schedule.
With the Hourly schedule, all you need to select is the minute of each hour you want the backup to occur.
The next selection is the Continuously Running backup schedule.
As the name implies this backup runs continuously.
Any time a file is changed or added to your computer, it will be automatically backed
up to your Destination drive.
After selecting the frequency that your backup plan will occur, click on the Start Backup
button to accept the settings and start the backup.
This is all that's required to setup a customized Backup Plan.
After you click on the Start Backup button the PC backup page will display and your custom
backup plan will begin running.
While the backup is running, you may pause the process or delete the current backup operation
by clicking on the appropriate icon.
You will need to pause or stop the process in order to edit the plan.
Depending on the amount of data that requires copying, the initial backup could take quite a while.
Seagate recommends that you run the plan for the first time during the evening or,
when you're not going to need the full processing power of your computer.
This concludes the Seagate Dashboard creating a new Customized Backup Plan Tutorial.
For more information on Seagate Dashboard please see the rest of the Seagate Dashboard tutorials.