MozyPro Remote Data Backup
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Mozy?
- What’s so special about Mozy?
- How do I use Mozy?
- Which operating systems does Mozy support?
- Is Mozy secure?
- How does Mozy respect my privacy?
- Which files should I back up?
- What happens if I delete a file from my computer that I had marked for backup?
- Are there any size limits or other constraints to the types of files I can back up?
- Can I share my backed up data with another user?
- How many files can I back up?
- I have LOTS of data. How long will it take to back up?
- Will it always take as long as the first time to back up my data?
- What if my internet connection disconnects while Mozy’s backing up or I shut off my computer in the middle of a backup?
- Will Mozy back up my entire disk drive? What about my applications and system files?
- How does Mozy keep my data from being lost?
- Can I backup email?
- Will MozyPro affect my PC performance?
- Can I start a backup manually?
- Where is my data stored? / Is my data safe traveling across the Internet? / How do I know that my data is safe and secure?
- How do I retrieve my data? / How do I restore my data?
- How often can I restore my data?
- How long does it take to back up?
- Can I access and set up my data on a new PC? / How do I replace my machine with a new one?
Mozy is a secure online backup service. It’s a simple, smart, and economical way to protect your data from hazards like file corruption, accidental deletion, or hardware failure. Mozy regularly backs up your files to our secure servers automatically so that you never have to worry about losing important data.
2. What’s so special about Mozy?
Mozy is simply the best online backup service available. Here are just a few of the reasons we can claim this distinction:
- Mozy is simple to set up.
- It performs backups automatically in the background while you continue working.
- It encrypts all your files before transferring them to storage.
- It’s fast because it backs up only the data that has changed.
- It backs up both open and locked files.
- It’s inexpensive and reliable.
Simply install the software on your computer, select the files you want to back up, and then never worry about data loss again. Once you set it up, Mozy automatically backs up your data for you at regular intervals. You don’t even have to think about it!
4. Which operating systems does Mozy support?
The MozyPro desktop license supports Windows 2000, XP, and Vista as well as Mac OS X 10.4 and higher.
Absolutely! Mozy gives you the ability to select your data’s encryption method: a Mozy key with 448-bit Blowfish encryption or your own private key with 256-bit AES encryption. Your files are encrypted on your computer using the key of your choice, and then transferred to the Mozy servers using 128-bit SSL encryption, the industry standard for safe and secure data transfer. Please note that if you select to use your own private key, it will be impossible for Mozy to decrypt your data, so you must be very careful not to lose it.
6. How does Mozy respect my privacy?
The short answer is that we don’t read your data or sell your information to anyone.
7. Which files should I back up?
We recommend you back up data that is difficult to replace, like photos, email, contact lists, financial records, and office documents. If you’re not sure what you want to back up, Mozy offers you several backup sets in the Backup Sets tab of the application. You can tell Mozy to use the default backup sets, create custom backup sets, or select specific files or folders that you want to back up.
8. What happens if I delete a file from my computer that I had marked for backup?
If you delete a document and then run a backup, Mozy will assume that you no longer need a backup copy of that document, and will mark the file to be removed from our system. (We keep it on file for 30 days, just in case you change your mind.) After 30 days, the file will be deleted from our servers and you will not be able to get it back.
9. Are there any size limits or other constraints to the types of files I can back up?
You can back up files of any type or size with only a few exceptions; OS-specific files, such as Pagefile and Prefetch files on Windows, cannot be backed up. And while EFS encryption files are supported by Mozy, other types of encrypted files may not be able to utilize Mozy’s incremental backup feature.
10. Can I share my backed up data with another user?
The question is not really can you share your backups, but should you? The only way that you can share your backed-up data is to give your username and password to someone else, and for obvious security reasons, we strongly advise you against this. (Unless, of course, you already share a toothbrush—then it’s probably not a big deal to share a password.) If you don’t want to compromise your privacy or data integrity, you should never share your Mozy account information with anyone.
11. How many files can I back up?
MozyPro users may back up as many files as they wish, unless quota restrictions have been enacted by their administrator. Just note that the more files you back up, the longer your initial backup will take.
12. I have LOTS of data. How long will it take to back up?
For a typical system on a typical broadband line, and if you continue working on your computer during the backup, Mozy backs up data at the rate of about 2-4 GB per day. If left undisturbed on a fast connection, however, you can back up over 9 GB in a single day. You may experience faster or slower speeds depending on your connection.
13. Will it always take as long as the first time to back up my data?
After your initial backup, subsequent backups are relatively quick. Chances are that you won’t even notice them. This is possible because Mozy performs what are called differential backups, which means that it only backs up the portions of your files that have changed since the last time they were backed up. This saves lots of time, bandwidth and storage space.
14. What if my internet connection disconnects while Mozy’s backing up or I shut off my computer in the middle of a backup?
No problem. The next time you get online, Mozy will just continue where it left off when your computer shut down.
15. Will Mozy back up my entire disk drive? What about my applications and system files?
Mozy was designed to back up your most important data files, such as your email, contact lists, photos, and financials. It was not designed to back up your system and application files. If you need to restore these types of files, it is much easier and more reliable to restore them using your original CDs. Restoring your system and application files from backups or any type of “disk image” is risky and difficult to do properly, and we don’t recommend or support it.
Instead, keep your original system and application CDs in a secure location. Then make sure to back up your data files regularly with Mozy. If your computer fails, use the CDs to restore your system and application files to your new hardware, and then use Mozy’s Web Restore to restore your data files. With a combination of original CDs and Mozy data backups, you can feel confident that you can restore your system even after a serious hardware failure.
16. How does Mozy keep my data from being lost?
Your data is stored in its encrypted state in Mozy’s data centers with 24/7/365 onsite monitoring and security, state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression systems, redundant power distribution units, and seismic safeguards that can withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. In addition, we use a proprietary protection mechanism based on a complex encoding structure to ensure that your data is safe, even in the event of multiple hardware failures.
17. Can I backup email?
You can backup your email with Mozy. However, since email file is usually big and it changes daily, backups may take much longer. If your current email service is POP3 (your email is only stored on your computer, we recommend subscribing to Microsoft Exchange (Web Mail or Premium) email service. Our Exchange service keeps a copy of your email on the server which is backed up daily. Since your email is on a server, you can securely access your email from any computer.
18. Will MozyPro affect my PC performance?
MozyPro allows you to select the speed of your backups. You can select either to have faster backups or better performance for your computer.
19. Can I start a backup manually?
The Mozy allows you to start a backup manually.
20. Where is my data stored? / Is my data safe traveling across the Internet? / How do I know that my data is safe and secure?
Mozy gives you the ability to select your data's encryption method: a Mozy key with 448-bit Blowfish encryption or your own private key with 256-bit AES encryption. Your files are encrypted on your computer using the key of your choice, and then transferred to the Mozy servers using 128-bit SSL encryption, the industry standard for safe and secure data transfer.
Once in Mozy's data centers, your data is stored in its encrypted state with 24/7/365 onsite monitoring and security, state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression systems, redundant power distribution units, and seismic safeguards that can withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. In addition, we use a proprietary protection mechanism based on a complex encoding structure to ensure that your data is safe, even in the event of multiple hardware failures.
21. How do I retrieve my data? / How do I restore my data?
In the event of a catastrophic computer failure or loss, you can easily restore your data. The Restore tab does not appear until after the first backup has taken place.
The Restore Files button in the Status window follows a specific hierarchy:
- If available, the Restore tab in the MozyPro Configuration window opens.
- If not, the MozyPro Virtual Drive in My Computer opens.
- If neither of those options is available, the MozyPro Web Restore window opens in a browser.
Mozy restores your files to their original location on your hard drive.
Important: You cannot perform a restore when the machine is in the process of a backup.
22. How often can I restore my data?
You may restore files as many times as you need to. There are no restore restrictions for MozyPro users.
23. How long does it take to back up?
For a typical system on a typical broadband line, and if you continue working on your computer during the backup, Mozy backs up data at the rate of about 2-4 GB per day. If left undisturbed on a fast connection, however, you can back up over 9 GB in a single day. You may experience faster or slower speeds depending on your connection.
After your initial backup, subsequent backups are relatively quick. Chances are that you won't even notice them. This is possible because Mozy performs what are called differential backups, which means that it only backs up the portions of your files that have changed since the last time they were backed up. This saves lots of time, bandwidth and storage space.
24. Can I access and set up my data on a new PC? / How do I replace my machine with a new one?
You can migrate the data from within the MozyPro client. When you install the MozyPro client on the new computer, if you use the same license key and email to activate the client, your old computer is automatically replaced with the new computer. You can then use the Restore tab in the Configuration application to restore your files.
One of the easiest ways to restore data from your old machine to your new one is to perform a Web restore. A Web restore allows you to log in to your account online and select the files you want to restore without having to reinstall MozyPro. You can then download your files over the Internet or purchase a DVD restore.