Support for Backup for Workgroups

We welcome your questions and comments about Backup for Workgroups -  before the sale, during your evaluation period and after your purchase. Please check this section to see if we have already answered your question. 

Choose the topic below that best corresponds to your question about Backup for Workgroups.

• Upgrade
• Learn / How To
• Support by Topic/Category
• Help on Error Messages
• Request Support

General SSL/TLS Topics

• Backup for Workgroups 8.0.1 and higher supports sending email to SMTP servers that require TLS.  BFW supports both Port 587 (START-TLS) and 465 (SMTP-S)  There has been an issue found with SSL for which some ISP/Hosting companies have disabled SSL support.  These email servers require TLS support.  Backup for Workgroups 8.0.1 and higher supports TLS. 
• Backup for Workgroups is not affected by the Heartbleed bug.  Backup for Workgroups does not use Open SSL.  The Heartbleed bug tends to affect Linux web servers that accept SSL connections.  Backup for Workgroups does not run on Linux, does not accept SSL connections, and does not use Open SSL.

Upgrade

The current version of Backup for Workgroups is: 8.2.

Backup for Workgroups 8.2 supports Windows Server 2019/2016/2012/2008 and Windows 10/7.

You may need to PAY to upgrade! In a nutshell, if your BFW installation is using older license keys, you will need to pay a nominal upgrade fee. The Version 8.2 upgrade fee is based on your existing license keys and not on the version of the software you are running.  The upgrade is free to registered users who have purchased client licenses where the license key is for version 8.0 or higher.  To see what your license key version number is, go to the Backup for Workgroups server. Run BFW and go to Tools -> License.  Look at the list of keys, they start with the version number.  You will need a Backup Client key or upgrade key that starts with the version number of 800 or higher to upgrade for free.  If you do not have a license key that starts with 800 then you will need to purchase an upgrade license key.

Click here to read more about the current version and how to upgrade.

Learn / How To

The following pages will help you setup Backup for Workgroups.

• User Guide - Learn how to use Backup for Workgroups by referring to the online User Guide.
• What is the best method to backup a single Windows Server.
• What is the best method to backup multiple Windows Servers.
• How to backup over the Internet.
• I would like to rotate media or archive media for off-site storage purposes. Tell me if I should rotate the Backup Storage or the Mirror?
• How to backup and virtual computer
• How to perform a Bare Metal Restore / Disaster Recovery

Support by Topic/Category

The following Help Pages are organized by topics.  Take a look at the categories below to see if we have a web page that answers your question.

Evaluation / Trial Software Questions

• How many computers can I backup with the trial software?
• What are the limitations of the trial software?
• What happens when the BFW 30-day trial period expires?
• What if I purchase fewer licenses than the number of computers I was backing up during the trial?
• Why is the License Field Disabled - Why cant I enter a license key?

Backup Client

• How to remove the icon from the system tray.
• The backup process runs slower than normal - What can I do?
• The backup process crashes or stops unexpectedly - How do I fix this?
• What to do when your Backup Client reports that files are getting skipped in the backup process.
• How to move the Backup Client software to a different computer - Replacing and old computer with a new computer.
• How to move the Backup Client software to a different drive.
• How to remove the Backup Client from the Backup Server - Change a Backup Server and Client to just a Backup Server only.
• How to add the Backup Client to a Backup Server - Change a Backup Server only to a Backup Server and Client
• How to perform a Bare Metal Restore / Disaster Recovery

Backup Server

• How to perform a database verification.
• How to move or replace your Backup Server and/or Backup Storage.
• How to move or replace your Backup Server computer. (New Backup Server, Same Storage)
• How to move or replace your Backup Storage drive with a new drive. (Same Backup Server, New Storage)
• How to replace your Backup Server and Start Over with New Backup Data. (New Backup Server and New Backup Storage).
• The Backup Server is reporting that it is evaluation/trial mode - but I have purchased a license. What do I do?

Backup Client Accounts

• The Backup Client Account list is empty or missing.

Manage your Backup Storage Space

• What to do when the Backup Storage Location is Running Low on Disk Space
• Out of disk space - the Backup Clients cannot login because the backup storage location is out of disk space.

Mirror

• Why is the storage space consumed on the Mirror different than the storage space consumed on the Primary Backup media?
• How do I add storage to the Mirror location?
• How do I use the Mirror to replace a primary storage location?
• How do I restore a file from a Mirror?
• How do I mirror the backup data over the Internet?

Reports

• What to do when the Daily Summary Report shows a computer is not backing up.

Exchange

• How to enable VSS support for Exchange 2003 that ships in SBS 2003.

Help on Error Messages

The list below shows common error message that Backup for Workgroups generates.  Click on the message below to read helpful information when you see specific error messages.

Cannot login to the Backup Server because the backup storage location is out of disk space.

The Backup Client reports it cannot write to the local database.

The Backup Client reports "Backup Stopped - Backup Server cannot write to its database files".

The backup process reports that the communication with the backup server is dropped.

The Backup Server reports "Closing the backup session for ClientName is scheduled for later, due to packet processing is busy."

The Backup Client reports "The Backup Server cannot verify the results of backing up the file ...".

Restore:

When restoring a file that is over 4GB, the Backup Client reports that it cannot restore the file because the disk is full.

Request Support

Wondering why your License Field is greyed out?  Don't ask this in a Tech Support Request, it is greyed out by design.  You learn how to enable the field ONLY when you purchase a license. When you purchase a license from Lockstep Systems you receive an email with this information. All information about how to activate the field to enter your license key is in this email that we send with the license key.  Go to the email with your license key and scroll down and read the information!

If you are running a version of Backup for Workgroups prior to the current version and you are experiencing a problem, we recommend that you upgrade to the current version before contacting technical support. There is a reason why we cut new releases - to respond to changes in the Operating System and to fix problems.  It is not uncommon to find that the problem you are experiencing has already been reported and FIXED in an upgrade.  And YES - for some people this means you might need to pay for an upgrade, and some vendors charge you every year whether you need an upgrade or not.   

So if you need to Upgrade Backup for Workgroups - Click here to go to the download page.

If you have reviewed the online support information and your topic is not covered and you would like to contact technical support, we recommend that you contact us VIA EMAIL for the quickest response.  Tech Support Requests are handled in the order in which they are received.  Note that all of the fields are required.  Warning:  Support messages that contain rude or snippy comments run the risk of being DELETED. That goes for voice mail messages also.

All technical support issues for Backup for Workgroups are handled through email. 

Note - Technical Support representatives are located in Phoenix, Arizona, so we are on Mountain Standard Time.  Support personnel respond to Backup for Workgroups Technical Support Request forms during regular business hours, Monday thru Friday, 9am to 5pm MST.

However, there can be situations where Backup for Workgroups is NOT the root cause of the problem you are experiencing. If our support department suspects that the issue is a hardware or networking problem, or if the settings of another software product are interfering with the performance of Backup for Workgroups, then you may be required to contact the appropriate support provider for the device/software to resolve the underlying issue first.

WARNING - WHEN A SERVER FAILS FOR ANY REASON IT CAN PRODUCE A STRESSFUL SITUATION.  WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU AS LONG AS YOU TREAT OUR TECHNICAL SUPPORT PEOPLE IN A FRIENDLY, PROFESSIONAL MANNER.  ABUSIVE LANGUAGE AND TAKING OUT YOUR FRUSTRATION ABOUT THE FAILED SERVER ON OUR EMPLOYEES WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.  WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO THOSE WHO ARE ABUSIVE ON THE TELEPHONE AND MAY REVOKE YOUR BACKUP FOR WORKGROUPS LICENSE IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT ANY REFUND.

LOCKSTEP SYSTEMS DOES NOT PROVIDE REMOTE DESKTOP SUPPORT.

Why Lockstep Systems will NOT Remote Desktop into your computer.  This is because we do not provide general purpose technical support for computers that have a problem.  We provide support for Backup for Workgroups only - and in the past, each time we have provided Remote Desktop support for Backup for Workgroups it has turned into general IT support. If your computer is not performing the way you want, you should contact an IT support specialist who can provide on-site help if needed.

LOCKSTEP SYSTEMS DOES NOT PROVIDE GENERAL WINDOWS NETWORKING OR IT CONSULTING SUPPORT.

Please note that Lockstep Systems, Inc. reserves the right to change the upgrade, maintenance and technical support policies at any time without notice.