Backing Up Your Files

Which files does Carbonite back up?

Carbonite is designed to back up all of the unique and irreplaceable files on your computer — your text documents, spreadsheets, financial documents, photos, music, etc.

By default, Carbonite does not back up system files, executable files, or temporary files and folders, in order to avoid causing problems in the event that you need to restore all your files to a new computer. Carbonite also does not back up video files by default. However, you can easily back up any file you want to by right-clicking on the file and selecting ‘Back this up’ from the Carbonite menu, or for video files you can right-click the containing folder and select ‘Back up video files in this folder’.

Technical Details

Your Carbonite subscription is associated with a ‘backup policy’ which determines whether a file is, by default, included or excluded from your backup. Carbonite backs up all files except for:

  1. System files such as .EXE and .DLL files (an exhaustive list of these extensions is available upon request)
  2. Files in known system and temporary folders such as the C:\Windows folder
  3. Files contained in hidden system folders (a.k.a super-hidden folders)
  4. Files which are over 4GB in size (however, you can individually add large files to your backup by right-clicking on them and selecting ‘Back this up’)
  5. Video files (but you can add video files to your backup by right-clicking on them and selecting ‘Back this up’, or right-clicking on a folder and selecting ‘Back up Video files in this folder’)
  6. Files on non-permanent disk drives (e.g., network and removable USB drives) unless otherwise noted as a feature in your Carbonite product.

How much data can I store on Carbonite?

With Carbonite, you can back up as much as you have on your computer. Carbonite will back up all the supported files on your hard drive whether you have 1GB, 10GB or more. As a practical matter, the speed of today’s DSL and cable Internet services will make it very slow to back up more than, a few dozen GB of data.

How Carbonite Allocates Bandwidth

The average Carbonite user backs up between 2GB and 3GB per day, but the speed of your Internet connection is the primary limiting factor for the speed of your backup. For example, a FIOS (fiber optic connection) user will back up and restore at a much higher rate than a DSL user. A cable user may backup and restore slower during peak Cable usage times. Additionally, Carbonite slows down while you are using your computer to avoid interfering with the important activities you may be performing.

Carbonite allocates more bandwidth to new users doing a typical initial backup of less than 35GB, and less to users after their backup exceeds 200GB. Once your initial backup is complete, updates to your backup usually take only a few minutes each day.

Our bandwidth policy is allocated into three tiers as shown below. This allows us to ensure that all users are able to backup their most important data as quickly as possible. Actual speeds may vary depending on your internet connection, your computer’s configuration, other Internet-enabled software you may be running, and how often you use your computer. The current maximum upload speeds are as follows:

  • The first 35GB of data can achieve upload speeds of up to 2 mbps (megabits per second).
  • Between 35GB – 200GB of data can have the upload speeds reach up to 512 kbps (kilobits per second).
  • 200GB or more of data can be uploaded at up to 100 kbps (kilobits per second).

Note: The speeds indicated above are the maximum speeds that can be achieved. Most customers up to the 200GB mark tend to back up around the average of 2GB – 3GB per day.

While Carbonite offers unlimited backup, users with more than 200GB of data selected for back up will find that completing their initial backup will take a longer period of time. However, you can select for your important documents to be backed up first. After they have been backed up, you can then add any additional files to your backup. To add or remove files from your backup on a Windows computer, you can right-click on the location you wish to add or remove and select Carbonite; Back this up (to remove items select Carbonite; Don’t back this up). For Macs you can manage your backup through the Carbonite Preference Pane.

This only affects back up (upload) speeds and not restore (download) speeds. Carbonite can typically handle download speeds of up to 10 mbps regardless of how much data you are restoring. This also depends on the speed of your Internet connection, how fast your computer operates, length of time your computer is connected to the Internet, and how much you use your computer.

Carbonite can restore data at up to 10mbps, although most consumer internet connections are slower than this. If your internet connection provides download speeds of 10 mbps and the only activity being performed by your computer is your Carbonite restore process, it is possible to restore as much as 100GB per day.

Can I exclude certain file types from my backup?

Yes. To tell Carbonite to back up all files of a particular type:

  1. Right-click on a file of that type.
  2. Select the ‘Properties’ menu item.
  3. Select the ‘Carbonite’ tab.
  4. Remove the checkmark next to ‘Back up files of this type (in folders selected for backup)’. If there isn’t a checkmark there, you do not need to do anything because those files are currently not selected to be backed up.

Note that even if you have excluded files in this manner, you can still add any individual file to your backup, regardless of its extension. So, for example, if you have excluded .mp3 files from your backup, you can still right-click on a particular .mp3 file and select ‘Back this up’ from the Carbonite menu to add it to your backup.

How many versions of a file does Carbonite keep?

Carbonite will keep up to 3 months’ worth of old versions of the files in your backup. For example, if you edit a document daily over the course of three months, Carbonite will save one version for each of the previous 7 days, one version for each of the prior 3 weeks, and one version for each of the prior 2 months.

To restore an old version of any file, simply right-click on the file in Windows Explorer and select ‘Restore previous versions’ from the Carbonite menu. (The ‘Restore previous versions’ option will appear only when Carbonite has previous versions of a file to restore.) To restore an old version of a file you’ve deleted, locate the file in the Carbonite Backup Drive, then right-click on it and select ‘Restore previous versions’ or simply select ‘Restore’ to restore the latest backup version to its original location on your hard drive.

What if I have files that I do NOT want backed up?

If you have files or folders that you do not want backed up by Carbonite, you can exclude them from your backup.

To do so, right-click on the file or folder icon. You will see a Carbonite sub-menu among the list of usual selections. Simply select Carbonite and the option that says ‘Don’t back this up’. If you later decide you want that file or folder backed up, right-click the file or folder and select ‘Back this up’ from the Carbonite sub-menu.

Can I schedule my backup?

Carbonite is designed to back up all your files automatically in the background while you use your computer. Certain Carbonite products allow you to schedule regular backup times if you prefer. To do so, simply double-click on the Carbonite lock icon in your system tray in the lower right-hand corner of your screen to open the Carbonite InfoCenter, then click the ‘Set Options’ button. Click the ‘Backup Schedule’ tab to set up your backup schedule.

How does Carbonite decide which files to back up first?

Carbonite decides when a file will be backed up based on its size and content type. Content priority is defined as follows:

  1. Documents
  2. Images & photos
  3. Audio
  4. Other

Carbonite backs up smaller files before larger ones. In this way, Carbonite attempts to make sure that your most important files are backed up first.

If you have an important file that needs to be backed up immediately, you can override this policy. Simply right-click on the file and select ‘Back this up as soon as possible’ from the Carbonite menu.

Why doesn’t the color of the status dots change immediately?

When you change the backup status of a file or folder (i.e., change from ‘back this up’ to ‘don’t back this up’ or vice versa), Carbonite must analyze your directory tree structure to determine if dots on parent folders need to change colors.

Carbonite runs in very low CPU-usage mode so that it never slows down other applications you may be running. Therefore, it may take a few minutes for it to analyze your directory structure and change the necessary dot colors. This also applies to creating new files or modifying existing files.

Are there any limitations on how much data can be backed up?

In most cases, no. Carbonite will back up all the supported files on your hard drive whether you have 1GB, 10GB or more. As a practical matter, the speed of today’s DSL and cable Internet services will make it very slow to back up more than, say, a few dozen GB of data.

Does Carbonite back up external, networked or USB drives?

No. The current version of Carbonite backs up only the files that reside on permanent hard drives on your PC.

Check back soon for a Carbonite service plan that will allow you to back up your external drives.

Does Carbonite back up my email by default?

If you chose the recommended default option, ‘Automatically back up My Documents and Desktop’, when you first installed Carbonite, your email will be backed up by default, assuming your email file is less than 4GB.

However, if you selected ‘I’ll manually select what to back up later’ or your file is greater than 4GB, you will need to select your email data file for backup.

To do so, browse to the folder that contains your mail files using the information below.

If you see that the files already have coloured dots on their icons, Carbonite is already set up to include your mail files in your backup. If the files do not have coloured dots, right-click each file and select ‘Back this up’ from the Carbonite context menu.

Microsoft Outlook keeps your email data files in different locations depending on the operating system. The Outlook email files are saved as .PST files. To ensure that the files are backed up you would need to navigate to the location where they are stored and see if they are selected for back up.  Please choose your Operating System:

Windows XP Windows XP

In Windows XP, Microsoft Outlook data files are stored in C:\Documents and Settings\{your_user_name}\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\

If you see that the files already have coloured dots on their icons, Carbonite is already set up to include your email files in your backup. If the files do not have coloured dots, right-click each file and select Carbonite; Back this up.

Windows Vista Windows Vista
Windows 7 Windows 7

In Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft Outlook email files are stored in C:\Users\{your_user_name}\App Data\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

If you see that the files already have colored dots on their icons, Carbonite is already set up to include your email files in your backup. If the files do not have colored dots, right-click each file and select Carbonite; Back this up.

Please note the following:

  • {your_user_name} will vary. If you do not see your own name, your files are most likely in a generically-named folder, such as Owner or User.
  • Windows hides some of the folders in the path to your email files. If you do not see certain folders, then follow these steps to unhide them.

Follow the steps below to view hidden files and folders.

  1. Within the Documents and Settings window, select Tools; Folder Options.
  2. Switch to the View tab.
  3. Within the Advanced Settings panel, select Show hidden files and folders.
  4. Click the OK button. You should now see the hidden folders, including the Application Data and Local Settings folders.

How to Back Up Microsoft Outlook Express

Note: Microsoft Outlook Express comes with Windows XP only, by default.

Microsoft Outlook Express stores your Address Book in one location and your email files in another. Your Outlook Express Address Book is saved as a .WAB file, while your email files are saved as .DBX files.

  • Your Address Book is typically stored in C:\Documents and Settings\{your_user_name}\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\.
  • Your email files are typically stored in C:\Documents and Settings\{your_user_name}\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{long_alphanumeric_code}\Microsoft\Outlook Express\.

If you see that the files already have colored dots on their icons, Carbonite is already set up to include your email files in your backup. If the files do not have colored dots, right-click each file and select Carbonite; Back this up.

Please note the following:

  • {your_user_name} will vary. If you do not see your own name, your files are most likely in a generically-named folder, such as Owner or User.
  • {long_alphanumeric_code} is a unique code created by Windows, and looks like {59EDCB00-A3F6-4ADA-AAF9-FA4F98ED219A}.
  • Windows hides some of the folders in the path to your email files. If you do not see certain folders, click here to learn how to unhide them.

How can I see the status of my backed up files?

There are three ways to determine the status of files in your backup:

  1. All files that are backed up (or queued for backup) are marked with colored dots. Green means the file is backed up; yellow means the file is queued for backup. No dot means ‘not selected for backup’.
  2. Just right-click on any file or folder and select the Carbonite sub-menu to see the file or folder’s backup status; the backup status will be listed in gray at the top of the menu.
  3. You can see the status of all the files in your backup by browsing the Carbonite Backup Drive. Double-click on the Carbonite Backup Drive icon on your desktop, or open the drive from your My Computer directory. In the folder called ‘Backed up files’, you’ll see all the files and folders in your backup, organized just as they are on your computer.

If a file is excluded by default, can it be backed up?

Yes, you can use Carbonite Online Backup to back up any file, regardless of type. If a file is excluded by default, you may right-click on it and select ‘Back this up’ from the Carbonite menu.

To tell Carbonite to back up all files of a particular type:

1) Right-click on a file of that type.
2) Select the ‘Properties’ menu item.
3) Select the ‘Carbonite’ tab.
4) Place a checkmark next to ‘Back up files of this type (in folders selected for backup)’. If there is already a checkmark, you do not need to do anything because those files will be backed up as long as their folders are.

However, if you’re using a version of Carbonite that only backs up a limited number of file types, such as Microsoft Money Backup, you won’t be able to include files that aren’t covered by your backup policy.

If I delete a backed up file, what happens?

Carbonite keeps a deleted file in your backup for 30 days from the time of deletion or, if you are a trial customer, until 15 days after your trial has expired; whichever is shorter. This allows you to recover a file which has been deleted accidentally. To check to see when a deleted file is scheduled to be purged, visit your Carbonite Backup Drive in the Windows ‘My Computer’ interface. The purge date of a deleted file will be listed under the ‘state’ column for that file.

If you would like to delete a file from your backup more quickly, simply right-click the file and select ‘Don’t back this up’ from the Carbonite menu. It will be deleted from your backup in 3 days.

Why doesn’t Carbonite back up changed files immediately?

When Carbonite detects that a file has been modified, it checks to make sure that the file has remained unchanged for 10 minutes before the file is made eligible for backup. (By default, a modified file is backed up only once every 24 hours so that you’ll have the opportunity to restore the previous version if necessary.)

So, for example, if you modify a file and save it, Carbonite will wait 10 minutes and then back up the modified file. If you then modify the file again, Carbonite will wait up to 24 hours before backing up the file again. It is possible to force an immediate backup. Just right-click on the file you want to back up and select ‘Back up as soon as possible’ from the Carbonite menu.

What steps does Carbonite take to protect my backup?

Carbonite stores copies of your encrypted files on multiple disk drives using RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) which reduces the chance your files will ever be lost.

Carbonite also checks your backup regularly to make sure that the contents are current and match the files on your computer.

How do I backup files of a particular type eg .pdf without having to find back them up individually?

The easiest way to do this is to find a file via Windows Explorer with the particular extension you wish to backup. Right click on the file and select Properties. From within Properties, you will find the Carbonite Tab. You then have several check boxes to select from, one being “Back up files of this type (within folders selected for Backup)”

Will Carbonite run on Windows Server 2008?

Carbonite has been designed to backup the hard drive of an individual PC. Although not specifically designed for a server, we suggest that you utilise our 30 day free trial to test if the installation works in your situation. An SMB version of Carbonite is due in late 2009.

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