The second step in creating a protection plan is to confirm or change the files you want to archive.


Selections for the 'Personal Data and Settings' plan


When the Personal Data and Settings plan is chosen in the Start tab, the Selections tab will present all the users of the computer that are available in the Users Accounts.


Each user's settings will be archived. The Domain column will show the computer network, or domain, where the computer is a member. If the computer is not part of a network the Domain column will contain the name of the computer. It is recommended to backup all of the users listed.

The folders that are archived by the Personal Data and Settings plan are:


Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

  • C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Application Data (a hidden folder)
  • C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Desktop
  • C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Local Settings\Application Data
  • C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\My Documents
  • C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Templates
  • C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Favorites (Internet Explorer saves favorites in this folder)


Windows Vista/7/8/10 and Windows Server 2008/2012/2016/2019

  • C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Roaming\*
  • C:\Users\User Name\Desktop\*
  • C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Local\*
  • C:\Users\User Name\Documents\*
  • C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates\*
  • C:\Users\User Name\Favorites (Internet Explorer saves favorites in this folder)


To continue with creating a protection plan, click "Next" or click the 'Plan Name' tab.



Selections for the 'Custom' plan


When the Custom protection plan is chosen in the Start tab, the Selections tab will show a tree view of the available hard drive locations which can be selected for archiving. Notice how similar this looks to the way Windows Explorer displays available hard drives.


The process of adding folders and files to a Custom protection plan is easy. The method is the same as using Windows Explorer to view your files. Using your mouse to click the expansion icon, , will expand the view of the disk drive. The screen excerpt below left shows the Documents and Settings folder and some subfolders as an example. If a check mark is placed by using the mouse and left click on a check box, then that folder and all subfolders and files will be archived. For example, performing a left click on the Documents and Settings folder would cause all the folders below Documents and Settings to be archived. If the check box next to a folder or file does not contain a check mark then that folder or file and all subfolders and files will not be archived.


By default the software will display only the folders of the hard drive selected. Individual files can be viewed by using your mouse to click the "Show Files" box. The display will then expand to show all of the individual files as pictured above right. Individual files can be selected without selecting the entire folder by using the mouse and left click the check box next to the file name.



Selections for the 'Everything' plan


When you choose the "Everything" option in the Start tab, the Selections tab will place a check mark in the box next to the local system hard drive (usually the C drive).



Selections for the 'Exchange Storage Groups' plan


When you choose the "Exchange Storage Groups" option in the Start tab, the Selections tab will present all the Exchange Storage Groups that are available on the computer.


Note - This plan is only available with Server versions of this software.



Selections for the 'SQL Server Databases' plan


When you choose the "SQL Server Databases" option in the Start tab, the Selections tab will present all the SQL Server databases that are available on the computer.


Note - This plan is only available with the Server versions of this software.



Selection Summary


When a protection plan is chosen, the software will scan the items which were selected and display the number of files, folders, and amount of data that have been selected.