What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

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Mr. Mag00
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 1:58 pm

What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

Post by Mr. Mag00 »

I'm an Asperger! :( For me to understand what's going on, instructions have to be all there in black 'n' white, and clearly written. Anything left out, (IMPLIED), I'll most likely miss.





OK, iFBackup was easy up to where I chose the destination for the backup. The next step also looked like it should be easy: "Choose 'How' to run the backup (with or without zipping the files) and click 'Save and execute'."

I clicked NEXT, and was now lost! "What do you want to backup?," is NOT, "Choose 'How' to run the backup (with or without zipping the files) and click 'Save and execute'."

There's a little box that says INCLUDE or EXCLUDE! What does that mean?

Plugins?
I THINK I chose FireFox...
But in the File/Folder list, it only said, "Mozilla FireFox Profiles>

And will FBackup backup apps as well as personal files?
ReadPlease?
Steam?

At this point, I just wanna backup everything on the C:\ drive except the OS... and put the backed up stuff on the D:\ drive. The OS will be wiped, along with everything else on the C drive when I do a clean install of Windows 10.

I'm currently running Windows 8.1... and it's horrible! :(

Can anybody give me some clear guidance? I'd totally appreciate that. :)

Please remember... I'm an Asperger, (high-functioning autistic)! Anything not stated in black 'n' white doesn't exist for an Asperger.

Adrian (Softland)
Posts: 1953
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 7:57 am

Re: What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

Post by Adrian (Softland) »

Hi,

The FBackup plugin called "Mozilla FireFox Profiles" will back up the FireFox apps and extensions too.

MomWantedAustralia
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 5:39 am

Re: What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

Post by MomWantedAustralia »

I agree, I would like to copy exactly what is in my file explorer but when you hit add folder the selections do not allow everything, not even the c:\. I agree, I thought three easy steps. Would love to understand it, but am unable. Could you tell me how to copy everything on my c:'\ except my operating system which is malfunctioning.

Adrian (Softland)
Posts: 1953
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 7:57 am

Re: What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

Post by Adrian (Softland) »

Hi,

In order to back up the C: drive, except the Windows OS and installed programs, you need to create a new backup job and select the C: drive or drag and drop the folders on the C: drive to Backup Properties->Sources page of the job.

serebella
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 5:20 pm

Re: What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

Post by serebella »

I have to agree entirely. Seriously, people who are experts/familar with computers, terminology and procedures are utterly divorced from reality. It's like they want to create a barrier of superiority and self-importance by tripping up the average user of computers by failing miserably in their ability to give simple instructions. I don't know if this is deliberate or just complete stupidity. They are the ones with aspergers not 'us'. They have a complete inability to see things through anyone else's eyes other than their own.

All I wanted to do, as the other posters did, was to back up my computer's entire hard disk drive to an external hard disk drive in case of theft or serious malfunction. I USE computers every day; I have a business economics degree; I am a 'white collar' professional with 11 O levels and 4 A levels, etc etc etc yet I cannot EASILY AND QUICKLY see a way to do that simple thing that everyone here wants to do. This is the same with every bloody computer site you ever see. If I told THEM to select the GPR system and load up the snuklebox before you follow the simple procedure to replace the grimp with the fox wire, THEY (computer people!) wouldn't have a damn clue what I was on about and criticse for my expecting them to understand "basic" terminology and procedures.

When I was 10 years old, I wrote a simple BASIC computer programme on my BBC Model B computer - very proud of my work I should my Dad. He said: "let's give it a real life test" and called my mum in to run the programme. It crashed and failed within seconds. At 10 years old I learnt the importance of computer programmes being user friendly, simple to understand and use.

Softland - I DO thank you for your efforts to help, and I am not presuming you to be 'one of the above', but I tried to follow your advice and 30 minutes later I still haven't back up my computer's HDD. I've now registered and joined a forum though, had a rant, yet still am none the wiser and am now considering downloading an alternative backup software package.

I "created a new backup job" (by this you mean "Click on the "NEW" tab at the top left hand side of the "JOBS" page; or the "NEW" option when in the "FILE" page)

You then said "Select the C: drive or drag and drop the folders on the C: drive to Backup Properties- sources page of the job" I have little idea what this means in practical terms I'm afraid.

Because when I created the new backup job, and I went through the naming of the file procedure and selection of the storage location etc, and clicked "NEXT", I then arrived at the "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BACK UP?" crucially important page that I haven't yet been able to get past. IT'S HERE THAT I, AND JUST ABOUT ANY OTHER NORMAL 'USER', WOULD EXPECT TO SEE AN OPTION TO BACK UP YOUR ENTIRE HARD DISC DRIVE!!! Yet there is no such option and people have to register on a forum and start writing for help! As the title says..... "what happened to 3 easy steps"!!!???? Are the writers of FBACKUP so far removed from reality - genuinely????

So....back to the problem..... "Select the C Drive....". How? By clicking on which tab? "ADD FOLDER", OR "ADD FILES" or "SELECTION OF FILES OR FOLDERS"?

I click SELECTION OF FILES OR FOLDERS...............but no option to select C drive....
I click ADD FOLDER..............no C drive appears there either on the window that pops up......maybe I should select "MY PC"? So I try that....but I can't click on anything further without making a selection but at least "Local Disc C" is an option - so I click that. Then I am confronted with a message "FBACK UP was not designed for system back up. The files will be backed up but system restore will not work. Do you want to continue?"

I DON'T BLOODY KNOW!!!!!! DO I WANT TO CONTINUE???? WILL MY FILES BE BACKED UP IF MY LAP TOP GETS STOLEN OF MALFUNCTIONS SUCH THAT I CAN RECOVER MY WORD FILES AND OUTLOOK EMAILS AND PHOTOGRAPHS AND ALL THOSE OTHER "USER" THINGS THAT "COMPUTER USERS" ACTUALLY "USE" COMPUTERS FOR???????

So I go back, not wishing to proceed.....and select "ADD FILES" instead...... ah, now "Local disc C" appears immediately in a separet window that pops up...... yet I can't progress from this situation without selecting a file WITHIN 'Local disc C', which I don't want to do as I want to back up all my files.

With regards to this comment: "or drag and drop the folders on the C: drive to Backup Properties->Sources page of the job." Well, I can't appear to drag the folders on C: anywhere, via the above process, let alone to "BACKUP PROPERTIES" which I have absolutely no idea where that is located, and as for the arrow to "sources page of the job" it makes little sense in english let alone as a (completely unfamiliar) procedure to follow.


I chose this software after reading reviews due to its simplicity. I wonder if 'EASEUS TODO' or 'MACRIUM' are easier.....!

Adrian (Softland)
Posts: 1953
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 7:57 am

Re: What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

Post by Adrian (Softland) »

Dear serebella,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with FBackup. FBackup application is very easy to use and also the instructions are simple.

The steps you followed leaded you in the correct direction. On "What do you want to backup" step of the backup wizard, user should press "Add folder" button if he wants to back up the C: folder (which is also the drive letter and is located under My Computer as it arranged in Windows). There is no need to press "Add files" if he wants to add a folder in the backup sources. As per the "Selection of files and folders" drop down list, it just switches between the plugin (as backup sources) or the files you manually selected to be your backup sources.

The message you get after selecting C: drive as backup source was to inform you that FBackup was not designed for system backups, but for data files backups only. If user wants to backup up the entire Windows OS and he expects to simply restore the entire OS to another computer using FBackup, we tell him that is not possible using FBackup. We display that message because there are users who wants to back up the entire OS,while others wants to back up only some files/folders from the C: drive. FBackup cannot know the intention of the user, that is why the informal message is shown.

User should understand what the application was designed for and if someone needs an application to back up the entire Windows OS, FBackup is not designed for that.

serebella
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 5:20 pm

Re: What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

Post by serebella »

I'm afraid, Softland, that you delude yourself when you say it is "very easy to use" and that "the instructions are simple". I have given you an indication of my level of education, and clearly there are others on this forum who have 'difficulty' too. It isn't a question of education/intelligence though, it's a question of speed (time to get to grips with the 'product') and ease to acomplish what you set out to do without getting bogged down in the need to explore instructions, learn new terms and sit for a degree in Computer Studies prior to understanding terminology and processes. What is easily understandable for you is not for others; hence the examples I provided to illustrate this in my last post - I imagine you would have a hard time understanding terminology and processes in my 'very easy' job. "My instructions were really very easy to understand" I would tell you as you scratched your head wondering what on earth I was talking about......

Please identify to me, in your home page, http://www.fbackup.com/ where it tells the user that "Fbackup is not designed for systems backup", because I can't see that anywhere. Maybe again through speed I missed it, so it can't clearly be identifiable. Had I readily seen (and understood) that I may not have embarked upon the download and use of the software, but even had I made the decision to do so I would have understood that the programme has limitations and therefore that is why I couldn't readily do what I wanted to do. Only AFTER trying to do what I wanted to do, registering for a forum, ranting on, and following advice provided, do I get the message that the software isn't designed to do what I am trying to do. That is simply too late in the process.

This is the reality Softland: I, along with many other users no doubt, simply don't understand what really goes on 'behind' the computer screen. We can use application packages without problem, but as soon as we get into files, data, OS, drives, Zips, etc etc we start to get lost. That is what a computer studies degree is for. We don't have comuter studies degrees, we have economics degrees and art degrees etc etc.....and many don't have such higher levels of education. So what are 'simple instructions' for you are not simple instructions for those who are not familiar with terminology, computers and processes. What we do understand is that if our computer gets stolen, we need to somehow restore all that we had on the hard drive to a new computer that we then go and buy at the shop. We expect to come home, get the external HDD out of the safe that we performed the back up on, plug it into the computer, and hey presto, everything is how it was on the stolen computer, albeit on the new computer. THIS IS THE REALITY OF WHAT A HUGE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE JUST WANT TO DO WITH A BACK UP PROGRAMME.

I don't know what specific files I need to back up! I don't want to have to tell the back up software programme what files to back up because I may miss a location that has important data in it, unbeknown to me! I just want to back up 'what is on my computer' so I can carry on doing what I was doing before 'the theft/loss' without any real inconvenience! And this software package is called FBACKUP, so it kind of appears (in the name) to do what I would expect a back up programme to do - which is back up your computer files! Your programme should be called 'FBACKUP SOME FILES BUT NOT OTHERS' so that the lay persons can at least understand that through use of simple English there may be a problem achieving what they want to do.

Adrian (Softland)
Posts: 1953
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 7:57 am

Re: What happened to the 3 easy steps? :)

Post by Adrian (Softland) »

Hi,

The first part of the home page presents a short description and the main features of FBackup, while the last line of the home page clearly tells the user not to perform system backups using FBackup: "FBackup is a free data backup software, it is not recommended for full system backup (disk image backups)".

The message about not being able to perform system backups is shown when you add C: drive as backup source. It is not necesarily to register on the forum for that. On the forum you got more details about that.

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