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Does Webroot backup use some form of shadow copy?

  • 1 August 2012
  • 3 replies
  • 90 views

I ask because I have it set to backup an outlook.pst file, but it has not (so far) backed up.  Outlook is often left open, and since it is a large file, I wonder what the process might be.
 
Oh, this is a Windows XP machine
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Best answer by YegorP 1 August 2012, 18:25

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Userlevel 7
Hey gerryf,
 
FIrst of all, welcome to the Webroot Community and good question!
 
The reason Webroot is not backing up the .pst file is because it doesn't have that functionality at this time. However, while it doesn't sync these files directly, you can still sync them by copying them to some location outside of the Outlook folders and then changing the extension.
 
For more information on .pst files, I suggest you check out our "Ask Webroot" section on our support page. Just type in "pst" for the the keyword and click the "Ask Webroot" button and the article will come up! :D
 
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Well, I guess my only response is...wow.  Given that one of the most important things I want to back up is the outlook email, that kind of makes the whole point of the online backup pointless.
 
I mean, copying the file and renaming the extension and then moving it somewhere else is a pretty elaborate process for a backup.
 
What is the rationale for why it does not work? It cannot be the location, because it grabbed the dat file from the same folder and by your workaround, it cannot be the size, so it has to have been a programming choice, doesn't it?
Userlevel 7
Hi gerryf,
 
While I agree that copying and renaming the file isn't the most efficient alternative, it is really the only way to backup the .pst file at this time. The reason being is because these files are actively in use by the system.
 
Since they are always active, they are constantly being modified and would in turn require constant syncing, which isn't the intention or the purpose of Webroot's backup and sync feature. However, when you rename the file and the extension is changed, you get a solid image when you back it up to the cloud, which eliminates this "quicksand" effect due to constant syncing.

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