In this section you can find out about the technical requirements and specifications of Student Backup's automated file backup service, including:
Computer Hardware Requirements
In order to use our system your computer needs to possess a minimum of 128 MB RAM and a Pentium III processor or greater. Our system will work on both Microsoft based laptops and workstations.
Our service is currently NOT compatible for Apples or Macs. Please check back with our website regularly, as we will be launching a remote automated backup service for these computers in the near future.
Operating System Requirements
Student Backup’s services will work with the following Microsoft operating systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP (both Home and Professional Editions) and Windows Vista.
Our service is currently NOT compatible with Apple or Mac operating systems. Check back with our website regularly, since we will soon be launching an automated daily backup service compatible with these operating systems.
File Types Backed Up
Our system will backup all of your word processing (Word, WordPerfect), spreadsheet (Excel, Lotus 123), presentation (PowerPoint) and .PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files.
The following file extensions are backed up by our service: .doc, .dot, .dochtml, .dothtml, .docx, .docm, .dotx, .dotm, .dld, .xls, .xlt, .xlm, .xld, .xla, .xlk, .xlc, .csv, .dif, .xlshtml, .xltshtml, .xlthtml, .dqy, .gra, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm, .xlsb, .xlam, .ppt, .pps, .pot, .pwz, .ppa, .pptx, .potx, .potm, .ppam, .pptm, .ppsx, .ppsm, .one, .onetmp, .onetemp, .pdf, .fdf, .xfdt, .wpt, .qpw, .ws, .wri, .txt. No other file extensions will be backed up by our system.
Data Storage Capacity Limits
You may backup up to 1GB of files under a single user account. In the event the files being backed up by our system near the limits of your 1GB storage limit, we will notify you via Email so that you may delete or move non-critical files from your My Documents folder.
The 1GB of capacity represents the amount of storage you will be allotted at our data facilities. Because your files are compressed prior to transmission to our offsite data center, the actual amount of files on your computer that may be backed up may be significantly greater than 1GB. In a bench test of over 100 college student computers, we found compression ratios of 25% to over 100%, with most experiencing over 50% compression. What this means to you is that you may be able to backup significantly more than 1GB of files, with the possibility of having 2GB of data backed under your account.
Our Backup Schedule
Each evening at a designated time, our software scans your computer’s hard drive for new or modified files. Any files that have been created or changed since the last backup the prior evening are encrypted on your computer, compressed and delivered via a secure Internet connection to Student Backup’s server array at our data center. Backing up your new and modified files each evening ensures that ALL of your files are backed up, and are current and available in the event of file loss on your computer. In the event your computer is turned off or not connected to the Internet during a scheduled backup, Student Backup will run a backup of all your new and modified files when you next turn on your computer and connected to the Internet.
Data Encryption Level
Using Student Backup’s services, your files are protected via Blowfish encryption, the highest level of encryption security available today. Only YOU will possess the encryption code needed to unlock your files. Even Student Backup will not have the ability to unlock or access your files.
Internet Connectivity Requirements
In order to backup your files each day, our system requires an Internet connection with speeds of a LAN or greater. Acceptable Internet connections for our service include LAN, cable modem, DSL, T1 and T3. Our services cannot be utilized with a dial-up Internet connection.
Recognize that almost all (over 99%) of colleges and universities in the United States provide their students with a high-speed Internet connection suitable for use with Student Backup’s services. As such, if you use your school’s Internet connection in your dorm, on-campus apartment or college residence, you will be able to use our backup service.
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