Install Cobian Backup (Windows 7 / 8 / 10)

This is a step-by-step guide on how to install the Cobian Backup software. Cobian is a simple file replication software that allows users to restore lost/damaged files quickly.

This program is best used for automatically backing up external drives/flash drives. If you are on the UGA Griffin domain and have access to a personal drive, this can be used with the GCFS Best Practices for always up-to-date backups.

Install Cobian

Ask an IT representative for a copy of Cobian 11.
Double click the cbSetup.exe to run the installation

Accept Terms

Click Next to accept conditions

PC Setup

Click Next to accept default options.

User Setup

Input your username and password. MAKE SURE you use CAESAD\USERNAME

Finish Installation

Click to install the program. This may take several minutes.

DONE!

Select Done

Make sure Cobian is running

Look to see if Cobian is running automatically. The icon should be in the notification area on your taskbar.

Set up a new Backup Task

Open Cobian by double clicking the icon shown in step 7.

1.    Click the New Task button

2.    Name this task whatever you would like, preferably something you will recognize (ie Monthly Backup, Weekly Backup, etc)

3.    UNCHECK "Create separated backup using timestamps" 

4.    Having this option selected will create a new backup file instead of overwriting the old one. This will take up HUGE amounts of space and will make your IT guys very unhappy! 

5.    Select which TYPE of backup to perform

FULL - Best used for doing a MONTHLY backup.
The Full option will make Cobian backup every single file you specified even if it has not changed since the last backup. By default this type of backup will create backup folders containing the time stamp of when the backup ran. Regardless of the Backup Type you select, the first time a task is run it will perform a Full install.

INCREMENTAL - Best used for a DAILY backup.
This is the feature you will most likely be using after creating your first backup instance. It checks if the source has changed from the last backup and only will backup those files that are new or have changed since the last backup. This saves a lot of time and space.

DIFFERENTIAL - Best used for a WEEKLY backup in addition to a FULL backup.
This setting works in the same way as incremental but instead compares the files from the last Full backup. If the current files are different compared to the last Full backup it will back up that file.

DUMMY - This setting does not actually back up any files but can be used to schedule the execution of programs, close services, reboot the computer, etc.

Select Files for Backup

Select the Files tab, and ADD, then Directory.

Save Profile

OIT suggests backing up your entire User directory (picture shown) If you are making a backup of an external drive, select it from the list.

Select Backup Save location

Click the lower ADD button and then choose Directory

Select Backup Save location

OIT suggests saving your backups to your Personal Drive (U:)
- Open your Personal Folder in Windows explorer, and create a new folder called Backups (or whatever you prefer) -
Select your User Folder (pictured below) or wherever you would like your backup saved.

PLEASE NOTE: Saving backups to your C: drive is NOT recommended. If your hard drive fails, you will lose EVERYTHING.

Set Backup Schedule

Select the Schedule tab.
Choose when you would like your backup to take place. This can take several hours and may slow down your PC, so it may be best to do this over night. Just make sure your PC remains ON while this is running.

Compress It!

Select the Archive tab.
Change the Compression Type to 7zip Compression. This saves space on the server.

You're done!

Once all options have been selected, click OKAY at the bottom.

You can set up multiple Backup tasks just by repeating all of the steps above.
We suggest having TWO backup tasks: One Monthly backup (Full), one Weekly/Daily backup (incremental)