Back up external hard drives using CrashPlan for Small Business
Who is this article for?
Instructor, yes.
Incydr Professional, Enterprise, Horizon, and Gov F2, no.
Incydr Basic, Advanced, and Gov F1, no.
CrashPlan Cloud, no.
Retired product plans, no.
CrashPlan for Small Business, yes.
Overview
You can use the Code42 app to back up storage connected to your device, such as an external hard drive directly attached via USB, Thunderbolt, or Firewire. By adding the contents of an external drive to your backup file selection, the Code42 app backs it up just like other files on your device.
Considerations
Steps
- Attach your external drive to your device.
- Open the Code42 app.
- Go to Manage Files.
- Click your device name in the breadcrumb at the top of the Manage Files browser.
- To back up the entire drive, select the box to the left of your external hard drive. To select only specific files or folders for backup, click the drive, then browse the contents and select the items you want to back up.
- Click Save.
The Code42 app begins backing up the files on your external drive.
What happens if I disconnect my drive?
Your backed up files are safe when the drive is disconnected as long as you don't connect another drive under the same name or path. When you reconnect the drive, the Code42 app resumes backup from where it left off.
If you connect a drive to your computer with the same name or drive letter as your existing drive, the Code42 app scans the drive for your backed up files and doesn't find them. As a result, the Code42 app assumes they have been deleted and marks the files as deleted.
- If you intend to change or replace drives, see Download files after replacing a drive.
- If the change was accidental, see the troubleshooting tips below to reconnect to your existing drive under the proper name or drive letter.
If your external drive isn't connected to your device when the Code42 app runs the file verification scan, it's possible your backup status will report 100%, even if there are additional files on the drive that need to be backed up. The next time the drive is connected, the Code42 app will detect the changes and adjust your backup status.
Replace a drive
To add a new drive to replace a drive that you no longer use, add the new drive to the file selection.
Once the new drive is selected, the data on the new drive is deduplicated against what is stored in the archive. This process is entirely automatic and no action is required on your part. The old path may display as "Missing" while the Code42 app performs a synchronization (file verification scan). Once the Code42 app displays that synchronization is complete in the progress bar, you can deselect the old drive's file path.
Video
Watch the short video below to learn how to update your file selection and add an external drive.