FAQs

1. What does Carbonite back up?
   By default, Carbonite backs up everything in your Documents and Settings folder (called Users in Windows Vista), including documents, photos, email and data files from applications, such as Quicken, Money, etc. Once a subscription is purchased, music is also added to the list. The default backup does not include programs, system files, temporary files, videos, or individual files greater than 4GB. You can, however, manually add these to your Carbonite backup with the exception of system files located in C:\\Windows and temporary files located in Temp folders. Learn more about what files Carbonite backs up.
   Click here to learn about what Carbonite backs up on Macs.
2. How does Carbonite Online Backup keep my data secure?
   Carbonite uses a combination of encryption techniques, similar to those used by banks, to safeguard your data. Files are encrypted twice before they leave your computer and remain encrypted on our servers, making it virtually impossible for anyone to access your files without your secret password. Users are also given the option to manage their own encryption key. Read more about Carbonite’s security.
3. How much stuff can I back up?
   There are no limits on backup storage capacity. Carbonite will back up all the supported files on your internal hard drive whether you have 1GB, 10GB or more. However, users should be aware that the speed of today's DSL and cable Internet services will make it very slow to back up more than, say, a few dozen GB of data. Read more about Carbonite’s unlimited storage capacity.
4. How can I tell what's backed up online?
   Dots on files and folders show you the status of your backup at a glance.
   • A green dot on a file means the file is backed up.
   • A yellow dot means the file is pending backup.
   • No dot means the file is not selected for backup.
   • A green dot on a folder means 100% of the folder's contents are backed up.
   • A yellow dot on a folder means that it contains files or subfolders that are pending backup.
   • A "green donut" dot - a green dot with a hole in the middle - means that some of the folder's files or sub-folders are not selected for backup, but all other files within the folder are backed up.
   • A folder with no dot is either empty or not selected for backup.
   Click here to learn about what's backed up on a Mac.
5. How do I restore lost files?
   Carbonite makes restoring files fast and easy. Restore any file or folder from your backup with just a few clicks. Try it for yourself:
   1. Double-click the Carbonite Backup Drive icon on your desktop
   2. Locate the file or folder you wish to restore
   3. Right-click on the file or folder and select "Restore" to restore it to its original location, or "Restore to" to restore it to a new location
   If your computer crashes or is stolen, you can recover lost files to a new computer by visiting our website. Recovering small amounts of data (a few files here or there) will probably take only seconds or minutes. Restoring all of your data will take longer and depends on how much data you have and the speed of your Internet connection. Most DSL services will allow you to download about 600-800 MB per hour, or roughly 14-18GB per day. For an average user, complete data restoration is likely to take at most a day or two. Read more about restoring files. That's it! Your file or folder has been restored.
6. Will Carbonite Online Backup work on my computer?
   The current version of Carbonite is designed for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Carbonite supports both the standard 32-bit and 64-bit versions of each. Carbonite will not support older versions of Windows (Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows ME) or Linux operating systems. Carbonite is also available for all Intel-based Macs running OS 10.4 (Tiger), 10.5 (Leopard), and 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
7. How much does Carbonite Online Backup cost?
   Carbonite is only £41.95/year per computer no matter how much you need to back up. No hidden fees. No limits on backup storage capacity. Buy ahead and get 2 years of service for just £75.95, 3 years of service for just £101.95
8. How much back up space do I get?
   Carbonite offers unlimited space. You can back up as much as you want for one annual fee of £41.95/year. Most online backup providers charge by the gigabyte or how much space you use. For example, get 50 GB for £5/month. If you’re not careful, you’ll go over the limit quickly the more videos, photos you back up and then you’ll pay much more than £5/month.
9. How often does the service back up my files?
   Carbonite automatically backs up your files every time they change or when a new file is saved to your computer. You don’t have to think about it or remember to do it. There is nothing new to learn, just download the software and Carbonite does the rest. Most Online backup providers allow you to schedule a back up or they back up once a day. That is convenient but risky. What if your PC fails before the scheduled back up?
10. How long has the company been providing online backup?
    Carbonite only offers online backup. Since it was founded in 2005, Carbonite has focused solely on online data backup. Carbonite has backed up more than 69 billion files and restored more than 6.1 billion lost files to its customers.
    Online backup is a growing industry, many companies started offering online back up in the past year or two. Will they be around in another year? Other companies may offer online backup but they sell other products as well. Thus, online backup is not their priority.
11. How does Carbonite Online Backup keep my data secure?
    Our reputation and business depend on protecting your data, so keeping your data secure is a top priority for the Carbonite team. Our state-of-the-art data backup infrastructure protects both the privacy and safety of your data. We believe that the combination of industry standard technologies like RAID 6 and strong encryption, plus the unique and proprietary capabilities of the Carbonite File System, make Carbonite the most secure way to back up your files.
    Carbonite encrypts your files on your computer before sending a copy of them to our secure online servers. Your data is then sent to us using a secure SSL connection, a standard practice for most online transactions among merchants and financial institutions. Employees of Carbonite cannot see your backed up data. However, by default, Carbonite stores a copy of your encryption key in a secure server so you can easily log in and retrieve and decrypt your files whenever you need them.
12. How to use Remote Access
    Forgot your presentation at home? Want to share vacation photos when visiting friends? With your Carbonite subscription, you can securely access the files in your backup no matter where you are. Just visit the Carbonite website or use one of our mobile apps. On the Web: Just use any computer to visit Carbonite.com and click on Remote Access in the upper right-hand corner. Log in to your secure account and download any file from your backup.
    On Your Mobile Device: Available foriPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry® (BETA).
    • Browse: See the files in your Carbonite backup arranged exactly as they are on your computer.
    • View: Open files right on your mobile device.
    • Share: Attach the file to an email and pass it along.
13. How Carbonite Compares to Other Backup Methods
    
    Time & Hassle
    If you have to think about backing up, you probably will not ever get around to doing them. in addition, most computer users do not know where all of their important files are stored on their computer and would therefore otherwise miss critical information if they were selecting specific items to be backed up. With Carbonite, you download our software, and leave the rest up to us.
    
    Cost
    If you backed up your computer daily to CDs, you would go through hundreds of dollars worth of CDs a year. External hard drives can cost £75 and up. Traditional online backup services cost approximately £50 per year and offer only limited capacity. Carbonite offers unlimited storage capacity for just a few dollars per month.
    
    Peace of Mind
    Are all of the files you care about protected from theft, fire, flood, and other natural disasters? With Carbonite, you know for sure that data you have lost can be recovered. Since Carbonite is always on, continually detecting new data and changes to existing files on your computer, you never have to worry.
    
    Security
    With Carbonite, nothing leaves your computer unless it is encrypted. When you register, you create a user ID and password and only you will be able to unlock the encrypted files stored by Carbonite. You can also rest assured that Carbonite will not share any information about you or your data with advertisers or other third parties.