Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install the Netgear Backup App on my Netgear NAS device?

IDrive Netgear Backup app is a simple and secure online backup solution for Netgear Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices. Download and install the Netgear Backup app on your Netgear NAS device, to backup all your data to the cloud.

To install,

1. Log in to your Netgear NAS device as 'admin'.
2. Download DEB and save the appropriate installer for your Netgear device.
3. On the 'Netgear Admin' page, select the 'Apps' tab.
4. Click the 'Upload' button.
5. Click 'Browse' and select the IDrive DEB file, and click 'Upload'.
6. Click 'Refresh'. The IDrive Netgear Backup app will be visible under the 'Installed Apps' tab.
7. Click 'Launch' under to launch the app.

How to launch and use the Netgear Backup App?

To launch the Netgear Backup App,

1. Log in to the NAS device with your Username and Password.
2. On the 'Admin' page, click 'Apps' > 'Installed Apps' and click 'Launch' under to launch the app. You will be redirected to the 'IDrive Netgear Backup' login page.
3. Enter your NAS device credentials and click 'Login'.
4. Enter your IDrive Username and Password and click 'Login'.

Note:

• If you had set a private encryption key for your account, on clicking 'Login', it will redirect to the 'Encryption Key' page. Enter your encryption key and click 'Continue'.
• If Two-factor Authentication is enabled for your IDrive Account, on clicking 'Login', a pop-up will prompt you to enter the code.
• If SSO is enabled for your IDrive Account. Click on the single-sign-on(SSO) link, it will redirect to the SSO login page.

The Netgear Backup App has the following tabs:

1. Backup: Backup all your data from your Netgear device to the IDrive account
2. Restore: Retrieve backed up data from your IDrive account to the Netgear device
3. Scheduler: Manage your scheduled backup jobs
4. Log: View the status of your backup and restore operations
5. Express Backup: Enables you to backup data from the Netgear device to the IDrive Express device.

How can I manually backup/restore data?

To manually backup/restore data,

1. Click the 'Backup'/'Restore' tab and select the file(s)/folder(s) you wish to backup/restore manually.
   
2. Click next to backup/restore location to specify a different backup/restore location.
3. Click 'Backup Now'/'Restore Now'.

You can exclude individual files/folders (for e.g. file extension like tmp), which may be part of the backup set, from being backed up to your account. From the 'Select files/folders for Backup' list, click the drop-down arrow against the respective file/folder and click 'Add to Exclude List'.

Note: For certain accounts, users may have to enter the backup location name manually.

How can I create a new scheduled backup?

To create a new scheduled backup,

1. Click the 'Backup' tab, and click 'Create new backup set'.
2. In the 'Backup Set Name' field, enter a name for the new backup job.
3. Select the file(s)/folder(s) to backup.
4. To view the file(s)/folder(s) you have selected for backup, click the 'Selected files/folders list' tab.
5. To remove a selection from the backup list, select the file/folder and click .
6. Click 'Schedule Backup'. The 'Schedule backup parameters' window appears.
7. Select the settings for schedule backup (Hourly, Daily, and Monthly) and click 'Update Schedule'.
8. Select 'Email notification' and enter an email address to receive backup notifications.

Note: You can create maximum of five backup sets.

How can I edit an existing scheduled job?

To edit an existing scheduled backup job,

1. Click the 'Scheduler' tab and the list of all existing jobs appear.

2. Click the job you want to edit and the schedule parameters for that job appears.
3. Edit the schedule settings and click 'Update Schedule'.

Is it possible to cancel a Scheduled job?

Yes, you can cancel an ongoing scheduled job.
To cancel,

1. Click the 'Scheduler' tab and the 'Manage All Scheduled jobs' window appears.
2. Click , corresponding to the job you want to cancel.

How can I delete a scheduled job?

To delete an existing scheduled job,

1. Click the 'Scheduler' tab and the 'Manage All Scheduled Jobs' window appears.
2. Click , corresponding to the job you want to delete.

Is it possible to change the default location of my backup jobs?

Yes, you can change the default location of your backup jobs.
To change,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App, click the username on the top-right corner, and then click 'Preferences'.
2. Under the 'General' tab, click to change the backup location.
3. Select the new backup location on your account.

Note: For some accounts, sections like backup location and mirror path will not be available.

How can I change the location of my restore jobs?

To change the location of your restore jobs,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App, click the 'Restore' tab.
2. Click and the 'Select your restore location' window appears.
3. Select the new restore location and click 'OK'.

What is meant by Mirror and Relative Path Backup?

The 'Mirror Path Backup' option replicates the file/directory hierarchy present on the Netgear system to your IDrive account. By default, the 'Mirror Path' option is enabled. For example, if you select to backup the file 'bin' from 'root/opt/bin' with mirroring option selected, then IDrive will maintain the same directory structure in your online IDrive account as 'ShanePC/root/opt/bin'.

The 'Relative Path Backup' option will not replicate the directory hierarchy of the file as it exists on your Netgear system, but instead it would just backup the file to the selected folder on your IDrive account. For example, if you select to backup the file 'bin' from 'root/opt/bin' with the 'Relative Path' option selected, IDrive will maintain the directory structure in your online IDrive account as 'ShanePC/bin'.

To enable Relative Path backup,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App, click the username on the top-right corner, and then click 'Preferences'.
2. Click the 'General' tab and the 'Backup Location' window appears.
3. Under backup folder location, click the drop-down menu and select 'Relative Path'.

Note: For some accounts, sections like backup location and mirror path will not be available.

Can I exclude certain file(s)/folder(s) from being backed up?

Yes, you can exclude file(s)/folder(s) from being backed up during manual and scheduled backups in two ways:

1. Exclude files/folders based on full path name
2. Exclude files/folders based on partial name

To exclude files/folders based on full path name,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App, click the username on the top-right corner, and then click 'Preferences'.
2. Click the 'Exclude' tab and then click next to 'Exclude files/folders with full path names'. The 'Add files/folders to your exclude list' window appears.
   
   
   
3. Select the files/folders to exclude and click 'Add to Exclude List'.
   
   
   

To exclude files/folders based on partial name,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App, click the username on the top-right corner, and then click 'Preferences'.
2. Click the 'Exclude' tab and enter partial names of files/folders in the 'Enter partial names' section and then click .
   

How do I stop my scheduled jobs at a particular time?

To stop your scheduled job,

1. Click the 'Scheduler' tab and then click the job you want to update.
2. The 'Schedule for job' window appears.
3. Enable the 'Cut-off Time' option and set the time you want the job to stop.

Can I update my backup set content for a job?

Yes, you can update the backup set for an existing job.

To update the backup set content,

1. Click the 'Backup' tab.
2. From the 'Backup Set Name' drop-down list, select the backup set you want to update.
3. Select the file(s)/folder(s) you want to add.
   The selected file(s)/folder(s) will be added to that existing backup.

I am unable to create backup sets. Why?

If you have already created five backup sets you will not be able to create any more new backup sets. In order to add a new backup set, you will have to delete any of the existing sets.

Can I search for files/folders on my computer, using the Netgear Backup app?

Yes, you can search for files/folders on your computer using Netgear Backup App.
To search file/folder present in your computer,

1. Click 'Search' under the 'Backup' tab. The Search screen appears.
2. Enter the full or partial file/folder name in the 'Search' field. The Netgear local search is case sensitive.
3. Click 'Search'. Files/folders matching the search criteria appear.

Note: You can use the 'Search' feature to exclude individual files/folders (for e.g. file extension like tmp), which may be part of the backup set, from being backed up to your account. Just search for the files and folders, and from the search results that appear, click the drop-down arrow against the respective file/folder and click 'Add to Exclude List'.

Can I search for files/folders in my cloud account, using the Netgear Backup App?

Yes, you can search for files/folders in your cloud account.
To search,

1. Under the 'Restore' tab, click 'Search'. The Search screen appears.
2. Enter the full or partial file/folder name in the 'Search' field.
3. Click 'Search'. Backed up files/folders matching the search criteria appear. From the search results, you can share files and folders, rename them, add them to the restore set, and view their details.

Note: For some accounts, certain functions like new folder/create new restore set/rename/share will not be available, and drop-down list to select the bucket will be available.

Can I check if my job is running or not?

Yes, you can check if your job is running or not.

To check the status of your job,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App and click the 'Log' tab.
2. Under 'Status' you will see the different states of a job:
   • 'In Progress' indicates a particular job is in progress.
   • 'Success' indicates all the files were successfully backed up/restored.
   • 'Aborted' indicates the backup/restore job was cancelled by user.
   • 'Failure' indicates majority of files were not backed up/restored.

Note: Click the 'Scheduler' tab to check the status of your scheduled jobs.

How do I check the number of files backed up or restored for an ongoing or a finished job?

To check the number of files backed up or restored,

1. Click the 'Log' tab and the 'Logs' window appears.
   
   
   
   
2. Under 'Details', click for a particular job and the 'View Log Report' screen appears.
   
   
   
   
3. Under the 'Summary' section, you can view the number of files backed up or restored.
4. Click 'Download Log report' to download the log file.

How can I check the quota usage for my backup jobs?

To check your quota usage,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App and click .
2. The quota is calculated and the percentage of 'Storage used' is displayed.

My Netgear device is connected to a Proxy Server. How do I configure the Proxy Server settings on the Netgear Backup App?

If your Netgear Device is connected to the internet through a Proxy Server, you can configure the Proxy Server settings on the Netgear Backup App.

To configure proxy settings,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App, click the username on the top-right corner, and then click 'Preferences'.
2. Click the 'Network' tab and the 'Proxy settings' window appears.
3. Select 'Manual' and enter the Server name and port number.
4. Select 'Proxy Server requires password', if your proxy server requires password authentication and enter the 'Username' and 'Password' for the proxy server.

My backups are failing and log file shows 'Quota over limit' message. How to make sure my backup works fine?

If logs are showing 'Quota over limit' message, it means your account has exceeded the storage space limit and you need to upgrade your account to a higher storage plan. Click 'Upgrade' in the IDrive App to upgrade your account.

What is Archive Cleanup?

Archive Cleanup does a one-to-one match of the local data in the backup set selected for cleanup with your account files, and permanently deletes data from your account that no longer exists on your NAS device. This frees up space in your IDrive account.

By default, Archive Cleanup considers 25% of files for deletion. You can also regulate the percentage according to your preference.

Note: Archive/Periodic Cleanup is not supported for relative path. Archive Cleanup menu will not be visible if relative path is selected. Manual/periodic Cleanup cannot be initiated when manual/scheduled backup is in progress.

To start manual archive cleanup,

1. On the 'Backup' tab, click 'Archive Cleanup'. The 'Archive Cleanup' window appears.
2. Select the required percentage for cleanup, and click 'Cleanup Now'.
3. IDrive will generate a list of items to be deleted from your account. If you want to delete all the files mentioned in the list, click 'Delete'.

What is Periodic Cleanup?

Periodic Cleanup lets you delete files from your IDrive account that do not exist on your NAS device. It deletes files from your account by matching them to the data in the backup set selected for cleanup. Once enabled, Periodic Cleanup automatically deletes files at the frequency set by you.

You can set the frequency between 10 and 30 days and percentage of files for cleanup between 5% and 25%.

To enable Periodic Cleanup,

1. On the ‘Backup’ tab, select the backup set for which you want to run the cleanup operation.
2. Click ‘Archive Cleanup’. The Archive Cleanup window appears.
3. Select ‘Periodic Cleanup’.
4. Set the number of days and percentage of data to be considered for cleanup.

Can I retrieve previous versions of my backed up files?

Yes, currently IDrive retains up to 30 previous versions of all the backed up files and for accounts created prior to 11-07-2018 up to 10 versions can be retrieved.

To restore previous versions of a file,

1. Click the 'Restore' tab and hover over any file in the list.
2. Click on the icon that appears on the right side of the list.
3. Click on the 'Version' menu. All available file versions will be displayed.
4. Select any one of the previous versions of the file and click 'Restore'.

How do I send error reports to IDrive support?

To send error reports,

1. Log in to the Netgear Backup App.
2. Click the username on the top-right corner, and click 'Send Error Report'.
3. Fill the required fields and click 'Send'.

When I am logging in to my IDrive account for the first time on a new Netgear machine, it is asking me to select location/computer for backup. Why?

IDrive allows you to restore your previous computer's backup archive on your new computer. You can select the 'Adopt/Link to an existing location/computer' option for this. After logging in, reconnect to the previous computer's backup archive in case you are replacing an old computer. By adopting the previous computer's backup archive, you can avoid time consuming initial backup of your files.

To adopt your backup archive,

1. Install Netgear backup app in your NAS machine and log in to Netgear Backup App.
2. Click 'Adopt/Link to an existing location/computer' when prompted to select location/computer for backup. A list of locations/computers linked to your account appears.
   
   
   
   
3. Select the desired computer/location from the list and click 'Adopt/Link Selected Location' to restore your previous backups.
   
   

In case you do not wish to adopt your previous backups on the new machine, you can click 'Proceed to create new location with this computer name' when prompted to select location/computer for backup.

Can I login to another IDrive account while already logged in to the Netgear backup app?

Yes, you can switch from one IDrive account to another.
To switch accounts,

1. Click the username on the top-right corner, and then click 'Preferences'.
2. Click 'Logout' in the 'IDrive Cloud Account Credentials' section.
3. Enter the other account credentials and click 'Login'.

Why is the CPU load becoming high while running backup/restore?

If you have enabled the 'Upload multiple file chunks simultaneously' option under 'Preferences' tab, the backups or restores will consume a little bit more machine resources. This option speeds up data transfer by using multiple thread concept. You can disable this option if your machine resource utilizations are higher than expected.

The 'Restore files from my local device' section in the 'Restore' tab of my Netgear Backup app displays no data. What should I do?

All files backed up to the Express device appear under the ‘Restore files from my local device’ section in the ‘Restore’ tab. In case no data is displayed, you can run the 'Re-index' operation. This will re-generate the file/folder list with all the backed up data.

Note: While Re-index is in progress, you will not be able to perform any local restore/express backup operations.

Do I need internet connectivity for backing up data to the Express device?

You can perform Express backup without an active internet connection. However you would need internet connectivity to login to the IDrive application. Once you are logged in, you can run the backup even if your machine is not connected to the internet.