• Introduction
• Installation
• Setup
  • Display Properties
  • General Setup
  • Advanced Setup
• Progress Screen
• Log Viewer

Introduction
The (Screen + File) Saver is a easy to use no-nonsense file backup utility that eliminates the need for paying special attention to whether or not your computer is being backed up.  It is designed to backup your data files - NOT to create an entire hard drive backup. It's designed to back up your data files so you can restore them after your computer is repaired or, to take your data files to one or more other computers. It works during the time your screen saver is active, which is when you are not using the computer. When you return, it tells you how many files were backed up (only newer file copies are backed up).

Installation
Installing is very simple. Just accept all of the default prompts. The program will, by default, install to the "System32" folder of the "Windows" folder. For ideal operation of the program, this should not be changed.

When finished, you will have a new group on your Program Files tree labeled "Clear-Cut Computing."

You will also have an icon on the desktop (with a copy in the Start menu program group) to manually start a backup immediately (avoiding the need to wait for the screen saver) 

Setup

Display Properties
 You setup the (Screen + File) Saver as you would any screen saver. Go to:

Start-->Control Panel-->Appearance andThemes-->Display

-or-

Start-->ControlPanel-->Display

Then click on the "Screen Saver" tab. Choose "ccSaver" from the drop-down list of Screen savers. Set a "Wait" time (remember that your files will only be backed up IF the screen saver activates, so don't choose an unusually high wait time. Then click on the settings tab, and read on in this manual.

-or-

Start --> Programs--> Configure (Screen + File)Saver

General Setup
You create "Backup Events" which are executed in the order in which they appear in the list. To create a "Backup Event," Choose a source folder (where you copy the files from), and a destination folder (where you copy the files to) and then click the "Add" button. The "Browse" buttons help you to choose the folders. If you make a mistake or want to delete the "Backup Event," you can click on the entry and then click the "Edit" or "Remove" buttons located below the list.

Append Options are available to help you keep multiple backup sets of data. This is useful if you are worried that your computer may contract a virus and the data files may become corrupted and you copy a corrupted file over a good one. Or, perhaps you had a good copy of an important spreadsheet or QuickBooks® file, but then someone deleted some of the internal file data or made a serious error (like erase a few invoices). This can cause a problem where a previously good copy was overwritten. Here are the options the (Screen + File) Saver gives you:

"Append Date" -will add the current date to the end of the destination folder name. Hence, each day a new folder will be created and the files will be copied to that folder.  Be aware that this option will use a rapidly growing amount of storage space for the backup. 

"Append Weekday" -will add the current "day of the week" to the end of the destination folder name. Hence, you would have no more than seven different backup folders. A better alternative for cutting down on the file space needed, while giving you seven days to restore a file that has gone bad or become undesireable.

"Append Month" - will add the current month to the end of the destination folder name.  You will have no more then twelve different backup folders, named by month.

Advanced Setup
This tab, on the Settings window, gives you access to several additional features you can change.

"Overwrite existing files" -will force the program to copy all files each time the screen saver is activated - regardless of whether the copy in the destination folder is the same date/time as the source.

"Generate log file" -allows you to turn off the creation of the log file as well as change where it is stored and what name it is given.

"Movement Rate" -adjusts the speed at which the progress screen is moved during screen saver activation.

"Run another screen saver on completion" let's you choose a second screen saver to run after the backup events are completed.  You can also set a time delay before to the second screen saver launches.

Progress Screen
When your screen saver activates, you will see the screen to the right. At first, the program will calculate how many files need to be backed up. Once calculated, the progress will be displayed as it copies. If you move the mouse or tap a key on the keyboard, the program will be interrupted, as would any screen saver. When the screen saver activates again later, the program will calculate and copy again. Only files with different date/time information will be copied (unless you have the "Overwrite" box checked on the settings tab of the setup), so files not touched will be ignored while files that were changed since the last time the screen saver activated will be recopied (along with any new files).

NOTE 1: Some programs, like QuickBooks®, do not allow their data files to be copied while they are in use. Essentially, when you close these programs and let the (Screen + File) Saver run again, those files WILL be backed up.

NOTE 2: Since (Screen + File) Saver only copies files, if you erase a file in your source folder, it WILL NOT be erased in the Destination folder. Periodically, you should wipe out all files on the destination device and allow a fresh backup copy event to occur.

Log Viewer
From the settings screen or from the main Program Files tree, you can view, print and save the log file history. Just click the "View Log" button on the bottom of the settings screen.

The most recent history is at the bottom of the scrolling list.

You should periodically clear the log file to avoid the creation of a very large file that uses a lot of disk space.

See the Advanced Setup section above for details about where the log file is created and what it is named.