FAQ: General

What's with the green and blue color schemes?

We use green for all materials related to the consumer product (CrashPlan and CrashPlan+) and blue for all materials related to the business product, CrashPlan PRO.

When do I get alerted if CrashPlan can't back up?

CrashPlan will email you when the alert and warning times have passed. This will only happen if none of your destinations have full backups. For example, if you have 2 destinations, and one has not been able to connect, but you have a complete backup with another destination, you will not get a warning.

What does the Compact button do?

The Compact button:

  • Runs a verification process that ensures the files stored at the destination are the same as the files sent from the source. If any files at the destination are damaged, CrashPlan self-heals your backup by requesting that the source re-sends that portion of the file.
  • Removes files you've said are ok to remove (deleted files, excess versions, and files no longer selected for backup) from the backup archive.

This process is also known as Archive Maintenance.

How do I configure CrashPlan for the best data protection?

If you want the best protection and you have a CrashPlan+ license, we recommend these settings:

  • CrashPlan will always run.
  • Keep unlimited versions.
  • Never remove deleted files (or at least give them a month)
  • Watch the file system in real-time.
  • Back up changed files after 15 minutes.. or less (5 is even better).
  • Verify backup file selection every 1 day at a time when your computer is usually on.

If CrashPlan consumes too much network or CPU while you are using the computer, go to the Network or Advanced tabs and throttle the settings appropriately to slow it down. It's much better to adjust the throttle settings than limit CrashPlan's ability to run.

I use BootCamp. Can I back up both my Mac and Windows partitions?

We recommend installing CrashPlan on both the “Mac side” and the “Windows side.” This gives your files the best protection. You'll be able to back up the Windows side only when Windows is running and the Mac side only when Mac is running.

Note that Windows and Mac are treated as entirely separate computers, so if you'd like to take advantage of CrashPlan+ features on both Windows and Mac, you'll need two licenses.

My friend no longer wants to use me as a backup destination, but I still want to use my friend as a backup destination. How do I remove my friend's data from my computer?

Your friend needs to open the CrashPlan Desktop and remove you as a backup destination. To do this, tell your friend follow these steps:

  1. Open the CrashPlan Desktop.
  2. Click the Friends tab.
  3. From the Select a friend list, select your computer.
  4. Click the Remove Backup Destination button.
  5. Click Save.

This will remove your friend's backup archive from your computer. Your friend remains your backup destination.

I'm backing up data on an external drive. What happens to my backup data when it's not connected?

If your drive is unmounted, CrashPlan is smart enough to know the drive is unavailable. CrashPlan does not treat the files as deleted.

Why is my floppy disk drive light blinking?

This is because of a known issue within Windows when a program uses VSS to access an open file. More information is here.

Does CrashPlan support Microsoft Hyper-V?

We recommended running CrashPlan within each virtual machine so that you get the benefits of file versions, real-time backup, etc. CrashPlan should be able to back up the VHD files when running outside of Hyper-V (note that the VM must not be running when backing up the VHD files).