We offer a downloadable guide on how to use the rescue system. It is in PDF format, so you can easily view it on your computer, or print it out for later reference.
(To download the file, right-click on the link and select "Save link as" or "Save target as" from the menu.)
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If you are using a CD or DVD: Put the disc it into your disc drive.
IMPORTANT: if you are using an external drive with a separate power supply then please make sure that you
connect this power supply, even if it usually works without it! Some computers will not be able to boot from
the drive otherwise. Note that this is only important if the external drive actually provides a separate power
supply - if it does not have one then none is needed
If you are using a USB Stick: Plug the stick directly into your computer. Please do not use a USB hub, as
some computers are not able to boot from USB sticks that are connected via a hub.
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Restart your computer.
IMPORTANT: If you use Windows 8 or later then please make sure that you use the "Restart" function to
reboot the computer. DO NOT use the "Shutdown" function with Windows 8. It prevents the computer from
starting any other boot media
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The rescue system should now start. After a few seconds you should see a simple boot menu labelled "Rescue
System". If you see this menu then you can proceed to the next step.
If your normal Windows system tries to start, or if you get a message about a missing operating system then
your computer must first be told that it should try and start from CD/DVD or USB (depending on what kind
of rescue medium you use). This is specified in the computer's BIOS / UEFI settings. Unfortunately, these
settings are accessed in a slightly different way for every computer. But on most computers you need to
perform the following steps:
Note that you ONLY need to perform these additional steps if the rescue system does not start! If it does
start then skip these troubleshooting steps and continue with the process below.
IMPORTANT: Changing the BIOS / UEFI settings is a pretty technical and risky process. If you make
a mistake then the result can be that your computer will not start anymore! If you have any doubts
regarding your ability to make the correct changes, then we advise you to ask an expert for help!
First you need to open the BIOS / EFI settings. Usually this is done by pressing a certain key multiple
times quickly when the computer begins to start. For most computers it will be one of the following
keys: F2, F1, DEL, ESC, F10. You can try pressing one of these quickly and multiple times directly
after restarting your computer. If it does not bring up the settings, then restart the computer and try the
next key.
Once you are in the settings you need to navigate to the screen that contains the boot settings. There
should be instructions shown on how to navigate to the different screens (for example, with the cursor
keys, TAB, F-keys or similar).
Next you need to look for a setting that indicates the "Boot order" or "Startup order" or similar. This will
be a list that defines in which order the computer tries to boot from the connected storage devices. You
need to change this order so that the drive with the rescue system (either CD/DVD or USB, depending
on what medium you are using) is tried first. USB sticks are sometimes called "USB HDD", CD drives
sometimes have the word "Optical" in their name.
IMPORTANT: Please be careful when changing this. Please do not remove entries from this list. Only
change the order.
Once you have made these changes you need to save the settings and restart the computer. Look for
instructions on the screen on how this is done. There is usually a menu entry called "Exit" or "Quit" that
will show options for saving and exiting the settings.
. If the settings are correct then the rescue system should start and the start menu should be displayed
(as described above).
The start menu of the rescue system is only shown for a few seconds. It allows you to select how the rescue
system should be started: in normal mode or in "Safe Mode". When you start the rescue system for the first
time and do not encounter any problems (see below) then you should choose normal mode. If you do not
make a selection within a few seconds then the rescue system will automatically start in normal mode.
The rescue system will now load. Note that this can take up to 15 minutes - please be patient!. If the rescue
system does not load properly or you see long graphical distortion then you should restart the computer and
choose one of the "Safe Mode" option from the rescue system start menu. In safe mode the rescue system
may be a little bit slower because it uses fewer hardware drivers, but it works the same otherwise.
When the rescue system has loaded it will show a language selection screen. Please select your preferred
language there.
If your computer has a wireless network adapter then the rescue system will ask for the settings to access
your local network. You can usually skip this step, unless you need internet or network access to restore your
backup. For example, you need this when your backup is stored in the cloud.
Next it asks for your general location in the world. This is needed so that time information can be displayed
in the correct time zone.
On the next screen you are asked to select the type of keyboard you use. On the left side you can select the
keyboard language (usually the same as your own language) and on the right side you can select the type of
keyboard. If you do not know what to select on the right side then you can usually simply leave the default
selection.
The general configuration process is now done and the rescue system will complete the startup process. This
can again take several minutes to complete.
The rescue system will automatically start the restore application. This is almost identical to the restore
functionality in the normal backup software on Windows.
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Select the storage type
Here you select the type of the data storage where your backup is stored.
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Select backup drive
If you selected the option to restore a backup from a local drive or network drive then the next step is to select
which drive your backup data is stored on.
IMPORTANT: At the bottom of the page you can also select the name of the container folder on the selected
drive that contains your backups. If the backup data is stored in another folder than the one shown here then
you need to enter the correct folder. Otherwise your backup will not be found.
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Authorize access
If you selected a cloud storage provider or a network drive as your backup storage then you need to authorize
the backup software to access the storage. In many cases you will simply be asked to enter the login name and
password for the storage provider. But in some cases an 'Authorize' button is shown instead. The 'Authorize'
button will send you to your storage provider's website, where you will be asked to confirm that the backup
software gets access.
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Select backup
On this screen the software shows you a list with all the backups that were found on the selected data storage
(in the selected container folder). Here you simply have to select which one you would like to restore.
If the backup you are looking for is not shown here then the software is most likely looking in the wrong folder
on the selected backup drive. In that case you should click "Back" until you arrive back at the drive selection
screen. Here you can also select the container folder in which the software searches for backups.
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Enter encryption password
If the backup is protected by a password then you will have to enter that next. This is the password that you
selected when you created the backup plan for this backup. If the backup is not password protected then this
step will automatically be skipped.
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The following steps depend on what kind of backup you have selected.
If you have selected a file-based backup then please follow these steps:
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Select which files and folders should be restored.
Place a check mark next to the files and folders you would like to restore. Placing a check mark next to
a folder will select the folder and all of its contents.
Double click on a folder to open it and browse through its contents.
If you see a smaller check mark next to a folder then it means that only some of its contents have been
selected.
You can check or uncheck multiple entries at once by selecting multiple entries in the list and then
clicking on the check box of one of them.
You can also go back in time and access older versions of backed up files. To do this simply select the
corresponding date and the program will display the state of the backup as it was at the end of that day.
How far you can go back depends mainly on the setting of the backup plan that specifies how long old
versions of the files are kept.
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Select the directory where the restored files and folders should be stored.
To prevent dangerous automatic overwriting of system files, you can only restore into an empty
directory.
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The next screen allows you to select how the access permissions of the restored files and folders will
be set. The options are to either use the default permissions (recommended) or to restore the original
permissions that the files and folders had when the backup was made. The latter option is intended only
for experts and normal users should usually leave the box "Use default access permissions" checked.
If you do not check the "Use default access permissions" box then please note that if the backed up files
were originally stored on a different computer or the operating system was reinstalled, then restoring
the original access permissions can mean that you won't be able to access the restored files without a
few technical tricks.
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When you click Next a summary screen is shown that displays the settings you have made
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When you click Next again then the restore process will start. A progress screen is displayed until the
restore operation is complete.
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If you have selected an image-based backup (a backup of a complete hard disk or partition) then you need
to select what kind of data you would like to restore:
Browse the backups or restore individual files or folders
This option is NOT available in the rescue system. It is only shown in the Windows backup software.
This function allows you to create a virtual drive from the data of one of your backups. Simply select the
drive to restore and the date of the backup and click on "Open". A new Windows Explorer window will
open and show the contents of that backup. You can browse through the virtual drive as if it were a normal
hard disk. You can even open or copy files directly from it.
Overwrite the contents of an individual drive, but not a whole hard disk ("without boot information")
This option is intended for cases where you want to overwrite the contents of a hard disk partition (i.e. of
a drive like "D:"). If there are other partitions (drives) on the same hard disk they are left untouched.
IMPORTANT: you can only use this function to overwrite existing partitions. You can not restore to a
blank hard disk that does not have any partitions. Use the option to restore a complete hard disk ("with
boot information") for those cases.
You will see the backed-up drives on the left and the drives in your system on the right. Use your mouse
to drag&drop a backup drive from the left to the desired destination drive on the right. You can overwrite
more than one drive if you like.
Once you have selected what you would like to restore simply click on Next. The software will then restore
the data. Once the restore process is complete you should restart your computer.
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Restore a complete hard disk ("with boot information")
Use this to restore a complete hard disk. All data on the hard disk is overwritten. It does not matter whether
the disk is blank or not.
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You will see the backed-up hard disks on the left and the hard disks in your system on the right. Use your
mouse to drag&drop a backup from the left to the desired destination disk on the right. You can assign
multiple backups to multiple disks if you like.
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When you are done making the selection click on Next to begin restoring. Once the restore process is
complete you should restart your computer.
