The Account Management site Summary page provides account information such as account number, backup plan limit and account start date. You can also find this information in your Backup Agent. You can find the account number under Help | About . You can find the backup limit on the Backup Set tab.

About my backup

The Backup Agent will search your system for common image types like JPEG. Prior to running your first backup it is suggested that you take time to review the files selected for backup to ensure that you are backing up the images most important to you.

Depending on your Internet connection speed and the level of service that you sign up for, the length of time of your first backup will vary. It is recommended that you run your first backup over night, however each successive backup thereafter will take considerably less time and can be run at any time, even while you are working on your PC.

Selecting files in the Backup Set tab

If you want to select or deselect files or folders from your backup click the Backup Set tab on the left side of the Backup Agent software. A green checkmark next to a file or folder indicates that is is selected for backup. If the file has changed since the last backup, the backup software will back up the changes. If the file was never backed up, the backup software will back up the entire file.

About backup data retention 

The data retention settings for the online backup service are:

Files that have more than 10 versions or are older than 90 days are deleted but your most recent version is always kept. Files you deleted deleted from your system are deleted from the Data Centers after 90 days. Files that you backed up and then deselected from your backup are deleted after 7 days. Files of accounts that were cancelled are deleted 30 days after cancellation.

Retrieve Tab options

The default view of the Retrieve tab displays the most recent version of your files. In order to see older versions, click Show Versions at the top of the window and select the view that you want. A description of each of the options can be found by clicking the Help button.

If you still don't see the file, set the display to All and then use the Find feature. For more information on Find refer to How to use "Find" to locate backed-up files.

Retrieving data using the Internet: MyRoam® Application

You can retrieve any backed-up data from any computer that has a Windows operating system, Internet Explorer, and an Internet connection. To do so, log in to the Account Management site and click Retrieve Data. This action opens a Web application called MyRoam. Browse the list of files or use the Find feature to display files that you can select for retrieval. Click the box in front of the files that you want to retrieve. When you have completed your selections, click Retrieve. After the file preparation process is finished, you can download a ZIP archive file that contains your selected files.

Order CD or DVD copies of my backups

When you order a CD or DVD of your backups, you will receive a copy of all files associated with a specific backup date. We are not able to offer selected files or folders or specific date ranges. Also on the CD or DVD is a copy of the QuickBooks Online Backup software. You run the QuickBooks Online  Backup software from the CD or DVD to retrieve your files. Written instructions are included with every CD or DVD order. Log in to the Account Management site and click on Order CD/DVD to obtain a copy of your backed-up data.

How to use "Find" to locate backed up files

Using the Find feature is a fast and easy way to locate a specific file when you need to retrieve files. You can use Find in the Retrieve tab .

Simply click Find at the upper left of the window, next to the Browse button and type all or part of the file name and folder where the file is located. .

HINT: When entering a long file or folder name, or one that you aren’t sure of, use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard symbol. An asterisk can be inserted at any point in a file name in place of characters that you aren’t sure of. Do not use more than one asterisk in succession; use one at a time as a placeholder.

Example 1: For a file named My Resume.doc, type *resume.doc. This example tells Find to look for all files that end in resume.doc.

Example 2: For a file named Peaches and Cream.jpg, you could type P*and*.* or P*and*.jpg or Peach*.jpg

If you don’t see the file that you want with your first try, click Find Next until you do find it. You can click Find Next as often as needed; it will cycle through the list no matter where your starting point is.

If you are looking for an older file and are unable to locate it, then select All from the Show Versions list at the top of the window.

Recover an existing account

Log in to the Account Management site and click Reinstall Account in the left navigation column. Follow the instructions to download and install the Backup Agent  software.

Software version upgrades

Periodically, changes to the software that will improve performance or add new features are made. After thorough testing, the new version is released to our customers. Your version is then upgraded the next time you back up. There is no action required on your part and you will always have the latest version.