Restoring files from backup discs with Burn by Zaweba

Getting files back is the moment a backup is for. Restore from backup discs in Burn by Zaweba is built so that it works on any PC, from any disc of the set, and never leaves you with a half-finished copy.

You can bring back everything, or just the handful of files you lost.

Starting a restore

Open Restore from backup discs from the home screen or from Tools. Then put in any disc of the backup. It doesn't have to be the first. Every backup disc carries an index of the whole backup, so Burn can show you everything the backup holds as a tree of folders and files with tick boxes.

This also means the restore doesn't depend on the PC that made the backup. A new laptop, a family member's computer or a rebuilt machine will do, as long as it has a disc drive and Burn installed.

Choosing what to bring back

Tick the whole tree to restore everything, or open folders and tick only the files you want. Then choose where they go. You can restore to a folder of your choice, or back to where they were originally.

When a file already exists at the destination, you decide what happens: keep both, replace the existing file, or skip it. Restoring to a new folder is the gentlest option when you aren't sure, since nothing on your PC is touched and you can compare at leisure.

Feeding discs and joining files

Burn asks for each disc it needs in turn. If your choice spans several discs, or if some files were in earlier runs of a backup that only burned changes, Burn asks for exactly those discs. Large files that were split into pieces across discs are joined back together for you.

Every restored file is checked against the fingerprint taken before it was burned. Burn keeps each file's last-changed time, so restored files sort and sync just as the originals did. And it never leaves half-restored files behind: you get whole, checked files or nothing.

Tips for a smooth restore

Keep the whole set together before you start. Restoring is quicker when you can hand Burn each disc as it asks, rather than hunting through boxes.

Restore a small test now and then. Picking a few files from an old backup and bringing them back to a spare folder is the best way to know your backup routine really works.

Think about the destination before you click. Restoring back to the original locations with Replace chosen will overwrite newer copies of the same files. If you have kept working since the backup, restore to a separate folder instead and copy over what you need.

If a disc can't be read, try it in another drive, and clean it gently before trying again. The check will tell you if any file doesn't match.

Restore and the Backup Assistant

Restore is the other half of the Backup Assistant. The index it reads is written by the assistant, the fingerprints it checks against are the ones taken during backup, and the links across runs come from backing up only changes. The Backup log can help you work out which discs you have, but the restore itself only needs the discs. With Burn by Zaweba, any disc of the set is enough to begin.