# Budgie Backup A simple, free Windows backup suite for backing up the **current user's** folders and data. Pick what matters, save a reusable plan, and run it — with shadow copies for locked files, verification, and optional splitting and a second destination. - **Version:** 0.9.26.267 (pre-release alpha/beta) - **Author:** Simon Fearby — https://fearby.com - **Home page:** https://budgiebackup.com - **Documentation / back-end:** https://fearby.com/utilities/budgiebackup/ - **Contact / bugs:** budgiebackup@fearby.com > **Alpha software.** Budgie Backup is an indefinite pre-release program and > each build has a built-in expiry date. Do not rely on it as your only backup. > Keep multiple independent backups (the 3-2-1 rule) and regularly test that > they restore. See `disclaimer.txt` for the full terms. ## What's in the suite Budgie Backup is a small suite of apps that work together: - **CreateBudgieBackupFile** — choose what to back up and save it as a `.budgiebackup` plan file. - **RunBudgieBackupFile** — open a `.budgiebackup` file and run the backup. - **BudgieBackupSysTray** — quick access to the other apps, documentation and logs, recent backup files, global run stats, favourite folders and files, receiving photos/videos from your phone over your own Wi-Fi, service status, and signed **Budgie Backup News** (important notices only, each shown once). (A backup scheduler is in progress but switched off in this build - see `roadmap.txt`.) - **BudgieBackupUpdater** — checks for and installs new builds across every app in the suite together, with a change-log preview before you commit to a download. Only accepts signed update information and installers signed with Budgie Backup's own certificate. - **BudgieBackupSync** — optionally syncs a local Budgie Backup to a Backblaze B2 bucket you own and control (see `disclaimer.txt`, Section 13). - **Budgie Backup.scr** — a screen saver that shows when the last backup ran, how much is protected, whether anything failed, live progress if one is running right now, and achievement badges. - **Budgie Backup 3D.scr** — the same story told as a 3D scene: your drives on a stage, spotlights on the drives being read and written, data flying between them, and your badges as 3D medals. Optional, like the first one. ## Requirements - Windows (x64). The **Large** installer includes everything it needs; the **Small** installer needs the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime (x64) already installed - https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/10.0 - **Administrator (elevated) rights** — required for Volume Shadow Copy, System Restore points, drive health queries, and reading locked files. (BudgieBackupSysTray runs without them.) - A backup destination that is a **folder on a drive letter** on this PC - an internal, USB or other locally attached drive - with enough free space. Network shares (`\\server\share`), mapped network drives and links are not accepted as destinations. ## Getting started 1. Run **CreateBudgieBackupFile**. 2. On the **Simple** screen, tick well-known locations (personal folders, browser profiles, email data, AppData, Start Menu) — installed browsers and email clients are detected automatically, and OneDrive and Dropbox can be included too. Use the **Advanced** screen if you want to pick anything else on the machine, folder by folder. 3. Review the scanned sizes, drive-type pills, and totals, then search your selections to confirm the files you care about are actually in the list. 4. Choose options (secondary location, restore point, logs, compression, splitting, etc.), give the backup a name (letters, numbers, spaces and `- _ . ( ) + , [ ] #`), and **save** the `.budgiebackup` plan. The plan is signed for your Windows account, so RunBudgieBackupFile can tell if it was later changed or came from another account. 5. Open the plan in **RunBudgieBackupFile**. It checks everything before touching a byte — do the folders still exist, is there room, is the drive connected — then press **Start**. If compression is on, the archive appears in the backup folder and grows as it runs; you can pause or cancel mid-file. You can watch progress on screen, in the screen saver, or from your phone over your own Wi-Fi network. 6. On success, Explorer opens at the finished backup, and a one-page PDF summary of the run is written into both backup locations. ## Key features - Quick-pick wizard with auto-detection of browsers and email clients; also backs up OneDrive and Dropbox content already stored on this PC. - Add custom folders or files. - Background folder scanner with live sizes, file/folder counts, and drive-type detection (SSD / HDD / Network) plus S.M.A.R.T. health estimates. - Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) and backup-semantics fallback so in-use/locked files copy cleanly; unreadable files are auto-excluded and reported, not failed. - Zip compression is opt-in (off by default) — a streaming zip engine with byte-accurate progress and mid-file pause/cancel when it's turned on. - FAT32 / large-backup splitting into even 3.8 GB volumes that open in 7-Zip as one tree. - Post-backup verification before any staged copy is removed (sources are never touched). - Optional secondary destination, System Restore point, verbose/system logs, prevent screen saver during backup, and completion sound. - Mirror a full backup - copy only what has changed since last time. - Optional Auto Speed Boost for plain (non-zip) copies on drives that can take it. - Watch a running backup's progress from your phone, over your own Wi-Fi network (local network only, code-protected). - Search within a backup. See `features.txt` for the full list and `change_log.txt` for version history. ## Backups, splitting, and restoring - A backup is written into its own folder at your chosen destination. If compression is on, the archive sits inside it (e.g. `MyBackup\MyBackup.zip`); if it's off, your files and folders are copied as-is. - If splitting is triggered (FAT32 destination or forced), you get `MyBackup.zip.001`, `MyBackup.zip.002`, … Open the **.001** in 7-Zip to browse the whole backup, or rejoin with: `copy /b MyBackup.zip.001 + MyBackup.zip.002 MyBackup.zip` - Windows Explorer cannot open `.001` volumes directly — use 7-Zip. - **Always test a restore.** A backup that has never been restored is not a backup. ## Diagnostics and bug reports - Press **Ctrl+Alt+F12** on any window to open the built-in bug-report form. - Debug logs, screenshots, and bug-report zips are saved per app under: - `%TEMP%\Budgie Backup\\` (e.g. `CreateBudgieBackupFile`, `RunBudgieBackupFile`, `BudgieBackupSysTray`, `BudgieBackupUpdater`, `BudgieBackupSync`) - falling back to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Budgie Backup\debug\` if `%TEMP%` can't be written to - `\SubmittedBugReports\` for submitted bug-report zips - Screenshots capture the app's own windows only (they may incidentally show folder/file names). Previous-session screenshots are cleared on each start. - To disable screenshot capture entirely, create an empty folder named `no` at `\debug\no`. - Review a bug report before submitting — nothing is uploaded until you press Submit. Your email address is optional, screenshots are not attached unless you choose to, and you can edit the text before it is sent. - Reports are **encrypted on your PC before upload** (AES-256-GCM, key wrapped with RSA-4096) and can only be read by the author. ## Privacy (summary) Budgie Backup runs on your computer with no telemetry, analytics, or ads. Your backups are written only to the destinations you choose and are never sent to the author. It goes online for: - an **update check** - only with your permission (automatic only if you tick "Check for updates automatically"); - a **news check** and a **server status check** from BudgieBackupSysTray - these run automatically and can each be switched off from the tray menu; - **bug reports** you submit (encrypted, stored privately in Cloudflare R2 and deleted within 90 days), the alpha sign-up form, and uploads to **your own** Backblaze bucket - only when you start them. Remote Monitor and Phone Upload stay on your local network. Full details are in `privacy.txt` and `disclaimer.txt`, Sections 15 and 19. ## Third-party components Uses QRCoder (MIT), the AWS SDK for .NET (Apache 2.0, Sync only), Microsoft WebView2 and Microsoft .NET runtime components - see third_party_licences.txt. Third-party products it may detect or link to (Backblaze, Acronis) are independent and unaffiliated. ## Website and updates **https://budgiebackup.com is now live** and is the app's home online — get the latest build there. **https://fearby.com/utilities/budgiebackup/** remains in place too, and going forward hosts back-end/misc documentation rather than being the primary download page. The built-in update checker (BudgieBackupUpdater) contacts the update server **only with your permission** to compare your version with the latest published one, and lets you preview the change log first. It refuses update information that is not digitally signed by Budgie Backup, installers not signed with the same certificate, and older versions. If the updater cannot help - for example the signing certificate has expired or changed, or your version has reached end of life - download the latest version from https://budgiebackup.com, and if you are still stuck, email budgiebackup@fearby.com. Important notices like these are also published through **Budgie Backup News** in the tray (signed and verified before they are shown). ## Feedback Bug reports and feature ideas are welcome via the in-app form (Ctrl+Alt+F12), budgiebackup@fearby.com, or https://budgiebackup.com. --- _See also: `change_log.txt`, `features.txt`, `roadmap.txt`, `known_bugs.txt`, `disclaimer.txt`, `privacy.txt`, `third_party_licences.txt`._ This app uses WiX Toolset to create EXEs Wix Toolset End User License Agreement This Open Source Maintenance Fee Agreement ("Agreement") is a legal agreement between you ("User") and WiX Toolset ("Project") for the use of the WiX Toolset ("Software"), an open source software project licensed under the Microsoft Reciprocal License ("OSI License"), an OSI-approved open source license. Project offers a Binary Release of the Software to Users in exchange for a maintenance fee ("Fee"). 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