Anyone using Carbonite to back up ATX 2012?

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

I can't even find my backup folder. I have a standalone Windows Pro 7 64 . I saw a post on the other website that Carbonite will not back up ATX 2012 because it is some hidden folder. I can't even find it to back up to my flash drive or external hard drive. Has anyone tried this yet? I saw that ATX told someone that they can't held them with an outside backup, but for $29 per month will be glad to help them with their vendor. Thanks.

[Guest Taxed]

NECPA, I demoed Carbonite and I will not use it to backup my tax files for obvious reasons. I lose all control when my data is sitting inside a cloud server! What would happen if they go out of business or they have a glitch and you can not access their servers when you need that data urgently (like client is sitting in front of you and you had erased their file my mistake)

I got a WD External hard drive with 1TB that I do live backup. I also archive my tax files on DVD each month. This way I am in control of my own data. I always do redundant backups.

[Jack from Ohio]

The cloud is no place for client data. PERIOD.

[Kea]

The cloud is no place for client data. PERIOD.

Agreed!

[mcb39]

I got a WD External hard drive with 1TB that I do live backup. I also archive my tax files on DVD each month. This way I am in control of my own data. I always do redundant backups.

Always! Often and more than one. I put them on a jump drive as I go. This also enables me to move them to other computer.

[North Idaho Rich]

I use windows 7 and the backups on my computer are located at:

C:Program dataCCH small firm servicesatx2012backup

The form data is also kept in this area.

I have my entire atx backup directory backed up to my external HD at least once per day.

I also created a separate directory to save my export Files. Learned years ago to do the exports!

I've already had to import/restore about 4 or 5 client files due to the program crashing on me.

It's not fun to enter data twice. As someone mentioned earlier the exports do not copy over the old ones

so you can have many exports of the same return. The date and time stamp help with finding the newest one.

[mcb39]

This is true. I do believe that backup and restore does allow you to copy over the other one. Or, it is just the opposite. I know that in prior years when I was exporting to my zip drive, it would always say that this file already exists, do you want to change it? This was really nice because you could capture changes as you went along or got interrupted.

Did I mention that I think I may be losing my mind?

[North Idaho Rich]

Never had much luck with backup/restore. Ever since a "blue screen of death" destroyed my database in my 2007 program I only use export/import. You can populate your entire tax client base using import but if your database is messed up you can't restore. This is in the old programs of course.

A nice tech support person converted my old backups to exports and shipped them overnight for free. I was very impressed.

We seem to have a whole new series of problems these days.

I always enjoyed the message do you want to change it. It let me know I had at least one copy of the return I could open.

Of course I backed up my exports and backups daily.

[Guest Taxed]

Most newer desktop computers allow you to setup 2 separate Hard Drives in a RAID Array. That way the data is automatically backed in 2 separate Hard Drives live. If One is messed up you can restore from the other automatically.

I find doing a monthly DVD backup easier to manage. From my Outlook calendar i can tell when i did the return and i just go to the DVD for that month and it is there. At the end of the season around end of October (after extensions have been taken care of) , I do a complete backup of all files as my archive for that year.

Someone said they use a flash drive for backups. That is not 100% effective because if the drive gets full, often times the data gets corrupted (found out the hard way). Flash drives are great to export a few returns to move around between computers.

I can still remember doing floppy disk backups for an hour each day during tax season years back!

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

I control the encryption key, and back up to external hard drives and flash drives myself. Since I work at home on one computer, I don't like having everything in one place. I know that I can put them in a safe deposit box, but I rarely leave the house when the bank is open.

I still can't find the backup folder for 2012 so that I can back up to my external drives and flash drives.

North Idaho Rich. Did you change your backup folder? I have a C:Prgram Files(x86)ATX2012 but no backup folder.

Maybe this is why my program works, it isn't backup up anything.

I guess I will have to call tech support and ask where it is.

[joanmcq]

It's in C:Program DataCCH Small Firm ServicesATX 2012Backup. This might be the 'hidden file'; I can see it in I-Drive (my online backup service), but not in windows explorer.

So the issue might be with carbonite.

I think if you just have this whole file go to Carbonite, you'd be ok, since it also stores your ACKS and settings.

[North Idaho Rich]

Did you change your backup folder? I have a C:Prgram Files(x86)ATX2012 but no backup folder.

My first quotation, hope it works...

My actual program is where yours is, but in my (windows 7) computer there is a directory called "Program Data" which has data stored for many different programs such as intuit, microsoft ect. and CCH small firm services. The actual path in my computer is:

C:Program dataCCH small firm servicesatx2012backup

In different versions of windows it must be in a different location.

I'll look tomorrow in a different computer.

Give me back my old msdos 2.01 and my floppies.

Found a box full of very old 3.5 disks from my backups in the early 90's.

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

I can't see the backup folder from Windows explorer or from using search. I manually backed up three returns and it appeared to do it. I am afraid to change the default directory under preferences. I just wanted to be able to get additional backups somewhere. Thanks.

[joanmcq]

Check 'show hidden files' in Explorer. The whole 'Program Data' section is hidden in win 7

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

Thank you.

[North Idaho Rich]

Sorry about that, I use windows explorer so much first thing I do when I get a new computer is allow it to show hidden files.

I have shortcuts on my desktop to all kinds of folders that I use many times a day.

I just loaded the program in my old xp computer. I tried to do a backup in it, so in return manager, under returns, backup returns, it showed that the backup location was going to be:

C;documents and settingsall usersapplication datacch small firm servicesatx2012backup

Just looked in my win 7 and it said:

C:Program dataCCH small firm servicesatx2012backup

Give that a try and it should show youwhere it wants to save the returns. Looks like you can change it if you want.

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

Thank you for your help. I just found it after telling explorer to show hidden files. I have it set to back up now to my hard drive.

[DougO]

I'm confused - I find the "Backup" in ATX but there is nothing in the folder. I search for "database" in the program and find nothing. Is this another change by ATX to make me crazy. In prior years I just backup by "database? folder to an outside source, but in 2012 I cannot locate the "database". Any help or directions would be appreciated.

[Jack from Ohio]

This program is NOT the same kind of program from 2011. It is TOTALLY new from the inside out. The thing you seek may not even exist in the manner you are used to seeing.

Let the program do the second or third backup. In the backup window, choose a different place i.e. flash drive, external hard drive etc, and do the backup. Do it two or three different places if you choose.

It is not yet clear yet where and how the program does these things.

BRAND NEW PROGRAM, LEARNING CAPS & THINKING REQUIRED!!!

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

Jack,

Do you know if I change to a flash drive in the backup window, will it revert back to the default the next time or just do all of the backups to the flash drive? It was so easy before that even I could figure it out. Thank you.

[North Idaho Rich]

My return backups are in the folder called formsets. No mention this year of databases anywhere.

Software says it will save up to 5 backups and for some returnsin the directory I have 5 backups.

I suppose you could change it to a flash drive. It looks fully changable.

In the old program (history) you could change it but if you restored or imported a return it changed to that location.

[joanmcq]

This is probably not an ATX issue, but a Win 7 issue. If you do not check for 'hidden files' in windows explorer, you cannot see the program data files. Look throughout this post for how to find your files in both XP and Win 7.