There's no chatbot trying to deflect your ticket. There's no support team in another country reading from a script. If you email VaultGuard support, you're emailing David Martin — the developer of the software you're using.

Contact us

Support

ONE PERSON. ONE EMAIL. NO TIER 1.

When you need help, you'll get it from me.

Page intro

This page covers how to get help, what to include when you write, what I can and can't help with, and where to look first if you'd rather try to solve it yourself.

If you're a paying subscriber and you have a problem that's blocking your work right now, don't wait — email support and mark it urgent. I read every message myself.

How to reach me

Email — the primary channel for non-emergencies

customerservice@informationsecuritykentucky.com

I aim to respond within one business day, Monday through Friday, excluding U.S. federal and Kentucky state holidays. Most messages get answered the same day.

You can also find me on Facebook

Phone — for urgent situations

(270) 250-3457 Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 8 PM Eastern.

If your data is missing right now, ransomware is active on your machine, or VaultGuard itself is failing in a way that's blocking recovery — call. Don't email and wait.

What to include when you email

The more you tell me upfront, the faster I can help. Please include:

  • Your VaultGuard version — open the app and check the title bar at the top, or look at the status bar at the bottom of the main window. (Currently shipping: v3.2.0.)

  • Your Windows version — Windows 10 or Windows 11, and the build number if you know it.

  • Your license email — the email address associated with your subscription, so I can locate your account.

  • What you were trying to do — "I tried to run a backup," "I tried to restore a file," "I clicked Settings and the app froze." Specifics matter more than diagnosis.

  • What actually happened — the exact error message if there was one, what you saw on screen, whether the app crashed or just stopped responding.

  • What you've already tried — restarting the app, restarting Windows, checking the log, anything else. Saves both of us time.

  • Relevant log entries — VaultGuard writes detailed logs to C:\ProgramData\VaultGuardBackup\backup.log. If you can attach the most recent entries, that's the single most useful piece of information you can send.

You don't have to format any of this. A plain-language email is fine. The structure above is just a checklist of what's most useful.

Before you email

Most issues are answered in the [Documentation] or the [Troubleshooting Guide]. If you've already checked those, please mention it in your email so I don't send you back to them.

The most common issues, in rough order of frequency:

  • Backup target drive not found. Confirm the drive is connected, has a drive letter assigned, and matches what's set in VaultGuard's configuration.

  • wbadmin errors. These usually mean Volume Shadow Copy Service has stalled, the target drive is full, or the drive isn't formatted correctly. The error code wbadmin returns is the key — include it in your email.

  • Cloud copy didn't run. Check that your cloud sync app (whichever provider you use) is signed in, running, and pointed at the right folder.

  • Defender warnings before backup. VaultGuard scans your system before backing up. If it finds active threats, it pauses. Resolve the threats with Defender or your AV, then retry.

  • Manifest verification failure. Something in the backup has changed since it was created. This is exactly what the manifest check is supposed to catch. Don't restore from that backup — email me with the exact error message and I'll help you figure out what happened and identify a clean backup to restore from.

Bug reports and feature requests

I read every bug report and feature request myself.

For a bug: include the same information as a regular support request, plus a clear description of what should have happened versus what did happen. If you can reliably reproduce the bug — a sequence of steps that triggers it every time — that's the most valuable thing you can send.

For a feature request: tell me what you're trying to accomplish, not just what feature you think you need. Sometimes there's already a way to do it; sometimes the feature you described isn't quite the right shape; sometimes it's a great idea I hadn't considered.

I can't promise to build every feature people ask for. I will tell you honestly whether it's something I'm planning, something I'm not planning, or something I'd consider if more users wanted it.

Security vulnerability reports

If you've discovered a security issue in VaultGuard — something that could be exploited to compromise the application, the data it handles, or the systems it runs on — please report it directly to customerservice@informationsecuritykentucky.com with "SECURITY" in the subject line.

I take security reports seriously and prioritize them above other support work. Please don't post details of vulnerabilities publicly until I've had a chance to investigate and ship a fix.

If you're a security researcher and want to discuss responsible disclosure terms, just ask.

What I can't help with

A few things support genuinely cannot fix:

  • Restoring data from backups taken with other software. VaultGuard can only restore from VaultGuard backups (which are standard Windows wbadmin system images, restorable on any Windows machine with or without VaultGuard). If your backups were created with another tool, you'd need that tool to restore them.

  • Recovering files that were never backed up. I can help you set up VaultGuard going forward, but I can't recover what doesn't exist anywhere.

  • Paying ransoms. If you've been hit by ransomware and you're considering paying, I'd talk you out of it before I'd help you do it. Paying funds the criminals and doesn't guarantee you get your data back. The right answer is recovery from a clean backup.

  • Anything outside VaultGuard itself. I can help with VaultGuard configuration, behavior, and integration with Windows. I can't troubleshoot your printer, your office network, or your cloud storage account directly. (For Kentucky small businesses that want hands-on IT help, that's what [Information Security Kentucky's services](services link) are for.)

What you can expect from me

A few commitments worth being explicit about:

Response times. First response within one business day. Most issues resolved within two business days. If something will take longer than a week to resolve, I'll tell you why and give you an honest timeline.

No ticket numbers. No "your case has been assigned to a specialist." No surveys after we close the conversation. Just back-and-forth email until your problem is solved.

Honest answers. If something isn't possible, I'll tell you. If it's a bug, I'll say it's a bug. If you've found a real problem with VaultGuard, you'll get acknowledgment, an explanation, and (when fixable) a fix in a future release. If the issue is something you're doing wrong, I'll tell you that too — gently, but honestly.

Continuity. When you email me a year from now, the same person who handled your first message will handle your follow-up. That's the entire support team — me — and that's the point.

Status and known issues

[Link: Current known issues] — A live list of bugs I'm aware of, with workarounds where they exist.

[Link: Service status] — For anything that depends on my infrastructure (license validation server, email alert relay, downloads, account portal), this page reports current status.

If you suspect an issue is on my end and not yours, check those pages first.

Final pitch

Backup software is only as good as the support behind it.

I built VaultGuard because I was tired of products that quietly failed and vendors that quietly disappeared. The point of buying from a small, accountable operation isn't just the software — it's knowing there's a real person to call when something breaks.

That person is me. Use the email. Use the phone. Don't be shy.