Documentation

Everything you need, nothing you don't.

How to install, configure, and operate VaultGuard Backup. Current for version 3.7.

Documentation written by the person who built the software. If something isn't covered here, email me and I'll either answer directly or update the docs so the next person finds the answer faster.

This is the table of contents. Each section below is a topic. Most are real articles you can read now; some are stubs I'll fill in as customers ask about them.

VaultGuard documentation grows with the product. If you find a gap, it's probably not because the question wasn't worth answering. It's because nobody's asked it yet. Email me and we'll fix it together.

Getting Started

The basics. Most VaultGuard users only need the articles in this section.

[Installation guide] Download VaultGuard, check the download, and run the .exe for the first time. There's no installer; the program sets itself up in C:\VaultGuard\Backup the first time it runs. Covers the SmartScreen warning you might see during the first weeks of a release.

[First-launch checklist] The Getting Started tab walks you through five steps the first time you launch VaultGuard: pick the backup drive, pick the days and time, make a recovery drive, save the schedule, and run the first full backup chain. This article expands on each step.

[Setting up your first backup] Pick a backup drive, set the schedule, run your first backup, and confirm it succeeded on the dashboard.

[Your first restore test] VaultGuard runs a restore test for you every week: it pulls about fifty real files back out of the backup and compares them to the originals. This article shows you how to run one yourself right away, where the restored files land (C:\RestoredFiles), and how to open one to see it for yourself.

[Reading the Safety Score] What the number on the dashboard is made of, why a backup that has never been restore-tested can't score well, why the score drops as proof gets older, and what the next-step line is telling you to do. NEW

Configuration

[Backup targets: drives, network shares, and sync folders] What works as a backup target, what doesn't, what to watch out for.

[The Protection Schedule] VaultGuard runs two chains of tasks: the backup chain (backup, fingerprint, check for changes, restore test) and the copy chain (copy, check the copy, copy restore test). This article covers picking days and a time for each, how the chains are registered in Windows Task Scheduler, how to confirm they're running, and what happens on a laptop that's asleep or on battery at backup time.

[Second copy setup] How to keep a second copy of your backup on another drive, or in a folder your own cloud service already syncs so it ends up off-site on its own.

[Email alerts] VaultGuard emails you when a scheduled task fails, and the email names the task and the cause. It does not email when things go right, so the ones you get mean something. Alerts go through a managed relay, so you don't need to provide your own mail settings.

[Optional passphrase] The passphrase on the Security tab is optional for everyday use. This article covers when it's worth setting, how to choose one that meets NIST SP 800-63B guidance, and the one place a passphrase is required: the technician passphrase that protects the fleet buttons on the Technician edition.

[Optional two-factor authentication] How to add a second factor to administrative actions. Includes the QR code step and a list of compatible authenticator apps.

[Machine and client identity fields] Setting a machine name and a client name so backups are clearly identified across multiple sites, and so each computer shows up by name on the Technician tab.

Restoring Data

[Restoring a file that is still on this computer] Option A on the Restore tab: get an earlier version of a file back without touching anything else.

[Restoring a file that is gone, or that you can't find] Option B on the Restore tab: browse the backup like a folder and pull back what you need.

[Full system restore] Booting into Windows Recovery and restoring a complete system image after a dead drive, a hardware replacement, or ransomware.

[Creating a recovery drive] How the Create Recovery Drive button on the Restore tab turns a USB stick into a drive that can start the computer when Windows can't. Why a stick under 6 GB is recovery only and one 6 GB or larger also gets a section for your files. NEW

[Restoring from the second copy] When the backup drive is gone and the copy is what you have. The app moves the copy's image where Windows Recovery can find it, and offers to put it back afterward.

[Reading a Check for Changes result] Every backup gets a fingerprint when it's made, and every check compares the backup to that fingerprint. What a pass means, what a failure means, and why a failed check stops a restore before anything goes back on your machine.

[Reading a restore test report] Where the HTML report lives, and what Matched, Did not match, and Not found mean for each file. NEW

[The "Check For My Backups" button] Step 1 on the Restore tab. It looks at your main backup drive, your backup copy, and your network share if you use one, tells you which ones aren't connected, confirms a backup is actually present in each, and warns you if any backup contains files with known ransomware extensions. How to read the three results and what to do if one shows a warning.

[Learn to Restore] The "how" of the restore process when it's needed.

Security and Compliance

[Checking the VaultGuard download] How to confirm the file's fingerprint (its SHA-256 value) matches the one on the download page, and how to check the code signature, before you run it.

[Where VaultGuard stores its data] The contents of C:\ProgramData\VaultGuard\Backup and the access permissions that protect it, and what the tamper check on launch does if the settings have been changed behind your back.

[The license server, hardware fingerprinting, and grace periods] How license validation works, what data is transmitted, what happens if VaultGuard can't reach the license server (seven-day offline grace), and what happens if your subscription lapses (nothing is deleted, backups stay restorable, a few days to renew).

[Email alerts and the relay] What information passes through the email relay on its way to your inbox, and the privacy implications.

[HIPAA considerations for VaultGuard users] A practical guide for medical and dental offices using VaultGuard. Includes Business Associate Agreement guidance.

Technician Edition

[The Technician tab] One screen for every computer you look after, worst first, with each machine's Safety Score. Covers adding machines, the technician passphrase, and the fleet buttons. NEW

[Looking after several computers] A short workflow for a technician or small office: what to check weekly, what the failure emails cover, and what to do when one machine falls behind. NEW

Troubleshooting

[Common wbadmin error codes] What each wbadmin exit code means, in plain English, and what to do about it.

[Backup failed: diagnostic checklist] A step-by-step walkthrough for diagnosing a failed backup, before you email support.

[Check for Changes failed: what now?] What it means when the backup no longer matches its fingerprint, what likely caused it, and how to recover safely.

[Restore test reported Did not match or Not found] What each result means, which ones are harmless, and which ones mean the backup can't be trusted. NEW

[Drive health warnings] Interpreting SMART warnings, chkdsk results, and drive age tracking notifications.

[Second copy didn't run] Diagnosing why the second copy isn't getting the latest backup.

[License validation failed] What to do when VaultGuard can't activate or re-validate your license.

[Reading VaultGuard's logs] How to read the diagnostic logs in C:\ProgramData\VaultGuard\Backup and what to include when you email support.

Reference

[The nine scheduled tasks] Each task by its dashboard card name, what it does, what it depends on, and what its card shows when it hasn't run.

[Configuration file reference] Full layout of VaultGuard's configuration file, with each field explained.

[Command-line options] For administrators automating VaultGuard across multiple machines.

[Glossary] Terms used throughout VaultGuard and the documentation: fingerprint, Check for Changes, restore test, Safety Score, chain, second copy, recovery drive, activation, grace period, and others.

[System requirements] Supported Windows versions, hardware requirements, and prerequisites. Windows 11 recommended; Windows 10 still works but no longer receives security updates from Microsoft.

What's Missing?

If you're looking for something that isn't documented here, email customerservice@informationsecuritykentucky.com and tell me what you needed. Documentation gaps are bugs. I treat them that way.