I'll suggest this to our developers, but I don't see how useful would it be to have the exact backup job in two different groups and have them both sharing the same centralized settings. If that source is important and want to be sure it gets backed up, you can set up a scheduler for it.

-Softland (August 25, 2008, 05:23 AM)

It is for the sake of easy maintenance and flexibility when setting up manual/timed schedules of backup. I have never thought about using it "just to ensure a source gets backup". Neither have I expected you to think along this direction and I feel disappointed for you can't see the usefulness of sharing job definition...

I hope the below will reach the developer of Backup4All:
Do you find "clone job" a useful function?
I suppose you do, because it is in Backup4All.
By providing the "clone job" function, I know you are expecting users will use it to create exact copies or variant copies of a job.
But what if the "common part" of multiple replica/variant needs a change? Don't you find changing every copy of them a pain?

The registry backup feature has lower priority compared with other features we want to implement, because other than using it for backing up applications (which can be done with plugins too) it doesn't have much applicability.

-Softland (August 25, 2008, 05:23 AM)

1) Clone job function is to clone a job (1 purpose)
2) The zip engine is to compress the backup source (1 purpose)
3) The scheduler is to create backup schedule (1 purpose)
etc

I can find a lot of features in Backup4all all serves a specific purpose just like the "Backup registry key" feature. In term of applicability, why do you/ what makes you find the others serve more than "Backup registry key" function? After all, they all serve only a specific function, right?

One can use "Backup registry key" function to backup application settings for:
a) Rebuild Windows from scratch, and therefore reinstall application and use the backup to quickly restore its previous settings.

b) Test an upgrade version of a utility. Regret? Uninstall and reinstall the previous ver. If settings are gone, then take them back from the backup.

c) Transfer application settings from 1 PC to the other PC. Of course this sometime won't work, but most of the time a backup from PC A follow by a Restore on PC B works.

As you can see, though it only does 1 thing, but it might come to help in many different scenarios. I see great applicability in it.

Btw,
Nice to meet you here Softland.

By archiving, I meant that it is stuff that you want to keep safe permanently, with limited changes but more frequent additions.

-Dormouse (August 24, 2008, 11:26 AM)

Ok, I see.

Not really worried at all about reinstating my system. I redo that from scratch every few years anyway.

-Dormouse (August 24, 2008, 11:26 AM)

I can't afford to lost utility data for quite a number of programs: like ACDsee database, MacroExpress macros, True LaunchBar's bar sets etc.

For general application settings, I have to admit, they won't be a concern for most people. It is sort of my hobby - I mean I enjoy very much by setting utilities in Windows... kind of playing empire building game... :)