How To: Set Up and Use AVG LiveKive for Cloud Backup
Written by Alan Thursday, 19 January 2012 07:00
There are a lot of services out there that want to collect your money for keeping your files safe via backup to the cloud. Many of them are less than sure things and there’s no guarantee they will still be in business when you need to collect on your stored files, and that could be potentially disastrous. The best recommendation is to stick with the big names that are likely here to stay and don’t look for the too-good-to-be-true deals that are out there. With that in mind, there a few names to look at for cloud backup, like Amazon S3, Carbonite, and AVG LiveKive.
AVG is famous for their anti-virus product, which resides on many user’s computers. They have have both free and paid versions of it and both are solid choices for any home user. They also recently released a cloud backup service called LiveKive, which comes in three tiers, depending on what your needs are. You can get 5 GB for free, 25 GB for $49.99 per year, 50 GB for $59.99, or unlimited for $79.99. You can get a 30 day free trial to see if you like the service.
With the Unlimited version, which we’ll be using in this example, you can install the service on multiple PC’s. Once you have purchased AVG LiveKive you will receive an email with a voucher that you will need to activate and also a link to install LiveKive on each computer. After you have downloaded and installed the app you can begin the setup process. First you will need enter your newly created account information – an email address and password.
Now enter a name for the device you are currently setting up. In this case I am using my production notebook which, on our home network, is identified as “Laptop-1″. Perhaps not all of you are as original with your device names as I am, don’t be jealous….
At this point it can take up to a minute to generate the cryptographic keys for your device. This will ensure that your files, while being transferred and also while on the AVG servers, will remain private. Once it’s done you can click the “Finish” button.
You will be greeted with the AVG LiveKive interface. From here you can control your entire backup and restore process. Initially you will land on the “Backup” tab which gives you basic options for Desktop, Documents, Movies, Music, and Pictures. You can click any or all of the check boxes to backup these files.
If none of these quite fit your backup needs then click the “Advanced” tab at the top right of the screen. This is where you can get serious about this whole process. You will be presented with a Windows Explorer-like interface that lets you drill down through folders and sub-folders to find exactly what files you want backed up.
Now you can check the status of your backup by clicking on the “Status” tab. I am currently on a wireless connection so this could take a while. Depending on how many files you have, and their sizes, your backup process could take minutes or hours. There are other tabs within the “Status” to tell you where you are at. For instance, click “Queue” to see what files are left to upload.
There is a “View / Restore” tab that will show you all of the files and folders that are stored on AVG LiveKive. It works just like Windows Explorer, with a collapsible folder tree. There is also a group of icons that allow you to download files, remove or rename files and folders, view changes, and more. You can also use the built-in Download Manager.
The “Share” tab lets users share files like documents and pictures that are stored in your cloud backup with friends, family, and colleagues. Sharing is secure so that users you invite can’t alter or delete the files they are invited to share and they can’t access your other files.
Finally there is a “Sync” tab which will allow you to use AVG LiveKive to keep files in sync across multiple computers. To get started click the “New” button and name your sync, then begin choosing files and devices.
Once you are set up you can close the AVG LiveKive app, even if your cloud backup is still running. The app will remain active in your system tray. You can right-click it to access all of it’s functionality.
AVG LiveKive is a fully-functional and affordable cloud backup solution for home users. With the $79.99 annual fee for unlimited cloud storage it means you can easily backup all of the files on all of the devices in your home, keeping them safe in case of a hard drive failure or a bigger disaster. In the brief time I have been using it in our home I’ve found it to be simple to use and a great deal for the price and storage capacity. With AVG being an established company you can feel secure knowing that your precious photos and other files will be there if the worst happens.
You can try out AVG LiveKive for your home cloud backup solution free for 30 days by visiting the AVG LiveKive web site.
Related posts:
- Deep Discounts on AVG LiveKive Cloud Storage
- AVG Releases Beta Cloud Storage Service
- Backup, Restore, And Transfer Your iTunes Library
- Automatic Backup Coming to Windows Phone
- Cloud Storage Service Backify No Longer Free, Still a Great Deal
