Cucku Backup

Did You Know?

Digital media—photos, home movies, downloaded music, and such—are taking up more and more space on your computer and are vulnerable to loss if you don’t backup. Duplicating these files on CDs and DVDs is a growing burden for many of us because it takes time, money, and savvy to do it right. Cucku eliminates the problem automatically, simply and for free (one backup partner)!

Tell A Friend

The best part about Cucku Backup is that it’s all about helping friends and family. Start Now »

General

What is Cucku Backup?

Cucku Backup is an easy, free way for you to protect all of your data.

We call Cucku Backup Social Backup because friends and family can now help each other secure and protect irreplaceable photos, videos, music and other files.

Cucku backs up your files first to your PC’s hard drive, and then sends an encrypted copy to your trusted backup partner. The copy of your data is stored in the unused space on the hard drive of your friend’s PC.

You can restore files quickly and easily from your local backup. Plus you have peace of mind. You know that if the unthinkable happens and your computer is damaged, lost or stolen, all of your irreplaceable files can be simply retrieved from a friend’s computer.

Cucku Backup is easy to setup, easy to use, reliable, secure and free for one backup partner.

Who should use Cucku Backup?

Cucku backup is very versatile. The creators of Cucku Backup originally conceived the idea to help backup their own parents’ computers. The following configurations are also possible.

Hosting - Act as a backup host for a parent or friend whose data may be vulnerable.
Mobile – Many people carry laptops around for work. You can use Cucku Backup to connect to a home or work PC so that data you create on the move is also protected.
Small Business – Small business users often have a computer at work and at home. Cucku allows you to backup between those machines so that your business data, accounts and contact information is always safe.
Home Networking – Use Cucku to backup between two PCs on the same home network. This can save you having to buy extra hard drives.

Why should I choose Cucku Backup?

We all know we should back up our data but few of us actually do it. When we do backup, it is usually to an external hard drive, CD or DVD. It is easy to lose a CD or DVD, and an external hard drive is just as likely to be stolen or damaged along with your PC.

The only real way to protect your data is to store it offsite.

Cucku Backup has been designed with ease of use in mind. It is easy to setup and completely automated. Cucku knows how to detect the files and folders that should be included in a backup and selects the best location to store backups.

Every day, Cucku backs up your data to a local folder on your PC and then sends any new or changed files to your backup partner for offsite storage. Cucku keeps a copy of any previously backed up files that have since been deleted so that you can recover accidentally deleted files.

Cucku keeps all versions of files that it has backed up. You can restore a specific version of an individual file or all versions of files prior to a particular date and time. So, if you accidentally change a file, back it up and subsequently regret this change, you can still restore the previous version of the file.

For those of you who want more control, Cucku allows you to fine-tune every aspect of your backup. You can choose to define the backup down to individual files and folders, set the backup schedule, choose where to store your backups and customize Cucku to fulfill all your backup needs.

Backup is only part of the story. When it comes to restore, many online services will only allow you to restore over the Internet. Cucku’s local backup means that you can restore files without delay from a local copy. Even better, if the worst happens and your PC is damaged, lost or stolen, you can restore your files from your partner. If you have a lot of data to restore invite your partner over for dinner, with their computer of course, and quickly restore over your home network. You can’t do that with a datacenter!

Will Cucku Backup always be free?

We now have Cucku Backup Pro, a version of Cucku with extra features (including having multiple backup partners) for a small fee. However, we are committed to keeping Cucku Backup free to all. You will only pay if you upgrade to Cucku Backup Pro.

What platforms does Cucku Backup support?

Cucku Backup supports Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or later, 32 or 64-bit), Windows Vista (32 or 64-bit) and Windows 7 RC (32 or 64-bit).

Cucku Backup needs a broadband Internet connection and Skype to backup files to a friend. If you don’t already have Skype installed then you can Download Skype. Skype is also free, easy to use and allows you to make cost efficient telephone calls from your PC

You will need enough free disk space on a local or network drive to store your local backup. A local backup is made before files are sent to your backup partner.

Why does Cucku Backup require Skype?

Skype uses a mature and reliable network to allow its users to make telephone calls and transfer files. Cucku Backup uses the Skype network to ensure that your backups and restores run reliably. We may add support for additional networks in the future.

Is Cucku Backup secure?

Absolutely! Your files are encrypted using 256-bit AES (the highly secure Advanced Encryption Standard) and then further encrypted when transmitted to your partner. Even the filenames are protected. Only you can access your backup data. The 256 bit AES key is uniquely created when you create your account and only accessible using your username and password. If you lose your PC, you need only remember your username and password to restore your backed up data.

For more information see How secure is my backup data in the Cucku Blog

Can my backup partner access my files?

No, you only need to trust your partner to let you use space on their computer. Your backup is stored on your partner’s computer using 256-bit AES (the highly secure Advanced Encryption Standard. Even the filenames are obscured.

Can Cucku access my files?

No, Cucku only stores your encryption key for safekeeping. Your files are sent directly to your backup partner and are never stored on Cucku servers.

What happens if my backup partner’s computer has a virus or spyware infection?

Because the backup from your partner is encrypted there is no way to transmit a virus or spyware infection to your computer using Cucku Backup. The same applies the other way around – even if your files are infected they will not affect your partner’s PC.

Why do I need a Cucku Account to use Cucku Backup?

Your Cucku Account stores the key used to encrypt and decrypt your backup. We keep the key safe and sound so that if the worst happens you can always restore files from your partner simply by logging on from a different PC using your account username and password. See Cucku Account in the User Guide for more information.

Can I be my own backup partner?

Yes, you can backup between two computers that you own. Each computer will need a different Skype handle because Cucku uses the handle to determine where to send the backup. You can create a new Skype account to use for this purpose for free. You can use the same Cucku Account on each computer or create additional accounts if you prefer.

How can I suggest a new feature?

Visit the feedback forum. You have ten votes which you can use to either add new suggestions or vote on existing ones.

Backup

How much data can I backup?

Cucku sets no limit on the amount of data that you can backup. When you invite someone to be your backup partner you can set a limit on the amount of space that your partner can use on your computer. Likewise your partner will set limits on your machine. If you need more space you can ask your partner to increase the quota or find a different partner.

Are there any limits to the kind of files that I can backup?

Cucku currently does not support backups of files larger than 4 GB. There are no other restrictions on the files that you can include in your backup.

Please note that because sending backups to your partner can take some time we recommend that you focus on your irreplaceable personal data when choosing which files to include in your offsite backup.

Application and operating system files are excluded from the backup by default.

What is a local backup?

A local backup stores all the files that you have selected to backup in a folder on your computer. We recommend that the local backup for a drive is stored on a different physical hard drive (i.e. backup files from your main hard drive should be stored on an external hard drive or network location). Your local backup allows you to restore files quickly and simply without waiting to download files from your backup partner.

What is a remote backup?

A remote backup stores all the files in your local backup on your partner’s computer. Whenever a new file or a changed file is added to your local backup it is marked to be sent to your backup partner.

Cucku continually sends files to your partner while you are both online until your partner has a complete copy of your backup. If the worst happens you can connect to your partner and restore files from the remote backup.

Can I backup files from network and removable drives?

Yes, Cucku Backup supports network drives and all removable drives that Windows treats as Hard Disk Drives or Fixed. Open My Computer to see your drives – Cucku will backup files from drives marked as Local Disk or Network Drive. You can even use a USB memory drive for your local backup.

How long will it take to complete my remote backup?

This depends on the number of files you have included and the speed of your Internet connection. Cucku can only send files to your backup partner while you are both online, connected to Skype and running Cucku Backup. Your first remote backup may take some time to complete. We recommend that you leave your computer switched on and connected to the Internet for your first remote backup and that you ask your partner to do the same.

You can also arrange to get together with your backup partner and connect your computers to the same local or wireless network for the first backup. This will allow the remote backup to complete quickly. Subsequent remote backups will only contain new and changed files and so will typically take much less time than the initial backup.

During backup, Cucku compresses files to save space and ensure that they can be sent to your partner as quickly as possible. When a file changes, Cucku only stores the differences between the two versions which also speeds up remote backups.

Can I switch off my computer during remote backup?

Yes, and Cucku will resume from where it left off the next time you power up. If you’re backing up a large file and get halfway through before your connection is interrupted then Cucku will detect how much of the file has already been sent to avoid sending the same data again.

Can I backup locked files?

Yes, Cucku can backup files that are locked or in use by another application. This feature is currently supported on 32-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista and XP with at least one NTFS drive (see How to Convert FAT Disks to NTFS). If you are having problems backing up locked files see Cucku not backing up locked files in the User Guide.

How does Cucku Backup handle files that are accidentally deleted?

As long as a file or folder was included in your backup before it was deleted then it is possible to recover any version of that file from your local backup or from your remote backup partner.

How does Cucku Backup handle changes to a file?

Every time a local backup runs Cucku checks to see if there are any new or changed files. New files are added to the backup and then queued to send to your backup partner. If a file has changed, Cucku stores the difference between the current version and the previous version. For example if you’re working on a novel and write a new chapter Cucku just stores the new chapter rather than a complete second copy of the file.

This feature means that you can recover previous versions of files if you realize that you’ve made a mistake or realize a file has become infected with a virus. It also means that changes are sent to your backup partner as quickly as possible and disk space usage is kept to a minimum.

Will Cucku Backup slow down my computer?

No. Cucku works while your computer is idle or has spare capacity, which means your other work (or play!) is unaffected.

Can I use Cucku Backup to share files?

No, Cucku is designed for backing up files rather than sharing them. If you need to share a file with your backup partner we recommend sending it to them using Skype File Transfer.

Partner Quota reported as exceeded even though plenty of space

There are two settings that affect whether the partner quota is exceeded or not: the quota for the specific partner and the setting accessed as Settings/Advanced/“Minimum free drive space”. By default this latter setting is 5% and says that (no matter what the partner quota’s are) that Cucku should never leave less than 5% of any hard drive free for other programs to use.

So, if you have a 200 GB hard drive, 5% is 10 GB which means that Cucku will never use any of that last 10 GB of space.

If you are happy for Cucku to use more space on a drive then you can lower the Settings/Advanced/“Minimum free drive space” to a smaller percentage.

Can I backup to multiple partners?

Yes. Cucku v2 introduced multiple partner support, you just need to purchase a Cucku Pro License to access this feature. A Pro License gives you other features too, see our product comparison.

How does Cucku Backup store my backup?

Each drive that you backup uses a different backup location. A backup location is a folder on your computer that contains Cucku Backup data. By default backup locations are created at the root of a drive. If possible Cucku will create the location on a different drive than the one being backed up.

For example a backup location for your C: drive may be created at D:\Cucku Backup\ABCD1234 (ABCD1234 is the volume serial number of the drive being backed up). Within this folder are several files that contain an index of all the files included in the backup. There is also a Files subfolder that contains the actual backup files. Cucku creates a backup file for each file that is backed up and also for each version of the original file. These backup files (with the .CKU extension) are encrypted and often also compressed.

This means that damage to a single file will only affect your ability to restore one file. By default Cucku verifies your local backup every week and your remote backups every month. If any problems are found Cucku will attempt to fix them automatically. If a problem cannot be fixed then Cucku will notify you.

Backups that you are hosting for a partner are stored in the same format as local backups.

You should not attempt to move or delete the folder that contains a backup location. Run Cucku Backup, click Settings and then Backup Locations to safely move or delete these folders. The Backup Locations window also shows you which drive or backup partner is associated with each backup location.

Restore

How does Cucku Backup restore files?

Cucku can restore files from a local backup or from your backup partner.

Where possible we recommend using your local backup as this is the fastest option. If your local backup isn’t available then Cucku will connect to your backup partner and download an index of files that are available for restore. You can then select which files to recover, from a single file or folder to the entire backup, and then begin downloading and restoring files.

Cucku allows you to restore files to their original locations or to an alternative restore folder of your choice. It is also possible to restore files as they existed at a particular date and time.

If you backed up on one operating system and are now restoring on another then Cucku can also redirect your files to the correct folders on the new system.

See Restore Overview in the User Guide for step-by-step instructions.

How long will it take to complete my remote restore?

This depends on the number of files you have requested and the speed of your Internet connection. Cucku can only receive files from your backup partner while you are both online, connected to Skype and running Cucku Backup. We recommend that you leave your computer switched on and connected to the Internet during remote restore and that you ask your partner to do the same.

If you are restoring a lot of data then you could arrange to get together with your backup partner and connect your computers to the same local or wireless network. This will allow the restore to run much more quickly.

Can I restore deleted files?

Yes, if a file or folder was backed up using Cucku before it was deleted then you can restore it from either a local or remote backup.

Can I restore older versions of files?

Yes, Cucku saves changed versions of files every time it runs a backup. Once a file is included in the backup you can go back and recover any version that Cucku has saved from a local or remote backup.

Can I switch my computer off during remote restore?

Yes, and Cucku will resume from where it left off the next time your PC is powered on. We recommend leaving your computer switched on and connected to the Internet while you are running a remote restore so files can be recovered as quickly as possible.

Troubleshooting

How can I get help?

Cucku Backup includes context sensitive help throughout the application. If you’re having trouble or don’t understand a screen in the application click the Online Help link. For general help you can also refer to the online User Guide and this FAQ.

Cucku also offers free email support. Submit a support ticket with a description of your problem and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Cucku Backup fails to connect to the Internet.

This problem can occur if you have a firewall or Internet security software installed. In most cases your firewall will prompt you to allow Cucku Backup to access the Internet. If this doesn’t happen see Cucku Internet Access in the User Guide for instructions on configuring your firewall.

Cucku Backup fails to connect to Skype.

Make sure that Skype is running. If Skype is running it may have become unresponsive – exit Skype and then run it again from the desktop shortcut or start menu.

It is possible that Skype has accidentally been configured to block Cucku Backup. See Skype Connection Blocked in the User Guide for instructions on how to check and unblock Cucku Backup.

Enable Skype to log in automatically at system start-up. This is required so that you and your partner can exchange file data.

Check that you have the latest versions of Skype and Cucku Backup. In Skype choose Check for Updates from the Help menu on the main window. In Cucku open Settings, click About Cucku and then click Check Now. If you already have the latest versions then try rebooting your computer.

If Cucku still won’t connect to Skype then try removing Cucku from the list of trusted applications. Follow the instructions in Skype Connection Blocked. After removing Cucku from the list it will automatically try to connect again.

If you are running Windows Vista or Windows 7 then Skype and Cucku Backup must both run with the same privilege level - i.e. if you run Skype as an administrator then you must also run Cucku Backup as an administrator.

Some routers appear to cause Skype a problem seeing contacts. This is more likely if you have two Skype users on the same local network (e.g. two home PCs backing up to each other). Try chatting or calling between the PCs using Skype.

Cucku Backup fails to start a remote backup or restore.

Cucku will keep trying to connect to your backup partner when a remote backup or restore is needed. If your connection is interrupted for any reason Cucku will continue the backup or restore as soon as the connection is available again. This is true even in the middle of a file transfer – if you’re halfway through a file Cucku will pick up where it left off.

You and your partner must both be running Cucku Backup and Skype in order for a remote backup or restore to run. Check that your partner is signed into Skype and that they are running Cucku Backup. Test that the Skype connection is working by calling or chatting with your partner. If the Skype connection is okay then test that Cucku Backup can communicate with your partner as follows:

Open Cucku Backup
Click Settings
Click Advanced
Choose your partner from the list and click Test Connection

If the test works then Cucku can communicate with your partner. It is possible that your remote backup is not starting because your partner is in the middle of a local backup or because of an optional setting (see below).

Remote backup will not run when your partner is backing up files locally to prevent Cucku Backup from slowing down your partner’s computer. The remote backup will start once the local backup has completed.

If either you or your partner has configured Cucku Backup to prevent file transfers while the computer is in use then remote backup will only run when both computers are idle. Check Partner Settings on both sides to ensure that this option is not selected.

Check that you and your partner have also enabled backups in both directions. See Partner Settings in Cucku Backup for more information.

If all else fails, try restarting. Cucku Backup should start automatically and connect through Skype to your partner.

My local backup is taking too long.

Local backup speed may be affected by the speed of the processor or the amount of memory (RAM) you have installed. You can normally improve the responsiveness of all of your applications by increasing the amount of memory.

Cucku backup saves a local copy of your data to a local folder on your PC. Cucku backup automatically tries to choose a different physical hard drive to store a backup e.g. your C: drive may be backed up to an external E: drive. If you do not have an alternative physical hard drive then Cucku will store the copy in a folder on the same drive. This configuration is less reliable if you have a disk failure and is slightly slower during local backup. For extra peace of mind, you could consider purchasing an alternative hard drive to store your local backups.

My remote backup or restore is taking too long.

Your first remote backup could take a long time to complete, especially if you are backing up a large amount of data. Subsequent backups will be much faster as only new and changed files need to be sent. Restoring a large amount of data can also take some time.

During your first remote backup or during restore we recommend leaving your computer switched on and connected to the Internet so that Cucku Backup can work as quickly as possible. It is also a good idea to ask your backup partner to do the same.

Cucku can prevent your computer from sleeping while a remote backup or restore is running. See Partner Settings for more information. Make sure this option is enabled, and ask your partner to do the same.

If you’re trying to complete a large backup or restore you could also consider getting together with your backup partner. Connect your computers to the same local or wireless network and then continue the backup or restore.

If Cucku detects that your connection is exceptionally slow then a warning message will be displayed. See the Slow Backup or Restore topic in the User Guide for further assistance with this problem.

I cannot Sign In to the Cucku website.

This can occur if you have Cookies disabled. Cookies are used by enhance your Internet experience and our use of them is governed by the Privacy Policy. Read these instructions to enable cookies in your web browser.

If you have instead just forgotten your password, then we can fix a forgotten password.