FileBack PC 4.1
Fast & Flexible Backup Software for Microsoft Windows

FileBack PC Knowledge Base

When FileBack PC is running my computer locks up or crashes

Software can interact with your computer in many different ways on different levels.  Device drivers, such as the drivers that make your hard disk drive work, have a different level of access to your computer than applications, such as Microsoft Word, do.  FileBack PC operates as an application, not as a driver.  (There are other levels as well but for purposes of this discussion FileBack PC is a standard application.)

This is important because Windows restricts what different levels of applications may do with your computer hardware.  Applications, such as FileBack PC, are required to go through certain procedures to access your computer hardware, such as your hard disk drives, and are not allowed to talk to your hardware directly.  As an application, FileBack PC is only allowed to access hardware through these procedures, called APIs.  For this reason, FileBack PC in and of itself is simply not capable of causing a hardware crash or lockup; it does not have the ability to talk to your computer hardware, and if it were to try Windows would close it and alert you.  All communication is done through Windows APIs.  (Some of these APIs include: get folder file listing, copy file, rename file, delete file, etc.  The actual work being done by these APIs is performed using a combination of Windows, your device drivers, and your computer hardware.)

That said, if your computer does not behave normally, crashes, or locks up while FileBack PC is running, it is a good indication that there is something wrong with your Windows installation, a device driver, or the hardware itself.  FileBack PC is not the cause, but it is revealing a problem that you may not see otherwise, simply because it performs very intense disk activity.  For example, if your computer crashes during a backup to a CD device, most likely the cause of the problem is actually the software that talks to your CD drive.  We recommend updating device drivers, reinstalling Windows, and/or replacing computer components if you are having any crashing or lockup problems with your computer.

If the FileBack PC program itself is crashing, we suggest opening a technical support request so we can narrow down the problem and fix it if one exists.

Keywords: lockup, crash; Applies to: FileBack PC (All versions)Was this article helpful? Yes No
