Where can I find my backup files?

To locate files that have been backed up to your Seagate / Maxtor external drive will depend on the software that was used. Below is a list of backup applications that have come with Seagate / Maxtor-brand products, and instructions on where to find the backed up data on the external drive.

Toolkit:

1. Open (My) Computer/This PC
2. Open the Backup Plus drive
3. Open the Toolkit folder
4. Open the Backup folder
5. Open the folder that is named after the computer that was backed up.
6. Open the C folder
7. Open the Users folder
8. Open the User folder

The data should be located within the User folder.

Seagate Dashboard:
Note: See Memeo for Seagate Dashboard Powered by Memeo.

1. Open (My) Computer/This PC.
2. Open the Backup Plus drive.
3. Open the Seagate Dashboard 2.0 folder.
4. Open the folder that is named after the computer that was backed up.
5. Open the folder that is named after the Windows user whose account was logged in when the backup occurred.
6. Open the folder entitled Backup.
7. Open the folder that will have a name based on the backup set. It will be something similar to bf261e89-501f-4932-ad7e-20051b11b788.
8. Open the folder that carries the date of the backup, the time of the backup, and the Windows user.

Memeo Backup Premium for GoFlex Pro and Turbo:
Please see the following articles for instructions.
Document ID: 214205 - Memeo Backup Premium / Instant - Restoring Your Backup Plan
Document ID: 214103 - How to restore a file using FreeAgent GoFlex Premium Backup

Memeo Instant Backup for GoFlex drives (Windows):
Please see the following articles for instructions.
Document ID: 219951 - Memeo Instant Backup - Restoring Encrypted Backup
Document ID: 214099 - How to restore a file using FreeAgent GoFlex Instant Backup

Seagate Manager:

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Open the FreeAgent external drive.
3. Open the folder Seagate Backup.
4. Open the next listed folder: PCname (this is the name of the computer from which the backup was run).
5. There will be two folders listed: C and History.
   Open the C folder.
6. Depending on the operating system, the directory structure is different, but this is the beginning location to find any data the software has backed up.
   Windows XP directory structure to My Documents:
   -C > Documents and Settings > Username > My Documents
   Windows 7/Vista directory structure to Documents:
   -C > Users > Username > Documents
7. The files displayed can be used just like any file found on the computer, by double-clicking on it.
   They can also be restored from this location by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste methods.
   In the case the backup had encryption options set during creation of the plan, the files will be located in a “hidden” folder on the Freeagent drive, listed as Encrypted Folder. Any attempt to modify the file will produce an error indicating that Windows does not understand the file.
   To properly restore encrypted files, use the decrypt option found in Seagate Manager, under Security.

Maxtor Manager:

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Open the OneTouch external drive.
3. Open the folder Maxtor Backup.
4. Open the next listed folder PCname (this is the name of the computer from which the backup was run).
5. There will be two folders listed: C and History.
   Open the C folder.
6. Depending on the operating system, the directory structure is different, but this is the beginning location to find any data the software has backed up.
   Windows XP directory structure to My Documents:
   -C > Documents and Settings > Username > My Documents
   Windows 7/Vista directory structure to Documents:
   -C > Users > Username > Documents
7. The files displayed can be used just like any file found on the computer, by double-clicking on it. They can also be restored from this location by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste methods.

Drive Manager:

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Open the FreeAgent external drive.
3. Open the folder Backup.
4. Open the next listed folder PCname (this is the name of the computer from which the backup was run).
5. There will be two folders listed: C and History
   Open the C folder.
6. Depending on the operating system, the directory structure is different, but this is the beginning location to find any data the software has backed up.
   Windows XP directory structure to My Documents:
   -C > Documents and Settings > Username > My Documents
   Windows 7/Vista directory structure to Documents:
   -C > Users > Username > Documents
7. The files displayed can be used just like any file found on the computer, by double-clicking on it. They can also be restored from this location by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste methods.

Memeo Autobackup:

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Open the FreeAgent Pro external drive.
3. Open the folder Memeo.
4. Open the next listed folder Backup Plan Name (this is the name of the backup which was created when building the backup plan).
5. Open the C folder.
6. Depending on the operating system, the directory structure is different, but this is the beginning location to find any data the software has backed up.
   Windows XP directory structure to My Documents:
   -C > Documents and Settings > Username > My Documents
   Windows 7/Vista directory structure to Documents:
   -C > Users > Username > Documents
7. The files displayed can be used just like any file found on the computer, by double-clicking on it. They can also be restored from this location by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste methods.
   In the case the backup had encryption options set during creation of the plan, any attempt to modify the file will produce an error indicating that Windows does not understand the file. To properly restore encrypted files, use the Restore Files option found in Memeo Autobackup.

Seagate BlackArmor:

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Open the Seagate BlackArmor external drive.
3. Right-click on the Image (filename of backup plan) and use the option Explore.
4. Open the next item listed with dates and time of backup.
5. Open the C drive icon.
6. Depending on the operating system, the directory structure is different, but this is the beginning location to find any data the software has backed up.
   Windows XP directory structure to My Documents:
   -C > Documents and Settings > Username > My Documents
   Windows 7/Vista directory structure to Documents:
   -C > Users > Username > Documents
7. The files displayed can be used just like any file found on the computer, by double-clicking on it. They can also be restored from this location by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste methods.
   With Seagate BlackArmor these image files can also be “mounted” using the software so it “pre-loads” the entire backup as a virtual drive that can be browsed like other drives listed in (My) Computer.

Seagate Replica:

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Double-click on the My Replica icon there.
3. Open the Backup Image PCName (name of the computer being backed up).
4. Open the C drive icon.
5. Depending on the operating system, the directory structure is different, but this is the beginning location to find any data the software has backed up.
   Windows XP directory structure to My Documents:
   -C > Documents and Settings > Username > My Documents
   Windows 7/Vista directory structure to Documents:
   -C > Users > Username > Documents
6. The files displayed can be opened or copied by right-clicking on it. They can also be restored from this location by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste methods.

OneTouch Manager:

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Open the OneTouch external drive.
3. Open the folder Maxtor Backup.
4. Open the next listed folder PCname (this is the name of the computer from which the backup was run).
5. There will be two folders listed: C and History.
6. Open the C folder.
7. Depending on the operating system, the directory structure is different, but this is the beginning location to find any data the software has backed up.
   Windows XP directory structure to My Documents:
   -C > Documents and Settings > Username > My Documents
   Windows 7/Vista directory structure to Documents:
   -C > Users > Username > Documents
8. The files displayed can be used just like any file found on the computer, by double-clicking on it. They can also be restored from this location by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste methods.

Retrospect: Comprehensive Backup

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Open the Maxtor OneTouch external drive.
3. Open the folder Retrospect Restore Points.
4. Open the folder Retrospect.
5. Open the RestorePoint folder.
6. Open 1-RestorePoint.
7. The files listed are the compressed data backup files. Similar to AA000000.rdb
   These files can not be extracted or opened without use of Retrospect. To restore these files requires use of the Retrospect Express HD application and its Restore feature. 

Retrospect: Duplicate Backup

1. Open (My) Computer.
2. Open the Maxtor OneTouch external drive.
3. Open the folder Retrospect Duplicates.
4. Open the folder Backup of Local Disk (C).
5. Depending on the operating system, the directory structure is different, but this is the beginning location to find any data the software has backed up.
   Windows XP directory structure to My Documents:
   -C > Documents and Settings > Username > My Documents.
   Windows 7/Vista directory structure to Documents:
   -C > Users > Username > Documents
6. The files displayed can be used just like any file found on the computer, by double-clicking on it. They can also be restored from this location by drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste methods.