Use the free AVG Livekive to back up and share documents online

To get started with AVG Livekive you will need to sign up for a free account. Launch a web browser and visit AGV's free online backup web page. On the right-hand side of the page is a section headed ‘Select storage size’. In the green area here, click the Sign up link beneath the ‘5 GB storage free’ heading. As noted, there are paid-for storage plans but we will be working with the free version.

On the next page type the requested personal details (name and email address) and choose and confirm a password for your account. Now type in the characters displayed in the Security code section before clicking the Create Account button. A confirmation email will be sent, so keep an eye on your inbox. While waiting, click the Summary page link on the page that is displayed.

The summary page shows that you have created an account with a free subscription and that you are using 0 per cent of the available 5GB of storage space. However, to make use of this free archive, you will need to download and install the Livekive program on all computers on which you wish to use the service. Click the Download For PC button to the right of the page and, if the File Download Security Warning dialogue box appears, click Save and choose a location for the downloaded file. Firefox users should select Save File to save the download to Firefox’s default download folder.

Now locate and double-click the file just downloaded to start the installation process. If a User Account Control warning dialogue box appears, click Yes to continue and then click the ‘I Agree’ button to agree to the terms of the licence. Use the Browse button to choose where Livekive should be installed and click the Install button – the program will take a moment or two to complete the job. Click the box labelled ‘Run AVG Livekive now’ ticked and then click the Finish button.

In the AVG Livekive Setup window, enter the email address and password registered in Step 2 and click Next. There will be a slight pause while Livekive logs in to the account and you will then be invited to enter a name for the current computer. Type a meaningful name in the empty text box at the top of the window – such as ‘My Laptop’ – and click the Data Encryption Settings button.

Select the ‘Choose my own passphrase’ radio button and type in and confirm the password to encrypt your data – this should be distinct from your Livekive account password. As a safety net, type in a reminder word or phrase in the Passphrase Hint box: if you forget the password this hint will be displayed to jog your memory. Click OK followed by Next. Once again there will be a short delay while the settings for Livekive are configured. During this time the Finish button will be greyed out but as soon as it becomes active click it to continue.

The AVG Livekive program window will appear and the program will spend a moment or two calculating the size of several common Windows storage locations, such as the Desktop and the Movies, Music and Pictures folder. Tick the boxes next to the file types you would like to include in a backup and click Save Selection followed by Start Backup. The Storage Bar area at the bottom of the program window shows how much storage space remains in your Livekive account. During the backup process, Livekive will automatically switch to the Status tab to display upload progress.

To back up locations and file types other than the default ones offered by Livekive, click the Backup tab and click the Advanced button in the upper right-hand corner of the program window. Tick the boxes next to any folders to include in the backup and click the Save button on the toolbar. The search box to the right of the toolbar can be used to track down folders with a particular name.

Should you need to restore any files that have been backed up, start by clicking the View/Restore tab. To the left-hand side of the screen is a list of the folders that have been included in a backup. Click the relevant one and use the right-hand pane to select a sub-folder to restore. Click the Download button on the toolbar before choosing where the files should be saved and click OK.

If you have more than one computer, Livekive can be installed on each PC and used to keep files synchronised. To get started, click the Sync tab followed by the Sync button on the toolbar. Type in a name and description for the synchronisation profile and click Next. Now click the first of the two Browse buttons. Choose a folder that you would like to keep synchronised, click Select and click the second Browse button. Choose a folder on a different computer to complete the synchronisation ‘pair’ and click Next at the bottom of the screen.

If you want to be more selective with the synchronisation, keeping only a few files in sync, use the next screen to filter out certain file types. Type in the file extensions of those files that should be ignored, using the format *.ext. For example, to have Livekive ignore MP3 files, you would type *.mp3. When done, click Next. Then click the Start Sync button. This process can be repeated for as many folders as required.

Livekive can also be used to share files online. Click the Share tab in the main program window and type in the username to be used when sharing files – this is distinct from your main Livekive username – and then click Next. Files are shared by creating what Livekive calls ‘Sharerooms’. Start by clicking New on the toolbar and typing in a name and password (which Livekive calls the ‘Roomkey’). Click Next, type in a description (if desired) and click Next again. Click Browse and select the folders to be shared before clicking Select.

Check that all the settings have been correctly configured and click the Start Share button. Files that have been shared in this way can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection, providing they know the login credentials. Tell authorised friends to visit www.avgroom.com, where they can type in the Shareroom name and Roomkey (password) created in Step 12. The necessary login details will need to be communicated to your friends in advance, perhaps in an email or over the phone.

Livekive Also has a few settings worth exploring. Click the Status tab in the main program window and click the first of the three Change buttons. In the Backup section at the top of the box, use the first dropdown menu to choose how often files should be backed up and ensure the remaining two Frequency dropdown menus are set to On Backup Schedule before clicking OK.