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Types of accounts
The msafe system offers its clients three types of accounts
- Free account: a 1 GB account for an unlimited period of time
- Paid accounts:
- a 10 GB account for a period of 12 or 24 months
- an unlimited account for a period of 12 or 24 months
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Registration
Registering through the site secure.msafe.co:
- Open the site secure.msafe.co/register.htm in any browser
- Fill out the user information form
- Choose the type of account
- Fill out the payment information form (only in the case of a paid account)
- Click on the "Register" button
- Download the desktop application installer
- When configuring the account choose "I already have an msafe account"
- Go to step 3 (see Installation – configuring the application)
Registering through the desktop application:
- Download the desktop application and install it
- When configuring the account choose "I don't have an account and wish to register"
- Fill out the personal information form
- Go to step 4 (see Installation – configuring the application)
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What should I do if I've forgotten my password?
In the case of a lost password, it can be recovered through the password recovery page. The user's e-mail address is needed for verification. After entering the address and choosing "Reset the password", an e-mail will be sent to the given address with instructions on how to change the password.
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Changing the password
The password to one's msafe account can be changed through the secure page. To do so, choose "My account", then profile settings and expand the "Change password" panel. For security reasons, you must first enter the old password, then the new password and then confirm it. Finally, click "Save settings".
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Downloading the msafe application
The installer for the msafe application is available at the website secure.msafe.co
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Firewall
The msafe application requires an internet connection. Blocking it with a firewall can hinder its functioning and the installation process. During the installation process, the application may begin downloading and installing the .NET Framework and the Windows Installer, as well as communicate with the msafe servers. If the configuration of the firewall interferes with this process the installation will fail. If it is not possible to unblock the application during the installation, both components can be downloaded and installed manually. The websites for both installers are listed under "What is the Windows Installer?" and "What is the .NET Framework and why does it need to be installed?".
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Which operating systems does msafe support?
msafe supports the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.
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Can msafe run on Mac OS?
msafe runs only on Windows (XP and above) with the .NET Framework installed.
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What should I do if I can't install msafe or I get a message that there's no connection?
Należy sprawdzić przede wszystkim stan połączenia sieciowego. Jeżeli na komputerze jest połączenie z internetem, należy zweryfikować, czy firewall bądź program antywirusowy nie blokuje aplikacji dostępu do sieci. Usługa msafe.Service oraz aplikacja msafe. Client muszą mieć dostęp do sieci, aby poprawnie działać.
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How much disk space does msafe require?
The installation and proper functioning of msafe requires less than 10MB.
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How are the files chosen?
search for all documents on the computer. However, there is also an option to modify the types of files to be chosen, as well as the location from which files will or will not be archived.
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Which files will never be backed up?
The application does not archive the following files: wab~, vmc, vhd, vo1, vo2, vsv, vud, vmdk, vmsn, vmsd, hdd, vdi, vmwarevm, nvram, vmx, vmem, dmg, sparseimage, sys, msi, dl_, wim, ost, o, log, dat, dll, exe, com. These are files which are required by the operating system to run properly and which can be usually recovered by re-installing the system or another application.
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What are the elements that make up msafe?
msafe consists of 3 basic elements:
- the secure page, through which the user can access their account from anywhere.
- the windowed application with the system tray icon, the main tools used by the user to manage the backup of their data.
- the system service constantly working in the background, invisible to the user, allows for the user's valuable files to be secured and transferred. It is thanks to this service that the user does not need to take any action while their data continues to be secure.
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Which ports does msafe use?
msafe communicates with the servers using the secure, encrypted https protocol. It connects to the servers listening on port 443.
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Security of the data
msafe is the safe solution for backups. Why? Because we are experts in terms of security and our solution is created, designed, produced and maintained at the highest possible level of security. All of the data archived by us is encrypted on your computer using AES 256-bit encryption and then sent through a secure channel called the Secure Socket Layer (yes, the exact same one used by online banks) to our servers. What does this mean in practice? Simple – no one, including msafe employees, has access to your data. Every file which leaves your computer is unreadable to anyone else. What's more, even you, if you don't have the key and password, will be unable to read the files and their contents. We only keep the result of the AES encryption, which in practice is impossible to crack. In order to imagine the difficulty of trying to illegally decrypt such a file, imagine that a machine capable of performing a billion billion (1018) operations a second would need 3x1051 years to check all possible combinations of the encryption key. That is an unimaginable amount of time with an unimaginable amount of resources. This was enough to for this encryption, used by msafe, to be declared by the US National Security Agency as suitable for the encryption of documents deemed TOP SECRET.
You already know your files are TOP SECRET. In addition, they are transferred the same way your online bank uses. This means double security. Can you compare this with a portable hard drive or a CD you leave in your desk drawer?
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Settings
In the main settings, there is an option to change the language. The user can also choose for reports to be sent, which are automatically sent logs.
In the Backup tab, the user can edit the process of saving files. The Backup Plan has two options: non-stop and every day at a certain time. The non-stop option saves files chosen to be saved every time they are modified. In the event that the user doesn't want their files to be saved non-stop, they can set a certain time at which the backup will be carried out.
The Suspend button stops all backup until the Activate button is pressed. Until that time, no backup will be made.
msafe allows for proxy servers to be defined which will be used to communicate with the servers. Communication through proxy can speed up the backup. The proxy server setting are available from the network operator.
The user can choose the drives from which the data will be copied.
Configuring the files allows the user to define which file extensions will backed up. The types of files have been divided into the following categories: documents, video, music, images, other files. The most popular file formats have already been set for each category, but they can be changed or removed.
This tab also contains a list of files excluded by default as well as system files. Files excluded by default usually take up a lot of space (CD images, installation files). They are not saved in order to save space on the account for other, usually more important files. One CD image file is on average 700MB which is equal to around 1,500 documents. This list has been created based on popular use, but it can be modified.
System files (such as logs - .log, program files - .com, .exe, or libraries - .dll) are never saved. These are files which are required by the operating system to run properly and which can be usually recovered by re-installing the system or another application.
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Backup
The process of archiving data begins with user authentication on msafe servers through a secure TCP channel on port 443 protected by the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and the verification of the digital signature on the msafe server certificate. After the user's login and password have been accepted, the msafe application looks for changed or new files in the folders and files marked for backup. Each of these files is encrypted with a secret key and the user's password using AES 256-bit encryption and then sent through SSL to the msafe servers. The saving of the encrypted files is confirmed by the servers and the msafe application marks the files as archived. At the same time, it appears on the client panel, which is available at https://secure.msafe.co. The msafe application ends the connection with the server and saves information about the last connection (time, IP address) in the msafe system logs.
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Recovering the files
The process of recovering the data begins with user authentication on msafe servers through a secure TCP channel on port 443 protected by the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and the verification of the digital signature on the msafe server certificate. After the user's login and password have been accepted, the msafe application retrieves the encrypted files through SSL onto the client's computer. The msafe application then goes through each encrypted file, one by one, and using the AES 256 encryption key, as well as the user's password, decrypts the retrieved files. Decrypted files are saved in the location specified by the user and are ready to be used. The msafe application ends the connection with the server and saves information about the last connection (time, IP address) in the msafe system logs.
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Uninstalling msafe
The msafe desktop application can be uninstalled in two ways:
- through the control panel
- using the msafe installer by clicking Remove
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Application states
1. Lack of space on the account.
The user is notified in the event that the used space on their account exceeds 70%. Files can be saved until the account's limit is reached and the saved files can be recovered. A link in the upper left corner of the window will appear which will lead to the price list and the possibility of increasing the account's limit.
If the user account's limit becomes entirely used up and the application encounters an error due to lack of space, it will end the backup process and display a message about the situation.
2. The service is expiring.
The user is notified of his account expiring 28 days before it does. Files can be saved and recovered. A message about the time left before the account expires wil appear in the upper left corner of the window and will lead to the price list and the possibility to extend the validity period.
In the event the service does expire, it must be activated once again. Files cannot be saved nor retrieved. A link in the upper left corner of the window will appear which will lead to the price list and the possibility to extend the validity period.
The account has expired and the saved data has been deleted. Files cannot be saved nor retrieved. A new account must be created (the same e-mail address can be used that was used during the registration of the previous account).
3. Deleting a computer
The computer has been marked for deletion through secure.msafe.co.
Files cannot be saved, but files previously saved can be recovered.
Information about the time left before the computer is deleted
If the procedure to delete the computer is cancelled on secure.msafe.co, the application will return to normal.
The computer has been deleted. Files cannot be saved nor retrieved. The user can only log in using the link Register Again located in the upper left corner of the window.
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The msafe website
On the msafe website, one can create an account and download the desktop application.
In the Recommend tab, the user can invite friends to use msafe which can earn him certain bonuses. Friends can be invited either by a direct link to the registration page or through an e-mail invitation.
Profile
The user can change their password at any time by logging in at secure.msafe.co and changing it in the Profile tab. The new password needs to satisfy the same criteria as during registration: a minimum of 8 characters including a number, a lower-case and an upper-case letter.
msafe offers its clients the possibility to tailor their account to their needs. A user can buy an account with a 10 GB limit or an unlimited account for a period of 12 or 24 months. After choosing the right account for them and clicking Buy, the user is asked to enter or confirm their payment information (depending on whether or not this information was provided during registration). Once confirmed, the user is re-directed to the Dotpay payment system page where they make the payment for the chosen account.
Payment information can be added or changed in the Profile tab.
The user can delete his account only through secure.msafe.co. There is a Delete Account button in the Profile tab. For security reasons, the deletion of an account requires password verification. The free accounts are deleted immediately after the computer is deleted, that is after 24 hours. The paid account are deleted once they expire.
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