Schedules And Automation
Schedules let O&O DiskImage run backup sets automatically.
Schedule Types
| Type | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Once | Runs one time at the selected date and time. |
| Daily | Runs every N days at the selected time. |
| Weekly | Runs on selected weekdays at the selected time. |
| Hourly | Runs every N hours, starting at the selected time. |
| Continuous | Starts another backup after the previous one completes and the interval has passed. |
| Hotplug | Runs when the configured backup drive becomes available. |
Time-based schedules and hotplug schedules are mutually exclusive for a backup set. Enabling hotplug replaces the time schedule for that set.
Hourly Backups
Hourly backups are useful when data changes often and the acceptable data-loss window is short. Choose a start time and an interval, such as every 1, 2, 4, or 8 hours.
Use incremental backups for hourly schedules unless you have a specific reason to create full backups. Full hourly backups can fill storage quickly.
Continuous Backups
Continuous backups are the most aggressive schedule type. After one run finishes, O&O DiskImage waits for the configured interval and then starts again.
Use continuous backups only when the source data is important enough to justify the extra load. Good candidates are small, frequently changing, business-critical datasets. Avoid continuous full-system backups on ordinary workstations unless you have tested performance and storage impact.
Hotplug Backups
Hotplug backups run when the backup drive is connected. They are useful for users who store backups on an external USB drive and do not want to keep that drive attached all the time.
O&O DiskImage can identify the expected drive by drive letter, serial number, volume name, size, and model. If only a drive letter is available, it falls back to letter-based matching. After a successful hotplug backup, the stored drive identity can be updated.
Hotplug options include:
- A start delay after the drive is detected.
- A next-run delay to avoid running the same backup repeatedly when the drive is reconnected too soon.
Missed And Overlapping Runs
O&O DiskImage is designed to avoid parallel executions of the same backup set. If a scheduled run is due while a previous run is still active, the new run is queued rather than started in parallel.
Large backups can run for hours. Do not shorten intervals until you know how long a normal run takes on your hardware and destination.
Schedule Advice
- Use daily for frequently used work PCs.
- Use weekly for less active systems.
- Use hourly for active business data.
- Use continuous only for carefully selected critical workloads.
- Use hotplug when backups should run only when a removable backup drive is connected.