Frequently Asked Questions

Help Center > Frequently Asked Questions

Types of FAQ's

GDPR

Yes, ElephantDrive is GDPR compliant!

We are an active participant of the Privacy Shield Framework. The Privacy Shield Framework guarantees that data transferred from the EU to the USA benefits from the same level of protection.

We have conducted a thorough internal audit reviewing our practices and our compliance.

We have also updated our Privacy Policy to reflect our GDPR compliance.

As a company, ElephantDrive places a high value on privacy and transparency.

So, let’s start by making a couple of things clear about how we protect your data:

  • We collect and process a limited amount of Personal Identifiable Information (PII)
  • We only collect and process PII that is necessary to provide the services our users sign up for:
    • Email and name for logging in and getting in touch
    • Payment info for paying for your plan, and…
    • That’s it
  • We do not sell any of this information
  • We do not share any of this information
  • We only host, store, or interact with this PII on secure systems provided by partners that also comply with our standards, including GDPR.  Examples of such providers are our payment processing solution, our customer support ticketing solution, our email delivery solution, and our infrastructure solutions.

All other data stored by users in their accounts is encrypted during transit and at rest, and is absolutely private (https://support.elephantdrive.com/hc/en-us/articles/205537248-How-is-my-data-secured-at-ElephantDrive-).

Our partners/resellers share our privacy concerns and comply with GDPR. We have subscribed to their updated policies put in place to guarantee GDPR compliance.

Yes. We have everything in place to guarantee that you can use our services to provide GDPR compliant services:

  • We are GDPR-compliant (click here for more information).
  • Your data (or your users’ data if you are a reseller) is encrypted on the user devices, travels via secure protocols, and is stored encrypted. Click here for more information on how your data is secured at ElephantDrive.
  • We are Privacy Shield certified so the data we store on your behalf benefits from the same level of protection in the USA and in the EU and can be securely transferred from the EU to the USA.

From then on, all you have to do is make sure that you comply with your own GDPR requirements.

ElephantDrive only collects “general” Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that is strictly necessary to provide our services to our end-users:

  • Name and Surname
  • Email Address
  • Phone Number
  • Payment-related information:
    • Card Type, Number…
    • Billing Address

ElephantDrive collects this PII when you register for an account and subscribe to use our services.

We do not collect any other type of PII!

As for the data our users back up, store, or share using our services, it is encrypted on the user’s device, travels via secure protocols, and is stored encrypted. For more information on how your data is secured at ElephantDrive: https://support.elephantdrive.com/hc/en-us/articles/205537248-How-is-my-data-secured-at-ElephantDrive-.

Most of our data is stored and processed in the USA. This is why we enrolled in the Privacy Shield Framework for our EU users to guarantee equivalent levels of data protection.

Our partners who help us store and process data are equally compliant with GDPR requirements.

Our service and solution providing partners share our privacy concerns and comply with GDPR. We have subscribed to their updated policies put in place to guarantee GDPR compliance:

We only store Personally Identifiable Information (PII) as long as strictly necessary, i.e. as long as you are an active user of our services.

Upon cancellation, the user’s encrypted data is queued for deletion and purged from our servers within a couple of weeks. We only keep the user’s email address as a cancelled user. Payment information is deactivated and the user is unsubscribed from our email delivery system. No additional processing of personal information is done after cancellation.

As an ElephantDrive user, you have the right to:

  • Access your Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
  • Correct errors related to your PII.
  • Delete personal data.
  • Export PII.
  • Refuse data processing (cancel).

Here is how we implement and guarantee that our users enjoy these rights:

All other Data Access Requests may be directed to dar@35.83.19.187.

Despite only collecting and processing very limited Personally Identifiable Information (PII), we have decided to appoint a Data Protection Officer (“DPO”). (Mainly due to the number of users we service and to guarantee maximum confidence for our users).

Our DPO can be reached at dpo@35.83.19.187.

Getting Started

Important: Please ensure you have correctly installed the ElephantDrive app on your device and logged into the app using your registered account information before managing/configuring backup settings.

Configure and Manage Backup Settings

  1. Click here to login to our user web portal.
  2. Navigate into the Backup Settings tab, then click Manage Device Backups.
  3. Select your device from the drop down menu.
  4. You can edit an existing backup job or add a new backup job.

Getting started with ElephantDrive is fast and easy. First, download and install the ElephantDrive application client on your Windows or Mac device. Once installed, launch ElephantDrive and you will be greeted with a step-by-step guide.

  1. After launching ElephantDrive, you will be asked if you already have an ElephantDrive account or need to create a new one. If you already have an ElephantDrive account, simply choose this option and click Next. If you need to create a new account, you can create one via the app or from the Plans Page.
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  2. Enter your preferred email address and a password and then click Next.Screen Shot 2015 08 28 at 3.58.18 PM
  3. Choose a plan that you would like to begin with and click Next.1
  4. A folder named My ElephantDrive will be created on your device. Choose a location or use the default location to create this folder and then click Next.
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  5. By default, ElephantDrive will select to backup anything on your Desktop and all music and picture files. You can also check Documents to backup all document files on your device. Additionally, you can click New Backup to target any folder on your device to be backed up. When ready, click Next.
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  6. Great, your backups ready! We are almost done, but let’s get you familiar with the basic features of ElephantDrive.
  • You can drag or paste any file/folder into the My ElephantDrive folder on your device (we created that folder in step #4) and it will be backed up to your ElephantDrive cloud account.
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  • Inside the My ElephantDrive folder is a folder called Everywhere. Anything you put in this folder is synched first to your ElephantDrive cloud account and then synced to the Everywhere folder on any other devices you have connected to your account. 6
  • You can also access your ElephantDrive account online through any device with internet connection. Additionally, you can upload files and manage your backups from anywhere.
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  • The ElephantDrive App will just run in the background. If you need to make any changes to your backups, just click the ElephantDrive Icon in the Taskbar on Windows or Menu on Mac.
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  • You are all done! Sit back and relax now that you know your important data is being protected by The Herd!9
  1. Login to our user web portal, http://vault.elephantdrive.com/account/login.aspx.
  2. Navigate into the Files tab.
  3. Click into My Computers.
  4. Check the box to select the corresponding device, then click the trashcan icon to delete the device. Or, you can right-click the device and select delete in the context menu. A deleted device and its data (backups) is first moved into your trash folder which must be emptied to finalize the deletion.

Windows, macOS, and Linux, along with the suite of supported NAS platforms require no additional software when running ElephantDrive version 6.0 and above.

 

*Earlier versions required 32-bit Java, version 1.6 or higher (even on a 64 bit machines).

Features

ElephantDrive will mark a file/folder as “archived” when the file/folder is deleted from the local device. (The file/folder will also be archived if it has moved from its original location or if it gets renamed.)

Example:

Let’s say you have a file labeled “invoice.pdf” backed up to ElephantDrive from your computer. Then, you delete the “invoice.pdf” file from your computer. Your ElephantDrive backup job will recognize that the file no longer exists at its original location (deleted) and will archive the file in your ElephantDrive account.

Archived files can be retained indefinitely or for a specified number of days. To change how long to retain archived files, please edit your backup settings. (Click here to learn how to modifying your backup settings.)

ElephantDrive backups are incremental. When a file is backed up, ElephantDrive will keep its most recent copy (current version). If the file is modified, ElephantDrive will detect that the file has changed, then upload the modified file and keep the previous version of the file.

Example:

Let’s say you have a text document (file) backed up to ElephantDrive and you decided to make some edits to the text document (i.e. adding more paragraphs, changed formatting, etc.). Once you save the edits, ElephantDrive will upload the modified file with the edits as the most recent copy of the file, but it will also keep the previous copy of this file as a version in your ElephantDrive account.

Settings:

How many versions are kept and for how long can be changed by modifying versioning rules. To change how long to retain versions, please edit your backup settings. (Click here to learn how to modifying your backup settings.)

What is it? The Everywhere folder allows you to synchronize data across multiple devices.

How does it work? When you install the latest version of ElephantDrive on a Windows, Mac, or Mobile (Android/iOS) device, it will automatically create a folder labeled Everywhere on that device. Any files and folders placed inside the Everywhere folder on one device will automatically get synced to the Everywhere folder your other devices. You must have the latest version of ElephantDrive to ensure the Everywhere folder functions properly.

Where is it? You can find the Everywhere folder inside your ElephantDrive folder.

Multiple users (sub-accounts) each with unique login credentials can be administered through one ElephantDrive (main, parent) account. There are two types of sub-accounts.

  • Workgroup Sub-Account
    Workgroup sub-accounts share the same access level as the main account. A workgroup sub-account is essentially a distinct set of login credentials to the same account as its parent. This sub-account is ideal if you need multiple logins to the same account, but data security between parent and sub-account is not an issue (as everybody can see all files in the account).

  • Independent Sub-Account
    Each Independent sub-account has its own access level that isn’t shared with the parent or other workgroup/independent sub-accounts. They are essentially a free-standing account that can be administered through the parent account. Independent sub-accounts do not have access to any objects in the parent account. An independent sub-account is ideal if you need storage, access, or protection for multiple users, but would like to separate access so the parent and sub-accounts don’t have access to each others’ backups.

Sub-accounts can be created by navigating into the My Account tab in our user web portal.

Sharing

With our new Collaborative Sharing features, you can now share a folder with your colleagues or friends.  They will need to sign up for their own ElephantDrive account (don’t worry – we make this easy and free).  Once they do so, they can view, edit, and delete files within the shared folder.

One important note before we begin – please make sure the folder you want to share is contained somewhere inside your “Everywhere” folder.  Our synchronization magic only operates inside of Everywhere. So, you cannot share a folder that is not in your Everywhere folder.   Let’s begin…

 

1. First, navigate to your Everywhere folder:

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2. Next, select the folder that you’d like to share. I’ve chosen to share the folder !!!!!WTEST

3. Once you’ve selected the folder that you want to share, click “Share Folder” above.

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4. Once you click “Share Folder“,  the sharing window will appear:

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5. Write in the email address(es) of people you want to share the folder with and add a personal message if you would like.  Once you’ve shared the folder with them, a confirmation page will appear, saying “The folder has been shared successfully”:

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6. The members (people whom you’ve shared the folder with) will be notified of the shared folder via email.

Hi,

Soandso@gmail.com has invited you to a shared folder called “Folder I’d like to Share”.

View “!!!!!WTEST”

 
 

We’re taking sharing to a whole new level!

In addition to our tried and true links sharing (aka “Links“) that allows you to send files to a friend for quick and easy download, we’ve launched a new way for you to share information with friends, colleagues, or business partners in a more collaborative way called Folder Sharing. 

It is a very simple and fast way to fully share the contents of a folder – both you and the people you share with will be able to access the files, add to it, and make edits, and all the updates will be available to all the people sharing as soon as you save changes.  It’s a pretty neat tool for collaborating or just seamlessly delivering files to others with ElephantDrive accounts. If someone does not have an ElephantDrive account, no worries; we’ve designed a quick 2-step process for them to get a Free ElephantDrive account. And it’s available right now for you to test it out!

There are two ways you can take advantage of Folder Sharing.

  1. You can share folders from version 5.1.0 of the ElephantDrive Desktop Client. Just click on any folder from the ElephantDrive client, then click Share
  2. Or you can share folders online from the beta version of the online web interface (it has a great new look and feel that we think you’ll enjoy). Click on a folder that you would like to share, then click Share.

You can find our step-by-step How-To-Share-Folder guide.

What is a Shared folder?: A Shared folder is often used to collaborate on a project with colleagues/friends and have the changes everyone makes on the project synched on everyone else’s devices (just like Google Docs, if you’re familiar with that). 

 

How do I start?: In order to take full advantage of all the sharing features available, you need to install ElephantDrive on your computer. You can install ElephantDrive by visiting here: http://home.elephantdrive.com/download/.

 

  • Once you’ve installed ElephantDrive, it will create a special folder called Everywhere on your machine. All shared folders are placed inside the Everywhere folder.
  • The email you received will have a subject ,”yourfriend@xyz.com wants to share ‘Name of Folder’ with you.  Select, “view ‘Name of Folder‘”.  If you are not already logged in, the login screen will appear.  Please login.
  • Next you’ll be asked to Accept or Decline the shared folder.

 

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  • Once you select “Accept“, you will see the accepted folder and the users it’s being shared amongst.

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  • You’ll notice that the shared folder is now in your Everywhere Folder.  Simply select the folder you’d like to open and you’ll see all the files inside it that are accessible to you.
  • You can now add new files or make changes to the existing ones. All changes will be automatically synced to all the members’ devices. 

Access & Restore

  1. After launching and connecting your destination device to ElephantDrive, please login to our user web portal, http://vault.elephantdrive.com/account/login.aspx.
  2. Navigate into the manage device backups section in the Backup Settings tab. 
  3. Select a device from the dropdown menu, edit any backup job, and click into the Includes tab.
  4. In the Includes tab you should find a backup path which will show the correct path formatting which can be used to format a destination path when restoring data to the same device. All paths are case and spelling sensitive.

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Restore Name: Label for the restore job. 

Destination Path: This is the destination path and should follow the proper path syntax for your device. This is the path to the folder where the restore will be downloaded.

Start Time: Do not modify this field if you want the restore job to start immediately after settings are applied. You can schedule the restore job to run in the future.

Overwrite Mode: Select to overwrite files if the same file name is detected at the destination location.

Archived Files: Archived data is kept in ElephantDrive according to the archiving rules set for your backup jobs. ElephantDrive can keep locally deleted files. 

Point-in-Time: In most cases, not applicable, so we recommend contacting us (support@35.83.19.187) before configuring a point-in-time restore. In general, a point in time can be selected and ElephantDrive will restore all backups (if available) from that point in time. 

 

* Restore jobs will start after manually restarting the ElephantDrive client on your destination device.

 

Steps to Configure a Restore Job

  1. Login to our user web portal, http://vault.elephantdrive.com/account/login.aspx.
  2. Navigate into the Files tab and right-click a folder and select “restore folder.”
  3. Select the destination device. (ElephantDrive must be running on the destination device in order for the restore to work.) Click “Next” to configure restore settings.
  4. Manually restart the ElephantDrive client after configuring restore settings. Your restore job will start after the ElephantDrive client is manually restarted at your destination device.

Security, Privacy & Compliance

Backup

1. Login to your ElephantDrive account (https://vault.elephantdrive.com/account/login.aspx).

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2. Click the Backup Settings tab and select Manage Device Backups.

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3. Select your device from the dropdown menu, then click Add Backup.

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4.  Input a name in the Backup Name section and select backup Frequency.

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5.  Manually input the path of the folder you would like to backup, then click the “+” symbol to add the path. You can add more than one path.

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6. Click “Apply Changes” to add your new backup.

ElephantDrive backups are smart and can identify when a backup is set to run on the last day of the month. If the backup is set to run on the 31st, but the month has 30 days, then the backup will start on the 30th. Similarly, in February, if the backup is set to run on the 30th, it will run on the 28th (or 29th) of February.

ElephantDesktop is an application for your PC, MAC, or a Java capable Server. ElephantDesktop application allows you to setup automatic backup jobs, access your data, configure/manage backup settings, and more. 

To use ElephantDesktop, download and install the ElephantDesktop

You start the application by double clicking on  the ElephantDesktop icon on your desktop. Log in, and begin to backup your data. You can do this one of two ways:

Run a Backup Category – You can ask ElephantDrive to run a Backup category either by “folder” or by “type”.  For a “folder” Backup category, you select a specific folder on your computer (like “My Documents,” or “important stuff,” or “C://”), and ElephantDrive will make a backup of every file and folder that lives there. For a “type” Backup category, you choose one or more file types (like “doc,” or “xls,” or “mp3”), and ElephantDrive will make a backup of every file of that type it finds in the specified directory.  We have made this process even easier by having a few of these category pre-defined and ready to run — in only two clicks, you can get them started!  Better yet, once created, these jobs will automatically run at regular intervals, so you’ll always be up to date.

You can also select any folder from your PC, right click on the folder and then select to Backup it up with ElephantDrive. No need to move the folder or do anything else, that’s it!

Upload a specific item – You can also move files and folders between your computer and ElephantDrive on an one time basis using the Manual Uploads. Simply drag-and-drop like any other Windows programs.

We’ve got tons of Advanced Options and features available for those of you who like a little more control, but if you want to set-it-and-forget-it or just use ElephantDrive for convenient storage and access, this is all you need to know.

ElephantDesktop is currently supported on:

  • Windows: XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8, 10, Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows 2008
  • Mac OS X: 10.4 and above

Elephant Desktop requires the following:

 For information on how to use ElephantDrive Web, please click here.

The upload speed for ElephantDrive can be adjusted to your specific needs and use case. You can change this directly from the website by following the steps outlined below:

  • Access the ElephantDrive website and log in using your account credentials
  • Click on “Backup Settings

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  • Click on “Manage Device Backups

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  • Select the device in the device drop-down and click on “Resource Usage”

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  • Use the “Network Usage” and “CPU Usage” settings to adjust how much bandwidth and CPU the ElephantDrive app should use

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  • Click on “Apply” to apply the changes to your device’s configuration.