Backing up
Take the USB media we sent you out of its tube. The inner bubble-wrap bag is reclosable, so don't just rip it open; for the safety of your data, you'll want to close it again when you mail the tube back to us.
Once out, you'll see that one end has a protective cap. We use several different
brands of media, so yours may have a cap on both ends, but one of them will have a
square metal plug with two depressions on its side. Gripping the media firmly, insert the metal plug into the USB
port on your computer. If it doesn't go in, it may be that you need to turn it
around so that the depressions on the metal plug face the opposite direction. It
should not require a lot of force to push it in.
If you have USB ports on both your computer and other devices, such as your keyboard,
you may need to plug the media directly into your computer, rather than into the other
device or USB hub.
Once you've plugged it into your computer, you may see a new window for the backup media appear.
If you don't, it may be (especially if you're using a Mac) that the backup media will appear
as a drive on your desktop. If this is the case, double click on the drive on your desktop,
and the window will appear. If you're using Windows, and don't see any new drive on your
desktop, you may find the new drive under "My Computer" on your desktop.
You can drag files and folders directly onto this new drive to
back up your data, and your computer will copy the files and folders for you. While your
data is being backed up, you may see a light flicker on the USB media; this is normal. After
you've selected and dragged all your files to the USB media, your computer may require up to twenty
more minutes to complete the transfer, though most will be finished in five or less.
Do not just unplug the USB media! Instead, click on the icon for removing the
key in your system tray, and then wait for about 5 seconds after the
window disappears before unplugging the media.
Put the protective cap back on the USB media, and put the media in the bubble-wrap bag that it came in.
Also in the tube, you will find a loose label. Peel the backing off the label and carefully apply it
directly over the label that is on the outside of the tube. This label is pre-paid back to us, so there's
no need to buy stamps or other postage. Pop the sealed bubble-wrap bag with the USB media back in the
tube, and put the plastic tube cap back in. Now all you have to do is drop it in the mail, and we'll get it within
a day or two.