Documentation review: · Windows PC · English
Decide what you need to recover
A useful backup restores your working music collection and the information built around it. Think about playlists, cue points, track analysis, custom mappings and other configuration, not just the application executable.
File paths matter. Record which music folders are on the internal disk and which are on removable drives. A database copy without the music it refers to may not provide a usable recovery.
Find your actual data locations
Use the current manual and the paths on your own Windows installation. Do not assume that every computer stores all data in one old tutorial's folder. Check any application backup function as well as the files it includes.
Close the application when making a manual snapshot of files that it actively updates. Keep the working copy and the backup distinguishable so that an accidental overwrite is easier to notice.
Keep more than one recovery point
Store a dated copy before major upgrades or reorganizing music folders. A second copy on a separate device protects against losing the same disk that holds the original. Simply renaming a folder on the same failing drive is not a separate backup.
Maintain a short note describing the application build and hardware profile that worked with each snapshot. That note can save time when testing an older configuration later.
Verify a small restore
Choose a test playlist with a few tracks, cues and comments. Confirm the files can be opened from the backup and inspect how the application resolves their paths in a controlled test. Avoid restoring over the only working library merely to find out whether a backup is readable.
Check optional extensions and mappings separately. An installer may restore the application without restoring every customization.
Reorganize in stages
Move a small set of files first and verify the application's supported relocation workflow. Keep the original folder until paths and playlists have been checked. Large moves combined with an application upgrade make it harder to identify the cause of a missing-file problem.
Is an installer a library backup?
No. It can reinstall the program but does not contain your personal music, cues or playlists.
Is cloud synchronization enough?
Synchronization and a dated recovery snapshot solve different problems. A synced deletion can affect every synchronized copy. Keep a recoverable version and test it.