For a small business backup to an external drive, BackupOnShutdown lets you save selected work folders and then shut down the PC after a successful run. It's a manually started file backup for an end-of-day office routine, with optional password protection and multiple backup locations. In a medical practice, use it alongside the backup procedure recommended by your practice-software vendor.
Which work folders should you back up?
Start with the files someone would miss the next morning: letters, scans, exported reports, and documents saved on the desktop. You choose the folders yourself; the app doesn't automatically find all your business data or know where your practice software stores its database.
For a practice database, follow the software vendor's backup or export procedure and include the resulting backup files in your folder selection. Copying a live database file doesn't by itself establish that it can be restored correctly. BackupOnShutdown can include open files through Windows Volume Shadow Copy only when started as administrator; otherwise they're skipped and listed. The guide to open files explains that requirement.
Keep the vendor's backup procedure even if you also use BackupOnShutdown. If you need to recover Windows and installed programs after a system failure, arrange a separate disk-image backup as well.
Where should the copies go?
An external drive gives you a copy separate from the PC. A network folder the PC can already access, such as a NAS share, can be another backup location. The backup locations guide explains how to add several locations to one backup; the app saves to them one after another.
There is a distinction between backing up to a network folder and backing up files from one: backups of UNC network source folders can't be restored through the app in this version. For shared practice data, plan the backup with your IT provider rather than assuming any network folder is covered.
One useful arrangement is a copy that stays in the office and a drive stored safely elsewhere. Plug in the off-site drive before starting when you need that copy updated tonight. An unplugged extra location is skipped, and the PC can still shut down if another location completes successfully without errors or unreadable files. If none of a backup's locations is reachable, the app asks you to reconnect a drive and try again; the PC stays on.
The default Keep old versions setting is 1 year. It keeps selected older versions rather than every run, and always keeps the newest backup.
How should you protect confidential files?
Enable password protection for backups containing confidential office or patient data, especially on a drive that leaves the building. It's off by default; without a password, anyone who has the drive can open the files. Store the password securely where an authorized colleague can find it if you're away, because a lost password can't be recovered, even by us. The backup password guide explains setup.
The app saves files to your chosen drives or network folders, makes no cloud uploads, and sends no usage data. Your practice still needs appropriate access controls and a backup process that meets its obligations.
How do you close the day?
Save your work in other programs before starting. Windows forcibly closes them during shutdown, so unsaved changes can be lost.
- Plug in the drive you want updated tonight and complete any backup or export required by your business software.
- Click Back up & shut down, or double-click the optional desktop shortcut. To create it, enable Desktop shortcut under Settings → Preferences, then click Save. The shortcut skips the app button's confirmation dialog.
- Let the backup finish. If it fails, you cancel, or unreadable files are skipped, the PC stays on so you can review the summary and resolve the problem before leaving.
Use the app button or shortcut as part of your closing routine: shutting down from the Windows Start menu won't start a backup, and there's no scheduled overnight run. The backup and shutdown guide has the full workflow. After the first successful run, restore a file to a separate folder and open it to check the result; repeat this check periodically.
Who needs a license?
One license covers one named person on any number of their own computers. Two people using the app to back up their own PCs need two licenses. There is no subscription; the pricing page shows the price in your currency. Updates within your license are included, while a future major version may be sold separately. The free trial lasts 14 days, with no account or credit card. Questions go to office@spqrk.net, where the person who builds the app answers.
BackupOnShutdown runs on Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit, and on macOS 13 or later with Apple Silicon.
Download BackupOnShutdown and use the 14-day trial to test both the closing-time routine and restoring your files.