Getting Started
Installing Replica Rescue
The Replica Rescue agent is a lightweight Windows background service. Installation takes under 2 minutes and requires no technical knowledge.
System Requirements
| Component | Requirement |
|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11 |
| RAM | 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended |
| Disk space | 500 MB for agent + staging space equal to your backup size |
| Internet | Required for cloud backup and activation |
| External drive | Required for Local and hybrid plans |
Installation Steps
1
Download the installer
Download replicarescue-agent.exe from the client portal or the link provided with your activation key.
2
Run as administrator
Right-click the installer and select Run as administrator. Accept the UAC prompt if shown.
3
Follow the setup wizard
Accept the license agreement and click Install. The agent installs and starts automatically.
4
Agent appears in system tray
A shield icon appears in your Windows system tray (bottom-right). Double-click it to open the dashboard.
Silent installationThe agent runs as a Windows service and starts automatically with Windows. It uses minimal resources when idle — typically under 50 MB RAM.
Verifying Installation
After installation the shield icon in the system tray should be visible. If you don't see it, click the ^ arrow in the taskbar to expand hidden icons.
You can also verify the service is running by opening Windows Services (services.msc) and looking for Replica Rescue Agent with status Running.
Getting Started
Activating Your Device
Activation registers your PC against your subscription and sets up your encryption password and 24-word recovery phrase. This only needs to be done once per device.
Write down your recovery phraseDuring activation you will receive a 24-word recovery phrase. In the activation screen, write down or print the Replica Rescue Recovery Card with all 24 words listed and store them securely. Without the phrase, your backups cannot be restored after a drive failure.
Activation Steps
1
Open the dashboard
Double-click the shield icon in the system tray. The activation window will open automatically on first launch.
2
Enter your activation key
Enter the activation key provided with your subscription. This key registers your device and determines which plan features are available.
3
Set your backup password
Create a strong backup password. This password is used to encrypt all your backups. It is never sent to our servers. Choose something memorable but strong.
4
Save your 24-word recovery phrase
A unique 24-word BIP-39 recovery phrase is generated for your device. In the activation screen, write down or print the Replica Rescue Recovery Card with all 24 words listed and store them securely. You will need these words along with your password to restore after a drive failure.
5
Confirm the phrase
You will be asked to confirm several words from your phrase to verify you have saved it. Activation completes after confirmation.
Device Limits
| Plan | Devices allowed |
|---|
| Local | 1 device |
| Essential | 1 device |
| Advanced | Up to 3 devices |
| Elite | Up to 5 devices |
To free up a device slot, remove an old device from the client portal under My Devices.
Backup
Backup Setup
Replica Rescue takes full bare-metal backups of your entire Windows system — OS, applications, settings, and all your files — using Windows wbadmin and VSS shadow copy.
What Gets Backed Up
| Component | Detail |
|---|
| Windows system | Full OS including drivers and system files |
| Installed applications | All software restored exactly as installed |
| User files | Documents, Desktop, Downloads, AppData |
| Settings | All Windows and application settings |
| Registry | Complete Windows registry |
Backup Destinations
Cloud backup
Encrypted upload to your private secure cloud bucket. Available on Essential, Advanced, and Elite plans.
Local backup
Saved to a folder on the same PC. Fastest restore option. Available on all plans.
External drive
Saved to a connected USB drive or external hard drive. Drive must be connected during backup.
Network share (NAS)
Saved to a mapped network drive or NAS share. Enter the UNC path in Settings.
Hybrid plans back up to all enabled destinations simultaneouslyYour PC is always in at least two places at once — local for speed, cloud for disaster recovery.
Encryption
Every backup is encrypted on your PC using AES-256-GCM before it is saved or uploaded. The encryption key is derived from your backup password + your 24-word recovery phrase + a per-device salt using HKDF. Neither the key nor the password is ever sent to our servers.
Backup
Schedule & Destinations
Configure when backups run and which destinations are active from the Settings tab in the agent dashboard.
Scheduled Backups
By default the agent runs a full backup every night at 2:00 AM. You can change the hour from the Settings tab. The agent waits for the PC to be idle before starting to avoid interrupting your work.
The PC must be onBackups only run when the PC is powered on and not in sleep mode. If you turn off your PC at night, schedule backups for a time when it is typically on.
On-Demand Backups
Advanced and Elite subscribers can trigger a manual backup at any time by clicking Back up now in the dashboard. On-demand backups run immediately and follow the same encryption and destination settings as scheduled backups.
Local plan Essential Scheduled backups only — no on-demand option.
Advanced Elite Scheduled + on-demand backups available.
Configuring Destinations
1
Open Settings tab
Click the Settings item in the sidebar of the agent dashboard.
2
Enable destinations
Toggle each destination on or off. Cloud backup is always enabled on hybrid plans and cannot be turned off.
3
Set paths
For external drive and network share destinations, enter the folder path where backups should be saved.
4
Save changes
Click Save changes. The new settings take effect on the next scheduled or on-demand backup.
Recovery
Recovery USB
The recovery USB is a bootable drive containing the Replica Rescue Recovery Environment. It lets you restore your PC even when Windows won't start or the drive has been replaced.
Create your USB as soon as possibleDon't wait for a disaster. Create the recovery USB right after activation and keep it somewhere safe. Update it after each major Windows update.
Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|
| USB drive capacity | 8 GB minimum — all existing data will be erased |
| USB standard | USB 3.0 recommended for faster restore speeds |
| Internet during creation | Required to download the Recovery Environment components |
Creating the USB
1
Plug in the USB drive
Insert an 8 GB+ USB drive. All data on the drive will be permanently erased.
2
Open Recovery USB tab
In the agent dashboard sidebar, click Recovery USB.
3
Click Create USB
Click the Create recovery USB button. The agent will detect your drive and ask for confirmation.
4
Wait for completion
The agent downloads and writes the Recovery Environment to the USB. This takes 5–10 minutes depending on your connection.
5
Label and store the drive
Label the USB "Replica Rescue Recovery" and store it with your written recovery phrase.
Keeping the USB Updated
Re-create the recovery USB after each major Windows update to ensure the Recovery Environment matches your current system configuration. Go to the Recovery USB tab and click Re-create recovery USB.
Security
Encryption & Security
Replica Rescue uses zero-knowledge encryption. Your backup password and recovery phrase never leave your device — it is mathematically impossible for us to decrypt your backups.
How Encryption Works
Your backup key is never stored anywhere. It is derived fresh each time it is needed using:
| Input | Where it lives |
|---|
| Backup password | Only in your memory — never stored or transmitted |
| 24-word recovery phrase | Only on paper — never stored digitally |
| Per-device salt | Stored on the server (non-secret — just prevents brute force) |
These three inputs are combined using HKDF to derive the AES-256-GCM encryption key. Without all three, decryption is computationally infeasible.
AES-256-GCM
All backups are encrypted using AES-256-GCM (Galois/Counter Mode). GCM provides both:
Confidentiality
Your data cannot be read without the key. 256-bit keys are considered unbreakable with current or foreseeable computing power.
Integrity
Any tampering with the backup file is detected before decryption. A corrupted or modified backup will fail to decrypt cleanly.
Isolated Cloud Buckets
Each Replica Rescue subscription gets a dedicated private cloud storage bucket with a restricted access key scoped only to that bucket. This means a security incident affecting one account cannot expose any other customer's data.
Session Tokens
After activation, the agent uses a 30-day session token for API authentication. This token is stored as a SHA-256 hash in the server database — the raw token exists only in your Windows registry. Your activation key is never stored on disk after the initial activation.
Security
Your Recovery Phrase
The 24-word recovery phrase is a critical component of your backup security. It is required alongside your backup password to decrypt and restore any backup.
This phrase cannot be recoveredIf you lose your recovery phrase, your backups cannot be decrypted. There is no way for Replica Rescue to help you recover it. Store it physically in a secure location.
What Is It?
The recovery phrase is a sequence of 24 common English words generated using the BIP-39 standard (the same standard used by cryptocurrency wallets). It encodes 256 bits of entropy — essentially a very large random number expressed as words for human readability.
Example format: word1 word2 word3 ... word24
How to Store It Safely
In the activation screen, write down or print the Replica Rescue Recovery Card with all 24 words listed and store them securely.
Replica Rescue Recovery Card
Print the recovery card from the activation screen so all 24 words are listed in order. Store the card with your recovery USB in a secure place.
Write it down
Write all 24 words on paper in order and store in a fireproof safe or safety deposit box.
Password manager
Store in a reputable password manager alongside your backup password as a secure note.
Make a copy
Keep a second copy in a separate location — e.g. one at home, one at work or with a trusted person.
Never store digitally alone
Never save it in an unencrypted text file, email, or photo on a device that could be lost or compromised.
Help
Troubleshooting
Common issues and how to fix them. If your problem isn't listed here, contact support at 514‑360‑6119 (Elite) or by email.
Backup failed — "disk full on staging drive"
The agent stages the backup on the local drive before encrypting and uploading. You need free disk space equal to your backup size. Free up space on the C: drive or change the staging path in Settings to a drive with more space.
Agent icon missing from system tray
Click the ^ arrow in the taskbar to expand hidden icons — the shield may be there. If not, the agent service may have stopped. Open Windows Services (services.msc), find Replica Rescue Agent, and click Start. If it fails to start, try reinstalling the agent.
"Invalid activation key" error
Check that you have copied the key exactly with no extra spaces. Keys are case-sensitive. If the key has already been used on another device and your plan device limit is reached, you must remove an old device from the client portal first.
Recovery USB won't boot — PC skips past it
The USB boot order may not be set correctly. Enter your PC's BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing Del, F2, or F10 at startup) and move the USB drive to the top of the boot order. Also ensure Secure Boot is disabled if present, as it can block unsigned boot media.
"Wrong password or phrase" during restore
Double-check each of the 24 words in order — a single wrong or swapped word will cause decryption to fail. Make sure you are using the recovery phrase for this specific device, as each device has its own unique phrase. Check for common typos: "their" vs "there", "no" vs "know", etc.
Cloud backup slow or timing out
Large initial backups (100 GB+) can take several hours on a slow connection. The agent will resume interrupted uploads automatically. If uploads consistently fail, check that port 443 (HTTPS) is not blocked by a firewall. Switching to a wired ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi also significantly improves upload reliability.
Backup runs but shows "0 GB" size
This usually means the VSS (Volume Shadow Copy) service is disabled or failed. Open Windows Services, ensure Volume Shadow Copy is set to Manual or Automatic and is running. Some third-party antivirus software can also block VSS — check your AV exclusions.
Help
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about Replica Rescue.
What if I forget my backup password? +
Your backup password cannot be recovered — it is never sent to our servers. If you forget it, your existing backups cannot be decrypted. You would need to re-activate and start a new backup chain. This is why we strongly recommend storing your password and recovery phrase together in a secure location.
Can I change my backup password? +
Changing your backup password requires re-encrypting all existing backups, which is not currently supported. If you need to change your password, you will need to delete existing backups and start a new backup chain with the new password. Contact support for guidance.
How often should I update my recovery USB? +
After every major Windows update (feature updates, not monthly patches). Re-creating takes 5–10 minutes from the Recovery USB tab in the agent dashboard.
Does the backup include my personal files? +
Yes — a full bare-metal image includes everything on your system drive: Windows, all installed applications, all user files (Documents, Desktop, Downloads, AppData), and all settings. It is a complete point-in-time snapshot of your entire PC.
Will restore affect my new drive's data? +
Yes — the restore process completely overwrites the target drive with the backup image. Make sure the drive you are restoring to does not contain any data you want to keep.
Can I restore to a larger drive? +
Yes. The new drive must be equal to or larger than the original. After restore, the partition can be extended to use the full capacity of the larger drive using Windows Disk Management.
What happens to my cloud backups if I cancel? +
Your cloud backups are retained for 30 days after cancellation, then permanently deleted. Local and external drive copies remain on your hardware and are not affected.
Can Replica Rescue see my files? +
No. All encryption happens on your PC before any data is transmitted. The server only ever receives encrypted ciphertext. Without your backup password and all 24 recovery phrase words — which are never sent to us — decryption is computationally infeasible.
Is there a free trial? +
Contact support at 514‑360‑6119 or by email to discuss trial options for your specific situation.