Selective backup

Topic

New Reply

This ought to be so simple….

I have about 47,000 pictures on my PC (Win 11). I backed them all up to an external drive, but of course from time to time there are new ones. Which software will backup just the new ones – and any changed ones – presumably by comparing file stamps? It’s tedious to have to backup all 47,000 again.

 

Reply | Quote

Replies

I use Total Commander as my file manager. https://www.ghisler.com/ Latest non-Beta version is 10.52.

Its “synchronize directories” function will do what you want. Total Commander will, of course, do much more than sync directories.

A free app that will do this, too, is Free File Sync: https://freefilesync.org/

Dell XPS17, 11th Gen Intel I7, 64gb RAM, Windows 11 Home 23H2

Reply | Quote

Paul, I had actually tried FreeFileSync, but it copied all the files…

I’ll have to play around with it some more. I suspect I haven’t got the hang of the various options.

Reply | Quote

WS,

What option did you select for the Synchronize settings in Free File Sync?

I’d also recommend RoboCopy but it’s a little more techie but it will do what you want and you can set it up in a batch or powershell file to make it easy to run or run from a scheduled task.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

Reply | Quote

My head is starting to spin. Does this help?

Reply | Quote

WS,

You need to click the Compare button, this will tell you what is going to be copied and in which direction. I think you may want to choose the Update option on the Gear icon to the left of the Synchronize button to insure you don’t lose any photos you may have inadvertently deleted from your computer. You can also deselect any file using the center column check boxes.

Note: In the screen capture above that the UPDATE mode is selected and below when I hover over the icon it shows that Nothing will happen to the that file, e.g. it will not be deleted from the backup drive. If I had selected MIRROR there would be a different icon and it would be deleted from the backup drive, UNLESS I unchecked the associated check box.

HTH

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

Reply | Quote

Use an xcopy command with a /d switch:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/xcopy

• Open a command prompt
• Experiment with the xcopy /d command until you have correct syntax
• Create .bat file with the correct syntax
• Run the .bat file thereafter

You will be effectively using DOS commands in a batch file — an older technique used in a now environment.

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender

Reply | Quote

If you want to give ROBOCOPY a try here’s a sample command with explanation of the Flags.

Robocopy "SourceDirectory" "DesitnationDirectory" /S /Z /J /M /XJ /R:5 W:15

 Flag Key:
 /J    Copy using unbuffered I/O (recommended for large files).
 /M    Copy only files with the Archive attribute and reset it.
 /R:n  Number of Retries on failed copies: default 1 million.
 /S    Copy Sub-Directories but NOT empty ones.
 /Z    Copy in Restartable mode.
 /W:n  Wait time between retries: default is 30 seconds.
 /XJ   eXclude symbolic links (for files, directories, and Junction points.

Note: Since I didn’t include the /PURGE flag it should NOT delete files from the backup if they are missing in the Source.

As always TEST before putting into production. This is easy with RoboForm as you just have to change the Destination Directory to a new one you create and then run it. Change some files delete some others and run it again and see if it does what you want. When you’re happy just change the Destination Directory to your real backup directory.

You can place the command ina .cmd file to make it easy to run.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

Reply | Quote

I’ve been using bvbackup2 for years and love it. Delta copying, can be run just by plugging in the drive (if desired) and they still offer their old beta version for free which works great
https://bvckup2.com/get/beta

Reply | Quote

Some of the free backup products will allow you to perform an incremental backup. All the paid ones do.

cheers, Paul

Reply | Quote

Here are my recommendations for software that will backup just the new and changed files in your collection of 47,000 pictures, presumably by comparing file stamps:

• SyncBack is a powerful and versatile backup tool that offers a variety of features, including the ability to backup only new and changed files. SyncBack can be used to backup files to a variety of destinations, including external drives, network shares, and cloud storage services.
• Carbonite is a cloud-based backup service that offers a simple and easy-to-use interface. Carbonite can be used to backup files to the Carbonite cloud, which is accessible from anywhere.
• GS RichCopy 360 is a powerful and efficient file copy tool that offers a variety of features, including the ability to backup only new and changed files. GS RichCopy 360 can be used to copy files to a variety of destinations, including external drives, network shares, and cloud storage services.

The best software program for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences

Reply | Quote