One last question:
When the setting related to occurrence is configured to a specific value, does this mean it will check at the specified time and if it find anything different/changed, will only copy/overwrite those files from the root directory to target directory or is it saying it will simply overwrite all files from point A to point B at the specified time?
Last edited by That Random Guy; 29 Nov 2018 at 14:39. Reason: photo
I have used SyncToy for years and like it.
I use the Echo option. Any changes in the source folder will be updated in the destination folder, this includes New, Renamed, Deleted and Moved files.
I set up multiple folder pairs to keep it organized. I always use the Preview function on the Folder Pairs and it will list the changes being made.
Jim
Yep, just tested it myself. It's simple and does what I want.I have used SyncToy for years and like it.
I use the Echo option. Any changes in the source folder will be updated in the destination folder, this includes New, Renamed, Deleted and Moved files.
I set up multiple folder pairs to keep it organized. I always use the Preview function on the Folder Pairs and it will list the changes being made.
Jim
The only question that remains is.... is this all a manual process or is it checking every now and then for updates? And by updates, I mean file changes and whatnot.
Last edited by That Random Guy; 29 Nov 2018 at 15:02. Reason: detail
I too have been using this great tool. It is manual, which I like because I like being in control of my computer + Data. I use it to share files/directories across multiple systems. Its not a backup system. I sync to a NAS box on my network. I have a couple of other machines (a laptop & a Tablet). Laptop normally will reverse sync when I power it on so it get the latest files. The Tablet has no where near enough storage as the laptop so it is selective on what it reverse sync's and its manual on the tablet. It really fits my needs. I'm on 1809 now but its worked on every past windows system back to 8.1.
Random Guy:
Any of several tools will do what you want.
FreeFileSync and SyncBackFree are the two I've used most recently.
These programs typically have very similar capabilities, but have different interfaces and may use somewhat different terminology.
The interface differences can be significant. FreeFileSync never failed me, but I gave up on it due to an interface that I did not think was particularly well designed. Been using SyncBackFree for the last 3 or 4 years without incident.
Use the one you can learn and understand well.
Obviously--practice with it to make sure that your chosen settings do what you intended. A mistake in the configuration can be disastrous.
"Mirroring" is a commonly used term--the destination drive becomes a replica of the source drive every time a new backup is made. Any file deleted or modified on the source is likewise deleted or modified on the destination. That's a primary choice. You have full control over what file--by folder, extension, etc
I'd urge you to avoid "automatic" mode on any of these apps. You can get lulled into a false sense of security. Better to keep your head in the game and run them manually, daily or whenever the urge strikes you.
Based on your setting, it will check (every hour, or 3 hours etc...) for differences in source/destination dir, it will add new files, it will not overwrite edited files it will instead add a new copy for the edited file. You can better manage file history settings using the new settings app (under update -> backup) instead of control panel.
From your OP I understand you need a backup and/or archive; with file history you can go back in time and resume a former version of a file so that you will kinda have a history of the files you work on, i.e. a backup and an archive of your files; file History is not a sync utility (even if you will have a "near real time" synchronized folder).
If you need an "archived history" of you files, file history is a tool to have that; if you need two folders to have the same files (i.e. to be synchronized and to look the same both in number of files and content) it's probably better to use a synchronization tool (i.e. freefilesync, synctoy etc...)
HTH.
Last edited by roy111; 30 Nov 2018 at 03:16.
I appreciate that you have identified a solution that suits you.
If you change your mind you could adopt the built-in tool RoboCopy for this job. RoboCopy seems, to me, to be suitable because you are only working one-way rather than syncing two locations with each other as tools such as SyncToy do. You could also make a regular Task scheduler item to run every hour.
You can see explanations by entering RoboCopy /? in a command prompt or PowerShell window. There are many explanations online as well - see, for example, RoboCopy - SS64
My RoboCopy batch file contains this -
NotesCode:RoboCopy D:\Documents F:\Documents /S /R:10 /MT:32 /DCOPY:DAT /XA:SH /MIR
1 D:\Documents is my documents folder
2 F:\ is the additional harddrive I use to hold the backup
3 This particular set of RoboCopy switches creates, and subsequently updates, a mirror of the D:\Documents folder & its subfolders
I could run this manually when I felt like it instead of setting up a Task scheduler item. I could just create a shortcut to run the batch file minimised and I could select a specific icon so I knew what was going on when I saw it on the Taskbar.
Task scheduler is awkward for running batch files minimised but, if you are going to proceed with this, you can use the procedure given in Make Windows 10 Task scheduler run a batch file minimised and with a specific icon - MSA forum. Ask any questions in this thread because I do not use that other forum any more.
Denis
I've been using FreeFileSync for years without an issue. It's a manual process, but straightfoward.
@roy111 @ignatzatsonic @Try3 @dalchina
Thank you all for your input.
All of what you've mentioned has surpassed my expectations and I even learned a thing or two.
I feel it is important to mention that while I will be marking SyncToy as my solution, every solution mentioned in this thread is related to what I was expecting and each has it's niche-cases as well as pros & cons. As such, I will be amending my OP to reflect that visitors should look at all solutions.
In the end, I went with what was simple 'cause I'm lazy.
Again, many thanks for your time and patience.
Happy Holidays folks!
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