File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

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LDAsh
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Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2021 11:13 am

File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#1 Post by LDAsh »

Hoping someone can recommend a file-sync/backup program that can detect absolutely every circumstance, even files that have simply been moved to another folder. It took me a long time to realise that Windows apparently doesn't update its timestamps when files are moved, even to another drive. I had just been using WinRAR but now I realise I need something more sophisticated.

I considered programs that will force all timestamps to get updated but I don't want to take that approach, I'd like to still keep track of which content is newer, for posterity. I'd prefer something non-intrusive, meaning something that doesn't need to be constantly running and monitoring everything, but at the same time I'd like to not have to think about it, if that makes sense. Something that 'just works'.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. :)
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h3kt0r
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Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#2 Post by h3kt0r »

You might give a try at Back4Sure.

LDAsh
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Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#3 Post by LDAsh »

Thanks for the suggestion, but this didn't work.

I dragged files into a new folder at 15:30. Then I set the backup to everything after 15:05, and nothing was done.
So, this software is only working by the timestamps, not when files and click+dragged around and simply moved.
This is a problem for me, as mentioned in the OP.

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Midas
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Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#4 Post by Midas »

Though I have no idea if it's fit for your purpose, my suggestion would be trying Bvckup(2) (viewtopic.php?t=16768)...

Other than that, it looks like a task for a specialist tool like rsync...

LDAsh
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Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2021 11:13 am

Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#5 Post by LDAsh »

Pretty unbelievable - I just realised that even renaming files doesn't change any of the date/time data! Is my Windows broken??? That means all this time I have been doing (low-tech) incremental update backups, a whole bunch of files simply aren't being included...

I'll spend some time looking for cover-all "sync" programs, but I might as well just do my own "diff" technique using indexing and data management, and basically output to text files I can transform to batch files to do it all for me. I might also just keep track of the original dates with the same indexed filelists. I can transform those into spreadsheets. I already know there are command-line tools to do most of what I have in mind, so unless anyone has further suggestions, I think I'll just take that approach.

Thanks again for all the feedback.
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Andrew Lee
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Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#6 Post by Andrew Lee »

Moving and renaming files do not modify their timestamps. I just verified that.

However, I don't understand why that should be a problem. For example, I use robocopy and rsync to do backups. If I rename a file, or move a file to another folder, that file will be missing from the backup, and will be copied as such.

Am I missing something here? :roll:

LDAsh
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Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#7 Post by LDAsh »

Thanks! I stumbled across GRSync-Win, which is a great sync tool that handles click+drags, renaming and deletion. As far as I can tell, it will give you a perfect backup without sitting in the background constantly monitoring everything, no mess and no loss, which is 50% of what I'm looking for. SyncBackFree is good too.
Now I just need to find a way to do only the latest increments, to package and upload, no matter how or what it is (renamed, moved, etc). The big problem I have is that I can't maintain a whole other copy of my gamedev project, just to diff, it's just too big and I already have a free-diskspace crisis. I couldn't find an option to do this with GRSync or SyncBackFree (yet), although I have an inkling it is possible. Ideally, something that keeps like a log of the sync'd folder instead of the whole folder itself, and work from that. Or maybe just only do logs, which is why I was thinking about just doing a low-tech command-prompt approach all by myself. It would be mostly dealing with TXT files, turned into BAT files, to do it all for me.

Still open to suggestions anyway, however. Thanks again!
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Midas
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Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#8 Post by Midas »

FYI (and not implying in any way it's the right tool for your purpose), Bvckup2 can do so-called delta backups, too...

LDAsh
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Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#9 Post by LDAsh »

I decided to go with just getting an external HDD as the destination, using GrSync to sync with that, and something like DiskPulse to monitor what exactly is happening during the update, that I can then use to create my own patches to upload to collaborators. I realise it goes deeper than just click+drags or renames. There are things happening like possible incrementing/decrementing numbers in pre-existing filenames and actually who knows what else. At least, now I know...
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hamasaki
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Re: File-sync/backup program, quick & easy, for good

#10 Post by hamasaki »

Syncovery definitely detects moves:
https://www.syncovery.com/

Not free though.

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