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A simple auto-backup solution- what's yours?

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johnnyh
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Last seen: 16 years 6 months ago
Joined: 2006-04-24 11:23
A simple auto-backup solution- what's yours?

Here's what I found to be a relatively easy way to sync my drive with a backup folder on my home PC.

Software you'll need:
SyncBack - I've got 3.2.1 and it's not entirely portable (profiles stored locally), but then I'm only backing up on my home PC anyway
PStart-(or launcher equivilant [if there was one;)...]
Optional
Quick Menu Builder- great CD automenu builder.

First, you need a quick way, automated way to launch SyncBack. I used Quick Menu Builder to build a custom menu (which is my autorun), that has a Home/Work/10 apps I want quick access to, but not to always launch with PStart.
You can just as easily place a SyncBack shortcut in your USB root and click Browse Drive at stick autorun and double click said shortcut for quick access.

Next, setup SyncBack. Setup your type of sync, destination... so on. Lastly, and this is what sets SyncBack above others IMO, set PStart to launch at completion of sync process.

So at home I run syncback almost daily as it's quick, easy and automated backup. Away, I run standard PStart.

That's mine, what's yours?:)

someoneabc
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Last seen: 15 years 4 months ago
Joined: 2007-04-05 12:34
Don't use shortcuts!

You can just as easily place a SyncBack shortcut in your USB root and click Browse Drive at stick autorun and double click said shortcut for quick access.

No shortcuts here. A shortcut has an absolute path, eg. "E:\syncback\syncback.exe"

This means that if the drive letter changes (many reasons) your shortcut won't start!

- Better way--Make a bat file to run the app, then convert it to an exe using Bat To Exe Converter, and select "Ghost application".

EDIT: Didn't start href tag right. Woops!
EDIT2: No subject. Woops!

rab040ma
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Last seen: 6 months 1 day ago
Joined: 2007-08-27 13:35
It turns out Windows will

It turns out Windows will sometimes re-jigger the absolute path in a shortcut, if the path to which the shortcut points doesn't exist and it does exist on the current drive.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't rely on shortcuts either.

MC

BuddhaChu
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Last seen: 6 months 4 days ago
Joined: 2006-11-18 10:26
One word..."robocopy".

One word..."robocopy".

Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

Zhrakkan
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Last seen: 16 years 10 months ago
Joined: 2006-11-10 13:47
I have used Robocopyxp for

I have used Robocopyxp for many purposes as well as large data transfers at work.

**************************************
4gb flash drive to store personal data
**************************************

OliverK
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Last seen: 3 years 6 months ago
Developer
Joined: 2007-03-27 15:21
7-zip 7z format, depending

7-zip
7z format, depending on what computer I'm usings, I set the compresson level.
650 mb spillting so I can burn it to discs.

Done.

Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world

Zhrakkan
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Last seen: 16 years 10 months ago
Joined: 2006-11-10 13:47
I wrote a batch script that

I wrote a batch script that will backup your USB Flash Drive (should work fine with a USB Hard Drive as well) to your Main Hard Drive

The way the script is organized now is assuming you dont have MASSIVE amounts of data.
This script requires the following:
1) USBackup.bat (the code below is this file)
2) 7z.exe (this is the opensource application called 7-Zip, the 7z.exe file is the command executable of it)
3) Robocopyxp.exe (this is the Robust File Copy Utility from Microsoft. Its free, but not opensource. I dont claim any ownership over it, just that my script calls it to run)
4) Deltree.exe (This is a Tree deletion utility I found online, honestly, I dont know what its licensing status is, the web site where I found it is located HERE )

All these files are put in a folder called Apps\USBackup on the removable drive.

Here is the code:

@echo off
REM **** http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/ntcmds_shelloverview.mspx?mfr=true
REM **** USBBackup
REM **** written by John Sponheimer
REM ****
REM **** Script that copies ALL data from a USB Drive to a Local Folder on a Desktop.  It then ARCHIVES the data into a 
REM **** ZIP file on the Local Computer for historical backup purposes by date.
REM ****
REM ****
REM ****
REM **** robocopyxp is a product of Microsoft, not me!
REM **** deltree is a product of Microsoft, not me!
REM **** 7-Zip is a product of its creator (Igor Pavlov), not me!
REM ****
REM **** Originally written on 11/16/2006 by John C. Sponheimer
REM ****

REM ****
REM **** Finds the Date and puts it in a format not using the / character
REM ****

@ECHO OFF
ECHO %DATE%|FIND " " > NUL
IF ERRORLEVEL 0 FOR /F "tokens=1,2 delims= " %%i IN ("%DATE%") DO SET DATE=%%j
FOR /F "tokens=1,2,3 delims=/" %%i IN ("%DATE%") DO SET FILENAME=%%i-%%j-%%k
ECHO %FILENAME%
SET DATE=

REM ****
REM **** Creates the folders on the Hard Drive (C:) if they dont exist, if it errors, it will NOT stop the script.
REM ****

md c:\USBackup
md C:\USBackup\temp_data
md C:\USBackup\temp_log
md C:\USBackup\Zip_Archives
md C:\USBackup\Zip_Logs

REM ****
REM **** Find the USB Drive Drive Letter and Application Folder on USB Drive
REM **** USB_App is the path == ":\Apps\USBackup"
REM **** USB_Home is the path == ":"
REM ****

set USB_App=%cd%
cd %USB_App%\..\..
set USB_Home=%cd%

REM ****
REM **** Runs the robocopy of the data from the USB Drive to the Hard Drive
REM ****

%USB_App%\robocopyxp.exe %USB_Home% C:\USBackup\temp_data /COPYALL /B /MIR /r:5 /log:C:\USBackup\temp_log\%FILENAME%.txt

REM ****
REM **** Zips (not using the 7-Zip format, but WinZip format) the log and the Data Backup
REM ****

%USB_App%\7z.exe a -rtzip c:\USBackup\Zip_Archives\"%FILENAME%".zip C:\USBackup\temp_data\*.*
%USB_App%\7z.exe a -rtzip c:\USBackup\Zip_Logs\"%FILENAME%"_log.zip C:\USBackup\temp_log\*.*

REM ****
REM ****  Cleanup, getting rid of copied data and unwanted files.
REM ****

%USB_App%\deltree.exe /y C:\USBackup\temp_data
%USB_App%\deltree.exe /y C:\USBackup\temp_log

[Moderator RM: PRE is for block code, that's good enough for me [/cookie-monster]]

**************************************
4gb flash drive to store personal data
**************************************

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