Creating a Backup Plan Similar to Seagate's Free Agent Backup Software

Questions about Cobian Backup 11 (Gravity)
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hawkeyersc
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Joined: 20 Nov 2020, 22:45

Creating a Backup Plan Similar to Seagate's Free Agent Backup Software

Post by hawkeyersc »

Hello, I am coming from using a Seagate Expansion External Hard Drive with Seagate's Free Agent Backup Software to using a Seagate Backup Plus Slim (BPS) External Hard Drive with Seagate's Toolkit Backup Software. Unfortunately, the older Free Agent software does not work with the newer BPS drive. Toolkit does not work like the Free Agent software did with my Expansion drive and I encountered many problems with it that I could not resolve nor could Seagate support, leaving the software unreliable. When I contacted Seagate to explain the several issues I've experienced, they ultimately recommended that I just copy and paste my files over manually. I wouldn't be able to do that as I have far too many files, about 170GB at this time and it wouldn't be time efficient for me or beneficial to the drive to constantly wipe the drive and then replace all the files every time I decide to manually backup.

After doing some research, Cobian Backup Software appeared to be one of the best free options available. I've read through the software's manual, watched several YouTube videos and read various forums related to questions I have, some answered, some not, all while experimenting with the program.

I would like to replicate the Free Agent Backup Software the closest way possible, I will try to explain how that software operated as that is how I would like Cobian to function:
I prefer to do manual backups as I don't leave my external hard drive plugged in all the time.

The folders/directories that I want to backup are my Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos.

I also have empty folders/subdirectories within them that I want backed up.

When I perform the first time backup, it backs up all of these files from their designated directories to the external drive.

Now my computer's internal drive files and external drive files are the same.

(Up to this point, I was able to have Cobian working the same as Free Agent, what comes next is the tricky part that I am not sure Cobian is able to do or that it was something exclusive to Free Agent).

For example, if I decide to add 1 photo to my Pictures folder, delete a video from my Videos folder and edit an existing Word file in my Documents folder on my computer's internal drive, this is what would happen when I perform my second backup:
The added 1 photo will go into the Pictures folder from the first backup.

The deleted video will now move from the Videos folder from the first backup into a History folder for Videos for this second backup.

Lastly, the edited Word file will go into my Documents folder from my first backup and the existing Word file before edits that was in my Documents folder from the first backup will move into a History folder for Documents for this second backup.

Currently, I haven't been able to make a type of History folder for files to be moved to if they were edited or deleted from my computer's internal drive when I perform a backup after the first.

I greatly appreciate anyone who is able to contribute to my question, thank you in advance :)
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cobian
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Re: Creating a Backup Plan Similar to Seagate's Free Agent Backup Software

Post by cobian »

Hello!

There is not such a function here. The nearest you can come is creating *incremental* backups using the "Create separated backups using timestamps" function. This will create a separated backup anytime you run the task but the new backup will only contain the changes files. The old files will be kept in the previous backup.

Regards
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Luis Cobian
Cobian Backup's creator
hawkeyersc
Posts: 2
Joined: 20 Nov 2020, 22:45

Re: Creating a Backup Plan Similar to Seagate's Free Agent Backup Software

Post by hawkeyersc »

I appreciate your reply. Yes, that is also what I was thinking if the backup history feature I was used to from Seagate didn't exist within this program, thank you.
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