Backup only new stuff

Questions about Cobian Reflector
OilCanHarry
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Joined: 31 Aug 2022, 17:36

Backup only new stuff

Post by OilCanHarry »

I did a full backup two weeks ago and removed the backup directory after shutting down Windows 10.

Today, both Incremental and Differential Task attempts keep doing a full backup, even when saving to the directory from the previous full backup.

Create new separated backups turned off after initial attempts.

Use archive attributes turned off after initial attempts.

Clear attribute archive left on.

Checked files on tower, none of random sample, whether part of aborted new backup or not, were marked as ready for archiving

Behaviour:

Original full backup was of Desktop (displays blue monitor icon to left) and Documents folders (displays vertical opened folder icon)

Reflector keeps creating a new directory named Desktop with vertical opened folder icon and starts full backup to the dew directory. Initially it stated that it was changing Incremental to Full Backup for some forgotten reason, now it does not make that statement but still merrily does a full backup, which I stop.

When I switch the destination to the pre-existing Desktop folder, it resumes where it left off saving to the new Desktop folder. When I moved files out of the new Desktop folder to the pre-existing one, it did not save the moved folders again.

Log from the last attempt:

2022-08-31 12:29:36 Backing up some selected tasks.

2022-08-31 12:29:37 A backup has started...
2022-08-31 12:29:37 Calculating the number of files. This could take a while...

2022-08-31 12:30:30 Backing up the task "Incremental"
2022-08-31 12:30:30 Applying the parameters to the task "Incremental" (if any).
2022-08-31 12:30:30 Requesting the creation of a Volume Shadow Copy image for the source...
2022-08-31 12:31:42 The Volume Shadow Copy image has been successfully created.
2022-08-31 12:31:42 Starting the copy. The user running the task is: Timothy
2022-08-31 12:31:42 The destination directory "D:\Desktop 2022-08-17 13;44;19\Desktop" has been successfully created.
2022-08-31 12:31:42 Backing up the directory "C:\Users\Timothy\Desktop" to "D:\Desktop 2022-08-17 13;44;19\Desktop"...
2022-08-31 12:33:35 Canceling the operation...
2022-08-31 12:33:35 Deleting the Volume Shadow Copy image...
2022-08-31 12:33:36 The Volume Shadow Copy image has been successfully deleted.

2022-08-31 12:33:36 The backup has ended without errors.
----------

Original attempts today created D:\Desktop 2022-08-31 [whatever time stamp]\Desktop

Is this just a confusing interface issue of some sort or is it really trying to waste another fourteen hours of my time doing a full backup of my tower? The software is useless to me if it requires doing a full backup every single time.
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cobian
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Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by cobian »

This is because the files are not found at the destination after the removal. This is the normal behavior when not creating separated backups.
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Luis Cobian
Cobian Backup's creator
OilCanHarry
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Joined: 31 Aug 2022, 17:36

Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by OilCanHarry »

Now that I have separated backups turned off, does this mean that:

a) I have to do a new complete backup, after which incremental backups will work properly even if I've removed the drive and plugged it back in after some time

or

b) That I can't remove the drive without losing the ability to do incremental backups
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cobian
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Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by cobian »

It should be OK now I think but I would force another full backup first just to be safe.
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Luis Cobian
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OilCanHarry
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Joined: 31 Aug 2022, 17:36

Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by OilCanHarry »

I did the full backup, took 14 hours ending today.

With computer still running, having just completed the full backup less than half an hour ago, tried doing an incremental backup.

The onscreen log says it changed the task to a full backup because it was the first time it had been run.

I really don't understand what I'm doing wrong here.

Is there some default setting that's causing this absurdity?

Tonight I learnt that the log files are apparently useless unless I change a default setting to Verbose.

Obviously I need crampons and pitons to handle the learning curve on this software.
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cobian
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Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by cobian »

If you check the history of the task, do you see your full backup or is it empty?
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Luis Cobian
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OilCanHarry
Posts: 6
Joined: 31 Aug 2022, 17:36

Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by OilCanHarry »

I'll have to check next time the drive is plugged in.

This occurred to me: could the problem be due to me having separate tasks for full backup and incremental?

If there is, is there a way to move the full backup files (assuming they still exist) to wherever the incremental task is writing its own backup?
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cobian
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Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by cobian »

You don't need to have 2 separated backups. Only one incremental backup will do it. The first backup of the task will always be done Fully.
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Luis Cobian
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OilCanHarry
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Joined: 31 Aug 2022, 17:36

Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by OilCanHarry »

This leaves me having to do yet another 14-hour full backup before a new incremental would work properly.

Is there no way to repoint the target or move files to fool the program into thinking it's already completed its full backup?

Would resetting the full backup task that it last completed to incremental using the radio buttons work around that first backup issue?

I'm desperate to avoid having to do another 14-hour backup with no guarantee it will work properly.
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cobian
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Re: Backup only new stuff

Post by cobian »

You can alway tell the program not to Mahe the first backup as Full in the options.
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