2BrightSparks

[leslievilleWest]

The file modification dates of my backed up files are being set at backup time to the date and time of backup.

I use the date/time as a system of organizing file versions. some of my folders are permanently set to sort the files by date and time.

I could easily use a different method of version control... but I don't. And switching my M.O. will be a large job, modifying thousands of file names.

Is this a bug or a feature? Is there any way to turn this off?

Do SE or PRO change the dates/times in the same way?

thanks!
michael

[leslievilleWest]

i have read the forums that say

"untick the option 'Force the file modification date & time to be correct' "

that option is greyed out for me. I can't untick it.

thanks,
michael

[Dave Wilkins]

Hi

I think you're mixing up two different options (or, that what you read is now out of date). The option

Force the file modification date & time to be correct

is locked on with FTP profiles, because SyncBack will always try and set the date/time stamp on the FTP server to match the LastModified stamp of the Source file/s. That this attempt is always necessary is because all FTP servers (without exception) always set the date/time stamp of uploaded files to [date/time of upload - sometimes with a server LT offset], thus SyncBack must always try to force it to be correct. Unfortunately, SyncBack freeware's method of trying to do this is limited (by the capabilities of the old 3rd-party freeware FTP engine embedded in it), to one option (MDTM in Set mode) and many FTP servers don't support that (which is a limitation of the FTP server). If this is the case, then (as per the freeware Help > FAQs)

Q: When I backup or synchronize with my FTP server, the last modification date & time for my local source files change. Why?

A: If your FTP server does not support setting the files last modification date & time, using the MDTM command, then SyncBack will change the local source files last modification date & time to match that of the file on the FTP server. See the FAQ question How do you know if a file has been modified on an FTP server? for more information.

Note that the setting you quoted relates to setting the stamp on the Destination, not the Source. In the freeware, that latter behavior is hard-wired, and cannot be turned off.

The commercial versions use a vastly improved FTP engine that supports three different methods of setting the date/time stamp (note that this does not guarantee your FTP server will...). They also support a way of working around this issue by memorizing what the Source files' attributes are currently, and using that next time instead of scanning the FTP server: because this also speeds up the scanning (which over FTP can be very slow) it's called Fast Backup, though it can in fact be leveraged for several other things, including this aspect. Note that this workaround can only be used for Backup/Mirror, not Sync (because it doesn't scan the Destination: how would it find the new/changed files there?)

The commercial versions do still have the option to set the Source files to match the FTP copies, but in the commercial versions, it is an option, and it's off by default.

Free 30-day evaluation of the commercial versions are available:

http://www.2brightsparks.com/assets/software/SyncBackSE_Setup.exe
http://www.2brightsparks.com/assets/software/SyncBackPro_Setup.exe

The differences are here

http://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback/compare.html

Do not uninstall the freeware or you will defeat the auto-profile import feature. SE imports from the freeware, Pro from SE, so if you want to try both - see below - install in the obvious order. If you only want to try Pro, you can uninstall SE afterwards. There is no automated process of importing profiles into Pro from the freeware.

The SE & Pro versions can be installed in parallel with the freeware and/or each other. Do not install any 'model' to the same folder as another (just accept the default folders for an easy life). The SE & Pro versions will uninstall cleanly if you decide not to purchase. If you do decide to purchase, the serial number will unlock whichever version you decide to license. There is no need to uninstall the 'trial' and download a 'registered' version. Entering the serial number converts the former to the latter. Any version you decide not to keep will uninstall without affecting the version you do keep (if any).

(Note: any auto-profile import will not include the schedules (to avoid double-triggering). If you want to switch your scheduled profiles over, you need to delete them from the version where they were created and re-create them from the version where you want them)
_________________
Regards,

Dave Wilkins

2BrightSparks Pte Ltd
www.2brightsparks.com
Power with Ease - Indispensable Utility Software

[leslievilleWest]

so i take it your answer is:

this functionality will always be active in the free ware version.

this functionality is not active by default in the SE version.

thanks for your help!
michael

[Dave Wilkins]

Yes - that and (a) it may not be required in the commercial version/s & (b) other workarounds may be available in the commercial version/s. Bear in mind that if the FTP server cannot change the date/time stamp, any backup software will always continually want to re-upload (re-copy) all the files (because they always look different to Source) unless it takes some action to prevent this. The freeware has only one such action open to it (change the Source stamps to match those on the FTP side)
_________________
Regards,

Dave Wilkins

2BrightSparks Pte Ltd
www.2brightsparks.com
Power with Ease - Indispensable Utility Software

[leslievilleWest]

I understand everything you have said, and totally understand. That the freeware version has limited functionality makes perfect sense. This company has to sell software, or the freeware wouldn't exist at all. As far as I'm concerned, the freeware has more functionality than I ever expected to find for free.

Now that I understand the difference in the versions, I will be purchasing a copy of Syncback SE or PRO.

BUT HAVING SAID THAT...

I used syncback on some files that I wasn't too concerned with. Had I used it on a different set of files, I WOULD BE VERY ANGRY that I had not been warned about the dates being reset.

There was one guy on this forum who said that his files dating back many years have all been reset to the date of backup. I know exactly what he means, If my archival backup hard drive had it's dates reset, it would be a very sad and confusing experience. I have 100,000 files spanning my entire career... If an architect had the date erased from all of his drawings from his career...

Quite honestly and without any ill feelings whatsoever, I believe that it is negligent on the part of the company to not warn people of what will happen to their file dates if they use the software. The company might feel that notifying users might be too agressively pushing the paid versions on them. It would be hard for me to go along with that reasoning when the paid version is only $30.

sincerely,
michael

[mickyj]

Hi, unless you were using an old version of SyncBack, when you created and saved the profile it did display a warning message: