Copy/Delete, Advanced

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Copy/Delete, Advanced

 

Make safe copies (copy files using a temporary filename and then rename the file on success - reduces performance): When this option is ticked then SyncBackPro will copy files in a two stage process: first it will copy the file and use a temporary filename, then it will then replace the destination file with the temporary copy if the copy was a success. This avoids problems where the destination file may be deleted because the original file could not be copied, e.g. because it is locked and cannot be replaced. With FTP it is actually a three stage process as it must delete the file being replaced before renaming the temporary copy. With multi-zip (where the destination is a normal drive and not FTP etc.), safe copying is always used when creating the compressed file. When copying to the cloud, safe copying is not used due to the way cloud services work (an uploaded file may not appear immediately). This option is enabled by default and is recommended. If you have enabled versioning, on either the source or destination, then you cannot change this setting as safe copies must be used when versioning is used.

 

warning

We strongly recommend using the safe copy feature to avoid corrupting your backup files due to unpredictable failures or errors. However, there may be cases where performance is the most important factor. If you are copying thousands of files, especially small files, or you are copying over a network (this includes FTP and the cloud) then switching off safe copies can significantly reduce the backup time. Note that if you are using versioning then you cannot switch off safe copies (as versioning requires its use).

 

Prompt to retry if source/left or destination/right drives do not exist: If a drive does not exist, e.g. because it has not been connected or the network connection is not available, then a prompt will be displayed. Note that if the profile is run unattended then no prompt is displayed and the profile will fail.

 

If a file cannot be copied because of security (Access Denied) then try Backup Read/Write copy method: The Backup Read/Write file copying method lets a user (who is a member of the Backup Operators user group) backup files that they have no access to. When this option is enabled if a file cannot be copied because you have no access rights to it then the backup method is used to try and bypass the file security.

 

Copy NTFS sparse files using Backup Read/Write copy method: The Backup Read/Write file copying method lets a user (who is a member of the Backup Operators user group) backup NTFS sparse files correctly (assuming the destination supports NTFS sparse files). When this option is enabled, and the file being copied is a sparse file, then the backup method is used to correctly copy the file. Note that sparse files will still be copied, and be valid and not corrupt, without using the backup read/write copy method, but the copy would no longer be sparse and therefore using more disk space.

 

Force the file modification date & time to be correct (may be required when using SAMBA or network drives): Sometimes the file system that files are copied to cannot correctly record the files last modification date & time. For example, when using SAMBA shares (or some NAS devices) there can be occasions when the file will have the current date & time as it's last modification date & time. To resolve this SyncBackPro can forcibly change the copies last modification and creation dates & times to be correct. The dates and times will be as accurate as Windows allows (within 100 nanoseconds), but note that file systems have different limitations on accuracy. This option is only available when copying from one file system to another, and not when using compression, the cloud, FTP, etc. There is another option (see the Compare Options, Date & Time page) to ask SyncBackPro to ignore small date & time differences. This can also be useful in avoiding problems where the file system cannot accurately record dates & times.

 

Copy file creation date & times: By default copies of files are given the current date & time as their creation date & time. If this option is enabled then the creation date & time is copied. Note that FTP servers cannot store file creation date & times.

 

Copy last access date & times: By default the last access date and time is not copied. If this option is enabled then the last access date & time is copied. Note that in many cases, e.g. when using non-NTFS file systems, FTP and SFTP servers, etc., it is not possible to use the last access date & time because it is not supported by the service or file system.

 

Reset the archive file attribute on files once they have been copied: When enabled the archive attribute on a file, both on the source/left and destination/right, will be cleared once the file has been copied. Enabling this option will slightly decrease performance. This option is not available when doing Fast Backups.

 

Remove the read-only attribute from copies of files (useful when copying from a CD-ROM): In some situations, when a file is copied from a CD/DVD, then the file may automatically be marked as read-only (not by SyncBack, but by the file system driver in Windows). If this option is enabled then any read-only flag put on the copy of the file will be removed automatically.

 

Delete ALL the files and folders in source/left before scanning for changes: This option should be used with extreme care! It will delete all files and folders in the source/left folder before it scans for changes. Be extremely careful with this option as you could very easily delete all your files, e.g. if your source/left is C:\ then you will delete every single file on your C: drive. You have been warned!

 

Delete ALL the files and folders in destination/right before scanning for changes: This option should be used with extreme care! It will delete all files and folders in the destination/right folder before it scans for changes (if the destination/right is a single Zip file then just the Zip file will be deleted). Be extremely careful with this option as you could very easily delete all your files, e.g. if your destination/right is C:\ then you will delete every single file on your C: drive. You have been warned! If your profile is using Fast Backup then you should instead use the option "Delete all the files and folders in the destination before the backup (only if it is not a rescan)".

 

warning

When using cloud services such as Google Drive and Box you need to be extremely careful with this option. The same folder can be referenced from many other folders. This means you could potentially delete files and folders that are not just in your source/left or destination/right.

 

Copy short filenames (not used for compression, FTP, etc.): If enabled, when a file is copied from one file system to another then if the file has a short filename it will also be copied. Short filenames are a legacy feature of Windows and are there to help old software remain compatible. Note that this setting is ignored when used with FTP, compression, the cloud, etc. Also, enabling this setting will have an affect on performance. This option is not enabled by default.

 

Stop Windows from caching a files contents when it is copied: If enabled, when a file is copied from one file system to another then SyncBackPro will tell Windows not to cache the contents of the file in memory. If you are copying large files, or want to reduce the memory load on the system, then it is recommended you enable this option. This option is only available on when the standard, memory map, read-ahead or threaded file copy methods are being used and is only used when copying between file systems.

 

Request traffic is compressed: If enabled, and you are copying files to or from SMB network shares, and SMB protocol version V3.1.1 or greater is used (introduced in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016), then SyncBack requests that the network traffic be compressed. If you are copying large files, that are compressible, then this may improve performance. Note that the files themselves are not stored compressed, only that the data that is transmitted over the network is compressed. This option is only available on Windows 10 1903 (Build 18362, 19H1) and newer. It is also only used with the Windows standard file copying method.

 

Number of files to delete in parallel: When SyncBackPro deletes files on internal, external or network drives, then they are deleted serially, i.e. one after another. In some cases, it may be faster to delete files in parallel. To delete files in parallel, increase this value. A value which is too high will have the opposite of the desired outcome, i.e. it will slow down the profile. This setting is ignored in some situations, e.g. if versioning is being used.

 

 

 

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