UGH! Mirror backup deletes backup if source drive failed

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sisom
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2011 7:59 am

Re: UGH! Mirror backup deletes backup if source drive failed

Post by sisom »

I totally agree with Dahlgren, I wasn't aware that FBackup would delete my BACKUP files if the source drive was unavailable, this is just insanity. Why would anybody want to have FBackup delete their entire backup files for an entire source drive, just because the source drive isn't there? Why wouldn't we just manually delete the files to do something like that - which is something we are highly unlikely to want to do? It's obviously something that FBackup doesn't NEED to do, and most people (99.99999%) are NEVER going to want it to do this, so why on earth make this even possible?
I only found out about Dahlgren's post because I had found that my backup drive was full, even though my source drive had 100GB free, because for some reason FBackup wasn't removing deleted files from the backup, so it was just increasing in size, even though I had ticked the box to make it do this. I deleted some folders which were on the backup drive, but which I then realised I should have left, so ran the backup again, expecting it to MIRROR the source to the backup, but it didn't, it just ignored the 200GB of folders which I had just deleted from the backup drive, and pretended they were still there. This is totally useless and I am now looking for another backup program, because these are two MAJOR problems for any backup program, if it can't perform these two simple functions properly.

Adrian (Softland)
Posts: 1953
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 7:57 am

Re: UGH! Mirror backup deletes backup if source drive failed

Post by Adrian (Softland) »

Hi,

FBackup has a large number of users, which uses it in different ways. Just because you do not need an option, it doesn't mean it is not useful for other users. That option is very useful if used correctly.

As per the files deleted from backup, that option works only if the files were copied by FBackup (not manually) and if there is at least one new or modified file/folder to be backed up.
If the above conditions are met, please send me the last backup log (from View->Job Logs->Last backup log) and the backup catalog file (the .fkc catalog file from the backup destination) to info[at]fbackup[dot]com to see what the problem is.
Don't forget to mention the name and path of a file which was not deleted from backup.

foggs
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:43 am

Re: UGH! Mirror backup deletes backup if source drive failed

Post by foggs »

Has this issue been resolved?

I came across this by chance while looking at other FBackup issues. This is pretty scary and negates the whole point of backup.

Adrian (Softland)
Posts: 1953
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 7:57 am

Re: UGH! Mirror backup deletes backup if source drive failed

Post by Adrian (Softland) »

Dear foggs,

FBackup works fine, you don't need to worry about your backup if using the default settings.
This topic is about an option which can be selected to keep the backup in destination updated. For example you want to remove from the backup in destination the files you deleted from sources. To have the exact same files in sources and destination.
FBackup will delete the files from destination ONLY if the option "Remove excluded or deleted sources" is selected. That means you really want to delete those files.

In such a case, when the option is selected and you forgot to connect the source drive, even if the files are deleted from destination, you still have them on the source drive. Connecting the source drive and running again the backup will back up those files again.

If the missing drive is the only backup source, the backup won't run (no files will be deleted) as it detects no source drive.

Awethenticjms1111
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:05 pm

Re: UGH! Mirror backup deletes backup if source drive failed

Post by Awethenticjms1111 »

I have found a very very troubling issue.

Softland says in the above reply from them -

"FBackup will delete the files from destination ONLY if the option "Remove excluded or deleted sources" is selected. That means you really want to delete those files."

I downloaded their latest version, uninstalled the previous version I had, deleted all the old .fkc files, and set up a new mirror backup with the option "Remove excluded or deleted sources" NOT, I repeat, NOT, selected.

I wanted to backup files from my C: drive to an externall HDD drive (J in this case) which already had some files on it from a backup from another PC that had carked it, but that had a similar folder structure and some of the files, but not all, may have had the same names as those on the source C: drive. My intention by NOT selecting the "Remove excluded or deleted sources" option was to do a mirror backup to simply ADD my desired data files on C: to J: drive and to LEAVE all the existing old files on J: drive ALONE - ie to NOT delete them.

Pretty simply request, isn't it?

BUT GUESS WHAT! It DELETED ALL THE OLD FILES ON THE DESTINATION DRIVE, EVEN THOUGH I HAD NOT NOT NOT CHECKED THE "Remove excluded or deleted sources" OPTION.

So now I HAVE LOST ALL MY OLD FILES!!!!! WTF????

Softland - please explain this destructive behaviour.

All the best, cheers and enjoy.

Michael

Adrian (Softland)
Posts: 1953
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 7:57 am

Re: UGH! Mirror backup deletes backup if source drive failed

Post by Adrian (Softland) »

Hi,

@Awethenticjms1111:
Please send us the last backup log for that job and the backup catalog (.fkc file) from the backup destination, to see what happened.
Send us the files to info[at]fbackup[dot]com

We tried to reproduce your problem here but the files are not deleted if that option is not selected.
Also the deletion (if the option is selected) would apply to the files in backup, not to the files outside the backup in destination.

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