Compare folders for backups.

[HAVOC]

What program can I use to compare two folders to see what was changed and backup just the changes, not the entire folder? I have Macrium Reflect that I use for system images. Will that work?

 

[Callender]

For my preferred app see this post:

Free utility or inbuilt program to compare source & destination files

The above will determine which files were changed or added and let you preview the results before copying.

 

[Callender]

If you mean just add newest files rather than compare existing files for changes see this:

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SimplySync Backup

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I prefer FreeFileSync. When set to Mirror mode, it will compare a source and destination folder (btw, it will also treat entire drives as folders if you wish), then copy new and changed files from the source to the destination and delete files from the destination as needed to make the destination essentially identical to the source. FreeFileSync also has a versioning option. The versioning option, if you wish, lets you assign a folder or drive to send deleted files to. This is handy if you later decide you need an earlier version of a file or you accidentally delete a file and don't discover it until after it gets deleted from your backup.

I use FreeFileSync for backing up my data drives and Macrium Reflect for imaging my boot drive (OS and programs only).

 

[MilesAhead]

A method I have used for years is the File Sync mechanism in Free Commander. Simply navigate to source and destination folders. Then in the Folders Menu click Synchronize. There are buttons to show new or changed files in either direction. It is very intuitive. The same setup was in the older version of FreeCommander(before the current XE release.) So the developer has had a long time to perfect the sync code. I don't remember when FreeCommander first added the Folder Sync but it has been included in the file manager for quite a few years.

Once you press the sync button, press Compare. All actions that would ensue are displayed. You can individually remove files from the list. But generally all you need to do is click the view buttons. To only sync new and changed files in one direction simply enable those 2 views on that side. Everything shows arrows which way the files will be copied before you commit.

I do my day to day file copying using Explorer. But I installed FreeCommander XE just for the folder sync utility.

 

[HAVOC]

I'm going to try free file sync.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm going to try free file sync.

If you have any trouble setting it up, let us know and one of us can walk you through it.

 

[johnhoh]

I use a two-line batch file I named Backit.bat. Here's its contents

start /w robocopy \\computer1\data \\computer2\data\ /xo
start /w robocopy \\computer2\data \\computer1\data\ /xo

All it does is synchronize two computers by copying any updated file, or any new file, to the other computer.

 

[RolandJS]

Make sure you install unchecky from unchecky.com -- that will help to alert you to any attempt by FreeFileSync install operations to get additional stuff onto your computer. I can't remember if there is a custom or advanced install option for FFS; such does exist for almost all other installs of major goodies from all around The 'Net.

 

[HAVOC]

Make sure you install unchecky from unchecky.com -- that will help to alert you to any attempt by FreeFileSync install operations to get additional stuff onto your computer. I can't remember if there is a custom or advanced install option for FFS; such does exist for almost all other installs of major goodies from all around The 'Net.

It only asked to install Yahoo. I'm not one to blindly click next during installs so I never use Unchecky.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

It only asked to install Yahoo. I'm not one to blindly click next during installs so I never use Unchecky.

I'm also not one to blindly click next during installs but, every once in a blue moon an install will pull a sneaky that would have "snuck" by me if I hadn't had Unchecky installed. Think of Unchecky as cheap insurance.

 

[RolandJS]

Havoc, I said nothing about clicking blindly, I said use unchecky along with advanced or custom install in order to watch that install operations do not add stuff.