useful help for freefilesync?

[msongs]

tried using freefilesync. there is NO help with this program that tells u how to use it.
so I guessed by putting a folder on one side of the program and compared it to a folder on the other side of the program (the "sides" have no name) and then did synchronize. got files with green = signs and a bunch of = with red slashes. So there is no help to explain what any of that means either. So I killed the program and just did backup using usb file transfer to the external hard drive, very effective but slow and you have to backup everthing, even files that have not changed

any good help step by step tutorials that explain how to use program and what all these error messages mean? there is one video "tutorial" just using pictures but it is not very helpful really because it has no voice over or explanation of what it is doing.

thanks!

if i backup my website it has to be correct, not with a bunch of red equal signs.

 

[kado897]

Hello msongs. There is a help file with FFS which can be accessed via the help menu item. This video I made may also help you. Backup With FreeFileSync - YouTube. If you have any specific question post them and I may be able to help.

 

[msongs]

thanks for your reply.....

I want to update file changes in hard drive A folder to the target folder in hard drive B. Only the new items or changes, not everything. So I choose compare and it will not show me all the files in both drive A and drive B. If I choose to synch using "update" when it is done it will NOT show me all the files in both folders so I can tell if it worked right or not.

the only way to compare folders to see if new files were put in the backup folder is to use windows explorer and open both folders in both drives and visually inspect whether or not the changes were made.

 

[kado897]

Do you really want to scroll trough, maybe thousands of files just to see if it works?

 

[jmsnyc]

I am trying to use this program but I do not understand how the compare works.

For example, if I do a Sync/Update and then Compare the folders, they should be identical. I then create a 1kb text file on the left folder, do a compare - how do I just see that file?

 

[kado897]

If you press the compare button it will show the differences.

 

[InstantSesame]

I want to update file changes in hard drive A folder to the target folder in hard drive B. Only the new items or changes, not everything. So I choose compare .....

Why? The no-nonsense file comparison interface is one of the many reasons why I like FreeFileSync so much.

For your question, the key point is not the comparison part. It is the MODE of backup you want. From what you wrote I'm quite sure you're like the majority of us, ie: after the backup you want your backup folders to have exactly the same files and folders as your original folders. In that case, what you want is the MIRROR mode.

Just make sure you choose the mirror mode BEFORE you press the compare button.

To set the mode, click the green cog button (just next to the Synchronize button).

edit: Apology. Just noticed that it's an old post. But what I wrote may still be useful to the new question raised.

 

[kado897]

Mirror mode only synchronizes in one direction. That is best if you are using it for a back up, if you want to keep two folders in sync "Two way" may be better.

 

[jmsnyc]

I realized it was an old post when I revived it but I figured it would be better to post my question here rather than to create a new post or pm Kado who seems very knowledgeable about this program.

I think my confusion, which prompted me to raise the previous question, was due to the fact that I did an overnight copy of a large folder (using Windows itself) and then when I did the compare with FFS it was showing me tons of files. After my post I realized why. I used a cut instead of a copy.

During the Windows copy I was skipping files that Windows prompted too long a filename error, so my folder still existing but only with the error files. Since I still had a left folder, I forgot I did a "cut" instead and assumed there should not be that many differences.

Thanks for replying.

 

[kado897]

Resurrecting old threads is not a good idea. It is just because I do very little housekeeping that I am still subscribed to this thread.