FreeFileSync Forum

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Omitting exact hour differences (as a saved OPTION with particular sync jobs) sounds good. I think these switches are the reason why other software doesn't flag those files as different. OFFsetting, however - I don't know. Maybe I didn't get the point? If you mean to offset the time of whole folder ...

I have of variety of different paths that I pass over to FFS from a dual pane file manager. FFS always starts immediately comparing the two sides - this is not what I want. If I knew in advance what to do with 2 sides, I could call up a stored preset. How do I prevent FFS from starting a sync immedi...

> accessing a FAT32 formatted USB drive. It seems we need something better here. I would highly welcome a different way of dealing with this. Maybe an automatic flag that allows to isolate all exact 1h differences? So it were easier to mark them all in one go - to exempt them from the list, for inst...

Thanks Zenju, Will wait for the next DST to come around and report back. However, judging from your points 1, 2, 3 - it appears to me that the exact same thing is likely to happen again: 1 = true - I synced just now, with DST in effect 2 = true - in those months following the next DST switch - I wil...

>step away from FAT for the drives to be synced Cannot do without FAT, just not feasible - the data does not stem from NTFS computers alone, but also other non-NTFS devices. The problem compounds when you have a whole pool of machines, devices, drives, sticks ... which is exactly the reason I've com...

Thank you.
Made a note of the procedure to do it right after the next DST switch - *sigh* - but to be honest - this is quite a show-stopper for large volumes.

Thanks. This did the trick. Tried it on a rather small drive first. Right now it's busy syncing the big one (4TB) Do you also have a solution for checking for 1h differences only? I am a bit scared to delete something that may indeed be newer on the other side. But I cannot possibly scan the whole l...

>You can also delete the files manually from FFS. The emphasis being "manually" (via right mouse DEL), correct? Not by flagging them for deletion via the middle column actions? >comparison speed is unaffected by the DST handling. I meant the extra time it takes to unecessarily copy all tho...

>Delete the problematic files on the FAT32 drive with Explorer, then copy the corresponding files back over from NTFS, either with FFS or Explorer. Easier said than done. They're scattered all over the whole area of 600 GB. That means I first have to isolate them in FFS (since it's only here they sh...

Thank you for the explanation, Zenju I don't keep track of when I copied what before or after the DST switch - but I trust your assessment, so this is probably what happened. Especially since it does not affect all files. Are you saying I should NOT use Explorer to copy files? But file managers also...

Immediately after running a sync that copies tons of files, I run COMPARE again on the very same set. And again it tells me tons of files have changed, even though it just synced them. It seems to be related to the old 1h problem: all the files that FFS just copied over, bear a different time stamp ...

>Please don't draw conclusions for FFS based on the quality of implementation seen in other sync software. If you find any bug with two way mode, please send a bug report. Sorry to hear you perceived it that way. I had absolutely no intention to question the technical aspect, or the robustness, nor ...

I don't know where FFS stores the log of installed versions - your best choices are probably the usual places: MyDocuments or Users\Your_User_Name\AppData\Roaming or ..\AppData\Local

Look for the file LastSyncs.log - should be in the same directory as FreeFileSync.exe if you run the portable version. When relying on Two Way Sync, keep your file names and folder structure consistent. Makes it easier for the database (the "reference point" that keeps track of changes) to...

Two Way is a very tricky thing - quite a challenge for every sync software I have owned over the years. I usually try to avoid it, and stick with the more straightforward options. Why would you use Two Way in your case? You're the only one working on your files, aren't you? It never happens that bot...

I see. But if you get no drive letter, chances are not good this will work with FFS, IMO. If Windows is able to access these folders without drive letter, it probably means there is some kind of hardware handshake taking place, other than via the regular Drive:Folder:File hierarchy. I had similar is...

Are you saying you do get drive letters in Win7?
Do you hook up the device via cable, or do you insert the SD card into the PC?
Are you able to access the folders via Win Explorer?

I run FFS portable from the stick. Requirements are different every time, some are backups, some are syncs (mostly one way). What I have to change frequently is the middle icon (="cannot be categorized"). If I see action icons only, I wouldn't have a clue why it wants to copy a file. Is it...

Confirmed. Same here. Still not fixed.

>Showing both view types at the same time may make the UI look more complicated (and even confusing) Maybe so, but switching back and forth also helps to get an idea of how your current sync settings will translate to the actual data at hand. Your suggestion requires a thorough understanding and car...

This setup should work for you: See attached screenshot.
Call up SyncRules (F8) and hover your mouse over the icons to make sense of it. To change an action, click on the green/blue arrow buttons.

Sounds good to me. Clear and obvious, imo.

You can select the files you want to binary-compare, right-click and add to the include filter. Then change the comparison variant and compare again. I was afraid you'd say that. It requires a complete "hard-wired" filter setup for an ever changing environment. Which brings me back to the...

Comparing two files by content is roughly just as fast as simply overwriting one with the other. So for "mirror" there's nothing to improve in FFS. For "two way" mode a conflict indeed needs manual resolution. However I'm not convinced that this problem is a valid one: If the ve...

Sounds like you could also be a victim of the exact 1 hour difference:
viewtopic.php?t=116

Or here:
viewtopic.php?t=116

Wouldn't that be covered by the checkbox
"Detect moved files"
on the Sync-Settings (F8)?

3 = items that cannot be categorized Relates to everything not covered by the other 4 buttons, such as: - same date, same size, but different attributes (read-only etc..) - same date, but different size By choosing an action for this category 3, you may set up a rule to - always copy into a certain ...

> I changed the time difference tolerance in the config file to 3602 seconds Does not work for me, the risk is too high that files got modified within an hour after their backup-snapshot. I still favor the 1-hour option switch, despite its drawbacks. Referring to the link that Zenju provided (very i...