FreeFileSync Forum

You have selected to run a TwoWay-sync or to "Detect moved files". In both cases FFS will (try to) create a database file at either side (left and right), and throws an error when unable to do so. As your "source" (likely your left base location) is read only, there is no need to...

This is a just warning.
If you continue, FFS will perform as intended, except for moving deleted files on your phone to a recycle-bin. Instead those files will then be permanently deleted.

Simply run a left-right Compare, and select to view the suitable compare-result category (mid below the compare-results.
You can then review the list, and if you want to even export it (via Tools / Export file list).

You can use Macros,
also in the definition of your left and/or right base location.
If you define a right-side base location that does not exist yet,
FFS will ask if it should create it for you.

For every sync, there is only a single versioning location; not one for the left location and another one for the right location. You can freely select where the versioning location is. This versioning location may be (on the drive of) your left location, your right location, or some arbitrary other...

Simply select the Update sync variant in the Synchronization Settings (F8)
The Update sync variant leaves files that pre-exist in the right (destination) location intact, if those files do not, or no longer exist in the left (source) location.

If all pictures in your "pictures-master" are in one-and-the-same directory, you need to use the Update sync variant or a Custom sync variant; not the Mirror variant. In the Update variant X => Master, if a newer version of a file exists on the Master, those changes will not be synced to X...

There is a very simple solution in FFS for your use-case. But it is not via a FFS Two-Way sync, but rather via a FFS Custom sync variant. There you can select for "Left side is newer" to "Update right item", and for "Right side is newer" to "Update left item" ...

OK. But at least, then you can make your manual changes to Exclude Filter definition from a correctly working starting point, and generalize from there.

Yes, that is possible. But as you already have two different batch-files (batchRun1 and batchRun2), you can better also create a dedicated RTS task for each of these batch-files (RTS1 and RTS2). The RTS1 monitors for changes in C/original folder 1 and D/folder X, and when detecting any such changes ...

Simply run a Compare in the FFS GUI.
Select and then right-click the folder or file you want to exclude, and add the file to the Exclude Filter via the context menu.
Then you are sure to use the correct filter definition.

You first have to create a valid *.ffs_batch-file yourself
(e.g. via the FFS GUI and then save it as a *.ffs_batch-file),
and then "drag and drop" that *.ffs_batch-file into the RTS GUI window.

> The user was the sole one ... so yes.

In Windows you always have the System user (next to any other users), and as stated, in the Windows Task Scheduler, tasks are by default run as the System user.

Perhaps this is also relevant here.
The task-bar only shows tasks of the logged-in user; tasks running under different user credentials are not shown.

As described in the FFS manual.

Perhaps this is also relevant here.

Does the user under which credentials you run the FFS batch-file (as a scheduled task /cronjob) have access to and write permission for your Versioning location?
In the Windows Task Scheduler, tasks are by default run as the System user.

You determine yourself how often for your use-case you need to run a Compare+Sync.
Some do it once every week, others once every day, and some one every hour.
You can also use RealTimeSync to run FFS according to need, i.e. only if changes occurred.

Can be handled by FFS similar to as described in viewtopic.php?t=9914

Assuming you will at most only run an FFS sync a couple of times per day, you can consider that to be fairly infrequent in terms of potential disk wear-out. Obviously, every time you run a sync in FFS, it will first perform a Compare on every file within the scope of the sync. Depending the type of ...

An FFS Mirror sync does not "rely" on sync_lock files. FFS works just as well when you disable the use of sync_lock files, by setting the LockDirectoriesDuringSync flag to false. Make sure to read why that feature is there, and the "risk" you run when disabling it. That "ris...

You seem to be making several statements; not asking any question. Your statements are at least incorrect in that you are mixing up FreeFileSync (FFS) and RealTimeSync (RTS). If you read FFS where you write RTS, your statements above are mostly correct. RTS serves to monitor for changes (in between ...

Not answering your question, but relevant to the topic:
https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=volume-shadow-copy

Like xCSxXenon wrote (yet fairly condensely): use Filters. Use the left-right base folder pair C:\MyJobs <==> B:\AllJobs And change you Include Filter from * (= everything in the left and right base location) into /D/* /F/* /G/* /R/* (= everything in the D, F, G and R folder and their subfolders) An...

https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=rts-as-service
and
https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=schedule-batch-jobs

Why triple posting here, here and here?
According to Internet etiquette, double and, even more, triple posting is considered inappropriate behavior.

> Is it not possible to add a command in the software - repeat this operation once every XX days / hours / weeks? Obviously that would theoretically be possible. But things like this are quite OS specific, and FFS is also for many other OS's than Windows. And even in Windows, there are so may differ...