FFS switches to wrong folder address

[Max.Fischer]

When I want to open a new session to back up a section of my PC, for example « Pictures » or « Documents », then FreeFileSync lets me see and select the corresponding folder on the PC, but then FreefileSync does not show the correct address but jumps to the address on OneDrive, although I have disabled OneDrive completely in the meantime. How can I prevent FreeFileSync from jumping to the invalid OneDrive address ? Backup of Pictures and Documents worked before the last windows system updates some time ago. Interestingly, some other backups were not affected and still work perfectly, e.g. «Desktop» and «Videos».

[therube]

On I know nothing of OneDrive (so simply a WAG)...

(If)

Onedrive has stuff in a place like

c:/onedrive/pictures

& the "real" location is

c:/users/max/pictures

when you set up FFS, you had (have) it pointing to
c:/onedrive/pictures

& if you now point it instead to
c:/users/max/pictures

you should be good - maybe :-).

[xCSxXenon]

See this alllllll the time. Your documents folder is actually located at

"C:\Users\xxxxxx\OneDrive\Documents".

Same with the pictures folder. If you go to "This PC", right-click the documents folder, go to the 'location' tab, then click restore default. It will restore it to the default

"C:\Users\xxxxxx\documents\"

folder. It will ask you if you want to move the files, click yes. Do the same
with the Pictures folder.

This happened because at some point you selected to automatically back those folders up to OneDrive, which actually moves them under the hood. Thus, the shortcuts in File Explorer are pointing inside OneDrive now. This is all saved in the registry.

Now the fun part. Chances are you will get an error that says "Can't move the folder because there is a folder in the same location that can't be redirected."

Microsoft has a fix here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/operation-to-change-a-personal-folder-location-fails-in-windows-ffb95139-6dbb-821d-27ec-62c9aaccd720

It is just registry changes. This happens so often at my repair shop, I created a registry file that can be double-clicked and it will make the changes automatically. I will attach it. Feel free to inspect it first, and as always, don't trust random things on the internet, blah blah. IF you run into that error, you can import my file or make the changes manually, then restart your computer. You will have to go to

"C:\Users\xxxxxx\OneDrive\Documents"

and move all the stuff in there to the "new" Documents folder. Same with Pictures. Disabling/unlinking/uninstalling OneDrive doesn't revert the registry to the default location. The only thing that does revert it to defaults is going into the OneDrive settings and disabling the backup for the folders, assuming OneDrive is set up and working.

[Max.Fischer]

On I know nothing of OneDrive (so simply a WAG)...

(If)

Onedrive has stuff in a place like

c:/onedrive/pictures

& the "real" location is

c:/users/max/pictures

when you set up FFS, you had (have) it pointing to
c:/onedrive/pictures

& if you now point it instead to
c:/users/max/pictures

you should be good - maybe :-).

This was the first thing I tried before I made my post on the forum. It didn't work. FFS changed the address again.

[Max.Fischer]

Very strange. Initially there was no such thing like a Location tab in the settings menu of Documents folder on This PC. The I applied your tool and in the folder Documents on This PC disappeared. I transferred all from Documents in OneDrive to Documents on This PC, as you suggested, and it worked. Same for Pictures. Then I reopened FFS and initiated new sessions with all the correct paths, which were now selectable and did not switch to the OneDrive address anymore. But, although both selected folders (one on PC, one on the backup HD) were full of files, Compare on FFS did not show any files, not in the PC folder, not in the backup folder. What the hell is going on??

[xCSxXenon]

Post your filter settings

[Max.Fischer]

Post your filter settings

Include: *
Exclude:
\System Volume Information\
\$Recycle.Bin\
\RECYCLE?\
*\thumbs.db
\Recovery\

[xCSxXenon]

Run a compare. After the compare finishes, don't touch anything else, just take a screen shot of the whole FFS window and post that. There is probably something super trivial going on

[Max.Fischer]

Run a compare. After the compare finishes, don't touch anything else, just take a screen shot of the whole FFS window and post that. There is probably something super trivial going on

Compare Pictures.JPG (171.04 KiB) Viewed 1449 times

Interestingly, with Desktop, it worked now, but with Bilder (Pictures) it still doesn't

[Max.Fischer]

Run a compare. After the compare finishes, don't touch anything else, just take a screen shot of the whole FFS window and post that. There is probably something super trivial going on

Compare Pictures.JPG

Interestingly, with Desktop, it worked now, but with Bilder (Pictures) it still doesn't

I uninstalled FFS, restarted the PC, and reinstalled FFS again. Now everything works perfectly. Problem solved. Thanks for all your help.

[xCSxXenon]

Well in that screenshot, there are 2,150 items that are already in sync between the two locations. FFS doesn't show these by default, but you can click the "=" below to toggle them to be shown. Glad it's working for you now!