Accessing network drives in RealTimeSync

[alanbo]

I have just upgraded to 13.7 and I can longer access a mapped network drive in RealTimeSync. Attached are my RealTimeSync and FreeFIleSync windows and the error message I get from RealTimeSync. I have used UNC for the networked drives (WDMyCloudy) as advised elsewhere in these forums. It can access a networked drive on another computer (ALANDL). If I select the cloud icon (access online storage) I am offered a choice of Google account (not relevant), and SFTP or FTP. I am not very tech savvy so I do not know how to use these to access a networked drive. If I enter a UNC link here it gets rejected.

Alan

[alanbo]

I should have mentioned that I can read and write to this drive in Windows Explorer.

[alanbo]

ANY OTHER IDEAS ANYONE?
Further: I have tried the solutions here viewtopic.php?t=11538&hilit=network+drives#p44596 but to no effect. I have set RealTimeSync to run as an administrator, I have unmapped and remapped the network drive, re-entered the login and password and asked for this to be remembered, added it to Windows Credentials in Credential Manager. Strangely, if I run a sync on FreeFileSync it is successful and new files are added to the network drive, so FFS recognises the network drive.

[Plerry]

> I have just upgraded to 13.7 and I can longer access a mapped network drive in RealTimeSync.

The problem description is a quite unclear.
"No longer" suggests it worked before (with what version?), but no longer works after upgrading to 13.7.
If so, was your setup fully identical? Including your MyCloudy drive and UNC addressing?

You also write "can longer access a mapped network drive", but the only potentially mapped network drive would be whatever network location is mapped to D:\ (if that is a network, and not a local location at all).
But the RTS error you shown in your second screenshot refers to "\\MyCloudy\Alan\My Music" which is not a mapped network location.

The first part of your RealTimeSync - Error screenshot suggests that your WD MyCloud simply does not support directory monitoring. I don't know the WD MyCloud, so that may very well be the case.
If so, RTS will simply not be able to monitor any part of your MyCloudy drive for changes.
However, if monitoring folders on your MyCloudy worked with RTS version 13.6 or earlier with an identical setup, that might be something to look into by Zenju (the author of FFS and RTS). So, please clarify.

In any case, in your setup there is no need to monitor MyCloudy for changes, because you only Mirror-sync to your MyCloudy drive. Therefore, changes relevant to your sync never originate on MyCloudy. You can then safely remove all three MyCloudy locations from the RTS GUI list of "Folder to be watched for changes" (via the red "-" icon in front of such location).
The same holds, by the way, for the RTS GUI listed folders on ALANDL.

I have no clue what the second part of the RTS - error screenshot would refer to (with the possible exception of the absurd case of D:\ being mapped to \\MyCloudy\ or any part thereof ...)

[xCSxXenon]

I also noticed that the command you entered into the RTS configuration makes absolutely no sense. Take out the 'windows system32' section. And why do you have it set to run another RTS configuration? The usual setup is to have the command run an FFS synchronization. And it has an empty line, I don't know if that breaks anything necessarily, but remove it anyway.

To reiterate what Plerry also mentioned, you aren't using mapped drives at all in your screenshots. Maybe using mapped drives could fix this? Also, I would log into the WDMyCloud, make sure it is up-to-date, and reboot it. The error may be caused on the WD side, not the FFS/computer side.

[Plerry]

@xCSxXenon
Good catch about the Command Line!

[alanbo]

Thanks for your replies, Plerry & xCSxXenon. I've made a contribution & downloaded the donation edition. I'm going to start over, uninstall the previous edition, delete all FFS & RTS files, & install the donation edition. I'm not very tech savvy, but this is very useful software, & I really need an idiot's guide. Should any of the above issues re-occur, I'll get back to you once I've attempted to set up again, .
Thanks again.

[alanbo]

Unistalled 13.7, and deleted all RTS & FFS files, restarted & installed 13.7 donation edition. Working OK, now , can now access network drives and files and folders on them.

IMAGE 1 However, cmd window from previous install appears. I have tried sfc, chdsk, and DISM to no effect. There is no CMD command in task scheduler or startup folder. Scan runs successfully from batch file in startup folder.

IMAGE 2 RTS opens without previously imported batch file and without command line, but with old file from cmd window in image 1

IMAGE 3 Batch file reimported

IMAGE 4 Clicked start on RTS. FFS runs successfully.

[Plerry]

Not completely clear from your last post:
Problem solved now?

[alanbo]

Sorry if it's not clear. Yes problem solved, RTS and FFS working OK and RTS runs normally from the batch file in the startup folder.

However, there is the annoying cmd window in IMAGE 1, which always came up in my old installation. It comes up with C:\Windows\System 32 which xCSxXenon criticicised me for including, but I didn't create it, and the file msMyRealTimeSync which doesn't exist on my laptop. Don't know how to get rid.

And then in IMAGE 2 annoyingly RTS opens without the imported batch file, and in the title is the non existent file from the title of the cmd window in IMAGE 1. I then have to reimport the batch file.

After reimporting, everything runs normally.

[alanbo]

Just to clarify comments on IMAGE 1 - see attached IMAGE 5. The cmd window seems to be RealTimeSync, and right clicking on the task bar icon shows the error message in IMAGE 5. I have to close this and the cmd window to proceed. To get RTS to run, I then have to reopen RTS, I get the window in IMAGE 2, have to reimport the batch file, and then RTS runs as normal. How do I get rid of the cmd window opening? It seems to be caused by FFS and/or RTS. After I uninstalled the old version of FFS, and before I installed the donation edition, this window did not appear. I don't understand how a new installation could invoke this window from a previous installation.

[Plerry]

You seem to have two "issues":
1) The unexplained startup of an RTS instance, that is trying to run a RTS sync configuration C:\myscripts\myRealTimeSyncSetup.ffs_real, that (at least in the specified location) no longer exists.
2) Your desired RTS configuration (causing FFS to run your C:\myscripts.SyncSettings.ffs_batch sync configuration when necessary) is not starting automatically.

Ad 1):
Read the three bullets on "RTS tasks can be started" in this reply. If your RTS task (tries to) start automatically, e.g. after a restart or logon, it must be an existing automated actions via the Task Scheduler or via the startup folder.
If you want to avoid that annoying RTS related command line and error message, you have to disable or delete the task from your Task Manager, or delete the shortcut or command from your Startup folder.
Ad 2):
It seems you have not created an automatic to start you desired RTS configuration.
In order to achieve this, you need to not only import the desired FFS sync configuration into the RTS GUI, but then save that RTS configuration (File / Save As) as a *.ffs_real file, under a self selected name and in a self selected location. You can then automate the launch of that RTS configuration as described in linked part under Ad 1).

Ad 1) and Ad 2):
Instead of deleting the automation of your undesired RTS job and creating the desired one, you may be able to hit two birds with one stone, particularly if you still can't identify how your annoying RTS CMD job is started.
Simply create your desired RTS configuration (as per Ad 2) ), and save it as C:\myscripts\myRealTimeSyncSetup.ffs_real (the location and file-name mentioned in your annoying Ad 1) RTS CMD job.
Restart your computer, and you should be done.

[alanbo]

Thanks Plerry, killed 2 birds with one stone: renamed all the RTS and FFS files, now working perfectly. The cmd window still opens (it always did in my older version which worked perfectly), but without an error message, so I just close it. The sync starts automatically because I have the batch file in the startup folder - would this also start the cmd command? There's no cmd command in task scheduler. It also still comes up with C:\Windows\System 32 which xCSxXenon criticised.

[xCSxXenon]

That cmd window is coming up literally because of what I criticized. Live with it, fix it, I don't care
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[alanbo]

xCSxXenon, you said previously:"I also noticed that the command you entered into the RTS configuration makes absolutely no sense. Take out the 'windows system32' section..". However, I said previously: ....C:\Windows\System 32 which xCSxXenon criticicised me for including, but I didn't create it ...". It appears independently of anything I have done, and did so in both my old installation, and my new donation edition. It is something the software is doing independently of me. Again there is no cmd command in the startup folder or the task scheduler. I can "live with it, I don't know how to "fix it", and I am not very tech savvy, but if you don't care, don't reply.

[therube]

Do a search for "*.ffs_real" & see what & where it turns up.

(There is nothing better for searching then, Everything.)


And it's not clear, but you did change (IMAGE 3) from .ffs_real to .ffs_batch?

[alanbo]

*.ffs_real is in C:\my scripts and C:\users\username\AppData\Roaming\FreeFileSync.

It's a *.ffs_batch in image 3. The home page manual and the RTS window say to import a batch file to get started.

Long term user of Everything!