RealTimeSync runs starts a second instance

[StuntPanda]

When RealTimeSync runs the first time it starts another copy of the app so there are two RealTimeSyncs in the app tray. This sometimes causes changes not to propagate.

[xCSxXenon]

There is something wrong with your configuration...
What is the command that is being ran when RTS is triggered?
Is RTS set to autorun when Windows boots up or are you starting it manually?
If it autoruns, how is that set up?

[StuntPanda]

RTS command being run:

"C:\Program Files\FreeFileSync\RealTimeSync.exe" "\\?\Volume{aa7da91e-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files\Sync\SyncSettings.ffs_batch"


I've run RTS by clicking on the RTS exe and clicking on the Start button, clicking on the .ffs_real file, and I've setup RTS to run when logging in using a shortcut to RealTime.ffs_real and placing it into "shell:startup". Both cause a second instance of RTS to start.

Oh, and this is on a brand new Win 11 install.

My sync files are stored in a subfolder of the synced folder, in "_Important_Files\sync", so if I make changes to the sync setup that will be saved in my backup locations. And here are my files:

RealTime.ffs_real

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FreeFileSync XmlType="REAL" XmlFormat="2">
    <Directories>
        <Item>\\?\Volume{aa7da91e-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files</Item>
    </Directories>
    <Delay>10</Delay>
    <Commandline>"C:\Program Files\FreeFileSync\RealTimeSync.exe" "\\?\Volume{aa7da91e-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files\Sync\SyncSettings.ffs_batch"</Commandline>
</FreeFileSync>


SyncSettings.ffs_batch

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FreeFileSync XmlType="BATCH" XmlFormat="19">
    <Notes/>
    <Compare>
        <Variant>TimeAndSize</Variant>
        <Symlinks>Exclude</Symlinks>
        <IgnoreTimeShift/>
    </Compare>
    <Synchronize>
        <Variant>Mirror</Variant>
        <DetectMovedFiles>true</DetectMovedFiles>
        <DeletionPolicy>Permanent</DeletionPolicy>
        <VersioningFolder Style="Replace"/>
    </Synchronize>
    <Filter>
        <Include>
            <Item>*</Item>
        </Include>
        <Exclude>
            <Item>\System Volume Information\</Item>
            <Item>\$Recycle.Bin\</Item>
            <Item>\RECYCLE?\</Item>
            <Item>\Recovery\</Item>
            <Item>*\thumbs.db</Item>
        </Exclude>
        <SizeMin Unit="None">0</SizeMin>
        <SizeMax Unit="None">0</SizeMax>
        <TimeSpan Type="None">0</TimeSpan>
    </Filter>
    <FolderPairs>
        <Pair>
            <Left>\\?\Volume{aa7da91e-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files</Left>
            <Right>C:\Users\<username>\OneDrive\_Important_files</Right>
        </Pair>
        <Pair>
            <Left>\\?\Volume{aa7da91e-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files</Left>
            <Right>\\?\Volume{aa7da91d-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files</Right>
        </Pair>
    </FolderPairs>
    <Errors Ignore="true" Retry="0" Delay="5"/>
    <PostSyncCommand Condition="Completion"/>
    <LogFolder/>
    <EmailNotification Condition="Always"/>
    <GridViewType>Action</GridViewType>
    <Batch>
        <ProgressDialog Minimized="true" AutoClose="true"/>
        <ErrorDialog>Show</ErrorDialog>
        <PostSyncAction>None</PostSyncAction>
    </Batch>
</FreeFileSync>


SyncSettings.ffs_gui

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FreeFileSync XmlType="GUI" XmlFormat="19">
    <Notes/>
    <Compare>
        <Variant>TimeAndSize</Variant>
        <Symlinks>Exclude</Symlinks>
        <IgnoreTimeShift/>
    </Compare>
    <Synchronize>
        <Variant>Mirror</Variant>
        <DetectMovedFiles>true</DetectMovedFiles>
        <DeletionPolicy>RecycleBin</DeletionPolicy>
        <VersioningFolder Style="Replace"/>
    </Synchronize>
    <Filter>
        <Include>
            <Item>*</Item>
        </Include>
        <Exclude>
            <Item>\System Volume Information\</Item>
            <Item>\$Recycle.Bin\</Item>
            <Item>\RECYCLE?\</Item>
            <Item>\Recovery\</Item>
            <Item>*\thumbs.db</Item>
        </Exclude>
        <SizeMin Unit="None">0</SizeMin>
        <SizeMax Unit="None">0</SizeMax>
        <TimeSpan Type="None">0</TimeSpan>
    </Filter>
    <FolderPairs>
        <Pair>
            <Left>\\?\Volume{aa7da91e-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files</Left>
            <Right>C:\Users\<username>\OneDrive\_Important_files</Right>
        </Pair>
        <Pair>
            <Left>\\?\Volume{aa7da91e-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files</Left>
            <Right>\\?\Volume{aa7da91d-4383-11ee-9fee-806e6f6e6963}\_Important_Files</Right>
        </Pair>
    </FolderPairs>
    <Errors Ignore="false" Retry="0" Delay="5"/>
    <PostSyncCommand Condition="Completion"/>
    <LogFolder/>
    <EmailNotification Condition="Always"/>
    <GridViewType>Action</GridViewType>
</FreeFileSync>


[xCSxXenon]

The command in RTS should not be calling RTS again, it should be calling FFS.
When an RTS config is ran, it runs the command once, typically to perform an initial sync and then starts monitoring. This is why you get double and not infinitely many

[StuntPanda]

Ah, doh! Thanks for spotting my really dumb error.