30x same error message per day

Posts: 11 · LetMeBackup 6 Feb 2025, 00:06

Every day I get around 30x the same error message per day (and always twice in a row):

FreeFileSync - Error

The file "C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Roaming\FreeFileSync\GlobalSettings.xml" does not contain a valid configuration.

How can I fix this without causing any more troubles?

Posts: 4866 · xCSxXenon 6 Feb 2025, 15:26

That file contains settings for FFS. Since it's not working correctly anyway, I would just delete it and start fresh. You'll have to "open" your sync configs in FFS for them to show in the panel again

Posts: 11 · LetMeBackup 8 Feb 2025, 02:57

That file contains settings for FFS. Since it's not working correctly anyway, I would just delete it and start fresh. You'll have to "open" your sync configs in FFS for them to show in the panel again xCSxXenon, 06 Feb 2025, 15:26

My impression is that, in general, synchronisation does work fine. I would rather not delete anything if everything still seems to work ok. After all, it's been a long time since I set everything up correctly and I don't want to make any mistakes. Is there no alternative?

Posts: 2946 · Plerry 8 Feb 2025, 09:57

FFS saves a/your GlobalSettings.xml file when it is closed.
If your syncs run OK, try closing all instances (if you have more than one open) of FFS.
If there was no valid GlobalSettings.xml, FFS will most likely write a valid one upon being closed.
Upon opening FFS again, it should now find the valid GlobalSettings.xml it wrote itself.

Posts: 7505 · Zenju 8 Feb 2025, 10:42

FreeFileSync is writing all config files including GlobalSettings.xml transactionally, i.e. saving to temporary first then renaming as an atomic operation.

"does not contain a valid configuration" means the file is apparently corrupted (check file content via a text editor). In any case, the data corruption was caused outside of FreeFileSync.

Posts: 11 · LetMeBackup 12 Feb 2025, 00:02

FreeFileSync is writing all config files including GlobalSettings.xml transactionally, i.e. saving to temporary first then renaming as an atomic operation.

"does not contain a valid configuration" means the file is apparently corrupted (check file content via a text editor). In any case, the data corruption was caused outside of FreeFileSync. Zenju, 08 Feb 2025, 10:42

Damn, that's not nice to hear. I'm not too tech-savvy so I'm not sure what to do next. I can't even find the file in the ‘AppData’ folder. Is this a hidden file?

Posts: 1202 · therube 12 Feb 2025, 17:03

For an installer version, it looks like it should be in a place like, \user\current\AppData\Roaming\FreeFileSync\GlobalSettings.xml.
And it doesn't look to be hidden or anything like that.

Posts: 11 · LetMeBackup 15 Feb 2025, 03:29

I uninstalled FFS and install again, now I get this error:

"Unable to read database file C:\Users\xxxxx\Desktop\Google Drive\sync.ffs_db
The file content is corrupted. (invalid header)"

I don't know what I can do more? :-(

Posts: 11 · LetMeBackup 17 Feb 2025, 11:29

Nobody who can help me, please?

Posts: 2946 · Plerry 17 Feb 2025, 12:32

Delete said, allegedly corrupted sync.ffs_db file and run your sync again.
This will run the sync as if it is the first time that sync is run.
(It actually is sort of a first time, because now the sync.ffs_db file is not (yet) present).
After the sync ends succesfully, you should now have a valid sync.ffs_db file in your left and right base location.

Posts: 13 · kriebie 17 Feb 2025, 14:48

The last thing I would want to do is overwrite the currently existing backup, as there seem to be two corrupted files already, in different locations of the same (system) drive, corrupted at different times.
Make a fresh backup on a different drive, and first find out why those files are getting corrupted.
Include a health check of the drive, and a malware scan.