How to create an MTP sync?

[danielbeaver]

I'm trying to set up a sync between the music folder on my Android phone (which connects using MTP) and my music directory on my PC. When I try to set up the phone half of that sync, it gives me the error:

The selected folder "This PC\LG-D800\Internal storage\Music" cannot be used with FreeFileSync. Please select a folder on a local file system, network or an MTP device.

Is there some extra step I need to take to get MTP support to work? I'm running Windows 10 and Android 5.1.

[Zenju]

What happens if you copy and paste "This PC\LG-D800\Internal storage\Music" into the folder input field without using the folder picker: Are you able to synchronize?

[kira13]

I have the exact same problem. I had a sync set up in Windows 8.1 and it worked fine. It stopped working when I updated to Windows 10. The saved batch file shows this path: "mtp:\Treble3\Card\Music". The path is still correct, but FFS now can't find it.

Windows Explorer shows it as "Xanadu4\Treble3\Card\Music", like Daniel's above (Xanadu4 = This PC and Treble3 is the name of my phone), but copying/pasting that doesn't work; FFS adds "C:\Program Files\FreeFileSync\" in front of the address and can't find that. Changing it to "\\Xanadu4\Treble3\Card\Music" didn't work either.

I'm wondering if something changed in Windows 10 in how MTP devices are referred to.

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Note Edge (model SM-N915V) running Android 5.0.1.

[Zenju]

I have the exact same problem. I had a sync set up in Windows 8.1 and it worked fine. It stopped working when I updated to Windows 10. The saved batch file shows this path: "mtp:\Treble3\Card\Music". The path is still correct, but FFS now can't find it.

Windows Explorer shows it as "Xanadu4\Treble3\Card\Music", like Daniel's above (Xanadu4 = This PC and Treble3 is the name of my phone), but copying/pasting that doesn't work; FFS adds "C:\Program Files\FreeFileSync\" in front of the address and can't find that. Changing it to "\\Xanadu4\Treble3\Card\Music" didn't work either.

I'm wondering if something changed in Windows 10 in how MTP devices are referred to.

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Note Edge (model SM-N915V) running Android 5.0.1.

Whatever the problem is, it works in my tests on Win 10 x64, so this must be something specific to your setup. Can you post a view screenshots showing the paths as seen in Windows Explorer and also in FFS with the corresponding error messages?

[kira13]

Whatever the problem is, it works in my tests on Win 10 x64, so this must be something specific to your setup. Can you post a view screenshots showing the paths as seen in Windows Explorer and also in FFS with the corresponding error messages?

Here are 4 screenshots, named accordingly, to show 1) File Explorer's version of the path, 2) the original path in FFS that worked in Windows 8.1 (plus error message), 3) the path "\\Xanadu4\Treble3\Card\Music" as typed (plus error message), and 4) the path as copied/pasted from File Explorer (plus error message).

The typed version and copied/pasted version have a different error, just that the path couldn't be found, not that it couldn't be used.

Edited to add my version of Windows 10: Windows 10 Home, version 1511, 64-bit

[Zenju]

The error message in your second screenshot is interesting. I checked the corresponding section of code and found the error handling to be a bit too pessimistic (FFS bails out too early). Provided that the error shown is actually for a different MTP device, then FFS should continue checking.

Let me know if the "mtp:\Treble3\Card\Music" path works with this version:
[404, Invalid URL: http://www.mediafire.com/download/quwllbgiia5ix70/FreeFileSync_7.8_beta_Windows_Setup.exe]

[kira13]

The error message in your second screenshot is interesting. I checked the corresponding section of code and found the error handling to be a bit too pessimistic (FFS bails out too early). Provided that the error shown is actually for a different MTP device, then FFS should continue checking.

Let me know if the "mtp:\Treble3\Card\Music" path works with this version:
[404, Invalid URL: http://www.mediafire.com/download/quwllbgiia5ix70/FreeFileSync_7.8_beta_Windows_Setup.exe]

Just installed the beta and tried it, and scanned fine (for Compare). Then it hung 0.2% into synchronizing. Now, after restarting FFS, it's giving me the original error message again. Gonna try rebooting the computer. Looked promising at first.

[kira13]

Just installed the beta and tried it, and scanned fine (for Compare). Then it hung 0.2% into synchronizing. Now, after restarting FFS, it's giving me the original error message again. Gonna try rebooting the computer. Looked promising at first.

Okay, it wasn't rebooting that was needed, just reattaching the phone. The screen timed out during the sync; I set it to a longer timeout period and also periodically kept my eye on it to catch it before it went off. Compare and Sync both worked fine. : )

Thanks!

[Zenju]

Okay, it wasn't rebooting that was needed, just reattaching the phone. The screen timed out during the sync; I set it to a longer timeout period and also periodically kept my eye on it to catch it before it went off. Compare and Sync both worked fine. : )

Thanks!

Just to make sure the fix was not a placebo: Does the first error you reported still occur with the official FFS 7.7?

[JayDee]

I've got the same difficulties with FFS 10.19 on (X)Ubuntu 16.04. In my case "mtp://[usb:001,009]/" did not work. But I found a simple solution by using an appropriate path, which could be found under "/run/user/$UID/gvfs/".

[wilfriedh]

Me, too. Trying to synchronize a folder of my android smartphone with a windows10 folder.
Picked the smartphone folder from the folder chooser


Error message "folder not found".

[xCSxXenon]

Just to add, I have always used "mtp:\Galaxy\xxxxx\" for my path. The UNC style never worked

[wilfriedh]

Thanks for your comment, xCSxXenon.
Yes, the "mtp:\..." version is put into the path field if I drag-and-drop the subfolder item from the explorer window displaying the folder on the smartphone.
But trying to sync this (with version 10.19 64bit, Donation Edition) I get the following error message.

[Zenju]

Thanks for your comment, xCSxXenon.
Yes, the "mtp:\..." version is put into the path field if I drag-and-drop the subfolder item from the explorer window displaying the folder on the smartphone.
But trying to sync this (with version 10.19 64bit, Donation Edition) I get the following error message.

Same issue: viewtopic.php?t=6341