RealTimeSync not detecting file changes.

[cornarch]

Great job creating this utility.

Trying to use FreeFileSync and RealTimeSync with Google Drive to automatically
detect changes to files in specific data folders, upload them to Google Drive
for backup and to sync to a second computer. But, having a problem with
RealTimeSync detecting changes to files.

I also installed BoxCryptor to encrypt the files that get uploaded to Google
Drive.

Here’s the setup:

Google Drive placed a folder called “Google Drive” in my Windows XP SP3 “My
Documents” folder.
BoxCryptor placed a folder, that I named “OnlineDisk”, in the “Google Drive”
folder and also mounted a virtual drive as drive Z:. Any files put into the
virtual drive Z: are encrypted by BoxCryptor and put into the “OnlineDisk”
folder in the “Google Drive” folder. Likewise, changes/deletions to files in
drive Z: are replicated in the OnlineDisk folder in the Google Drive folder,
but are encrypted.

I have about 8 document folders (let’s call them DataFolders1…8) in the “My
Documents” folder that I want to put up on Google Drive in an encrypted
format. These 8 folders are replicated in the drive Z: virtual drive.

I installed FreeFileSync and configured it so that all the DataFolders1…8 are
on the Left and the corresponding Drive Z: folders are on the Right. So, there
are 8 folders listed on the Left and their corresponding 8 folders in Drive Z:
on the Right.

I then create and save a batch job file using the “Advanced” “Create batch
job…” feature of FreeFileSync. The batch job is set to ignore errors and not
show the progress dialog.

I then start RealTimeSync and load in the batch job file that contains the 8
sets of folders described above.

In order to have RealTimeSync start at startup, I create a shortcut in the
Startup Folder with the command line copied from the RealTimeSync Command
Line. I have the RealTimeSync time Delay set at 10.

Using Windows Explorer I copy files to, change or delete files from the
DataFolders 1 thru 8. RealTimeSync detects these changes and copies the
appropriate file to Drive Z:, where BoxCryptor acts on the file and encryptes
it in “OnlineDisk” and Google Drive then uploads it to Google Drive.

Now the problem.

Again using Windows Explorer, I copy an encrypted file into the “OnlineDisk”
folder that resides in the Google Drive folder (to simulate a changed/new file
being downloaded from Google Drive). BoxCryptor then un-encrypts the file and
puts the file in the corresponding folder in Drive Z:. Once the file is in the
Drive Z: folder, RealTimeSync never detects the addition or change to the
folder and thus does not copy it to the DataFoldres 1…8.

If I run RealTimeSync manually once the file is in Drive Z:, it will invoke
FreeFileSync and it copies the file from Drive Z: to its corresponding
DataFolders 1 thru 8. RealTimeSync just won’t detect it automatically.

So basically everything works fine, including RealTimeSync, if the changes
originate in the DataFolders 1 thru 8, but does not work from Drive Z: to the
DataFolders 1 thru 8, if the changes originate from the “OnlineDisk” folder in
the “Google Drive” folder.

I have a desktop and laptop, both running Windows XP SP3 and the same Google
Drive FreeFileSync and RealTimeSync setup, and both have the same problem.

I’m thinking I’m missing something simple in the setup, or could it be that
RealTimeSync will not detect changes because Drive Z: is a virtual drive?

I would greatly appreciate any help.

Thanks

[Zenju]

First congratulations on your fancy setup: cloud, encryption, RTS, FFS... :)

> RealTimeSync will not detect changes because Drive Z: is a virtual drive?
My guess is BoxCryptor, which implements a virtual file system with its
drivers, did an incomplete job and did not bother to support file change
notifications. Now implementing only the minimal interface to allow basic
operations is not uncommon for third-party file system drivers. The problem is
they really should have reported an error instead of silently doing nothing.
Alas this, too, is not uncommon.

[cornarch]

Thanks for the quick response. I'll contact BoxCryptor and see if they can
rectify the issue.

Thanks again.