Sync deletes old file and then writes back same file

Posts: 4 · wdpcpa 19 Feb 2021, 19:32

I use FFS for my media library. My library is large and lives on an external drive. My library backup lives on my NAS. I use Kodi to view my files. Before yesterday the library only had MP4 video files. Yesterday Kodi exported library information by creating an NFO file. Basically added a new text file with a ".NFO" extension.

So now my library has NFO files and MP4 video files. I synced from the source to the target using the Mirror selection for syncing. I expected FFS to just write the new NFO files to the target. But it didn't. It deleted all the MP4 files and then wrote them back again. It doesn't hurt anything. The target still mirrors the source. But the sync takes a long time - 24 hours.

Thoughts?

Posts: 4867 · xCSxXenon 20 Feb 2021, 15:24

https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=synchronization-settings
Look into the "detect moved files"
Chances are it isn't supported. Weird that it detected a change though

Posts: 4 · wdpcpa 20 Feb 2021, 16:10

Will do. Thanks. As I said, the files live on external drives and I move that drive between computers. So why the file on the source doesn't change, the address of that file changed. Not sure if that is the problem or not. But will enable "detect moved files".

Posts: 4867 · xCSxXenon 20 Feb 2021, 19:34

More likely that the NAS using a file system that doesn't have stable file IDs

Posts: 4 · wdpcpa 20 Feb 2021, 19:42

The NAS is a MyBookLive. Is there a cure for unstable file IDs? I have had those for many years without issue. Been using FFS for a long time. I sync again after it finished. No issues this time. Compared and there was nothing to sync.

Posts: 4867 · xCSxXenon 20 Feb 2021, 20:12

I've seen those use NTFS and ext 4 before. No cure for it, but if it is working now it must have stable IDs. Both computers are Windows?

Posts: 4 · wdpcpa 20 Feb 2021, 21:22

Yes. One windows 10. One windows 7. When I get all the media files properly scraped and tagged I will be moving the external drive to an Android machine. I will be doing the compare over the network between the external attached to the Nvidia shield and the NAS. Should work. Should come back with nothing to sync every time because if I had a file to one, I will add a file to the other.