Unable to save configuration files

[amaca]

My config files have been held in C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\FreeFileSync for a long time but I am no longer able to save any file to this folder from FreeFileSync.

This happens with an existing config and a new config file.

Existing config: open a config.file, click Save. I get a File Save dialog, on clicking the Save button in this dialog I get a "Confirm Save As" with the message "xxx.ffs_gui already exists. Do you want to replace it?" and on selecting Yes I get "Cannot write file C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\FreeFileSync\xxx.ffs_gui.5173.tmp" and ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: The system cannot find the file specified. [CreateFile]

New file: I get the message C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\xxx.ffs_gui. File not found. Check the filename and try again.

I can save the file in C:\Users\Andrew but I get the above behaviour for any folder in C:\Users\Andrew\Documents. If I save in C:\Users\Andrew and then try to repoen it from withing FreeFileSync I get ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND. As far as I can see, I have full permissions to the folder and no other program has a similar behaviour. I can create a text file in the FreeFileSync folder, open, edit and save it.

No-one else seems to be reporting anything like this so I suspect it is my machine? Anything else I can test?

Andrew

[xCSxXenon]

Definitely a Windows issue. Do you use OneDrive, or any other cloud storage?

[amaca]

I do use OneDrive. However the backup from the C:\OneDrive folder works correctly.

Reboot. Set up a new sync and browse to C:\Users\Andrew\ or C:\Users\Andrew\Anything as source and D:\Foo as target and Compare works. Change the source to C:\Users\Andrew\Documents or C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\Anything and Compare gives

Cannot set directory locks for the following folders:

Cannot write file "C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\sync.ffs_lock".
ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: They system cannot find the file specified.
[CreateFile]

which seems a slightly odd message! I can create a file in all of those directories.

[xCSxXenon]

I am guessing your documents folder is auto-backed up to OneDrive.
Open File Explorer
Go to "This PC"
Right-click documents
Properties
Go to "location' tab
Post here whatever is in that box

[amaca]

Ah, yes, that is C:\Users\Andrew\Documents, and it is on OneDrive.

[xCSxXenon]

So maybe the path should be "C:\Users\Andrew\OneDrive\Documents"

[amaca]

No, my OneDrive is and always has been in C:\ on all my machines. Does this matter?

[xCSxXenon]

Well what you said isn't possible. Your documents location can't be set as C:\Users\Andrew\Document and also be backed up with OneDrive

[amaca]

Ah, let's back up a bit to where I got it wrong! I never used "My Documents" when Microsoft first named it that so the folder above named "Documents" isn't the same folder as the one that Windows thinks is "Documents". C:\Users\Andrew\Documents is just a folder. The folder that Windows thinks of as Documents isn't backed up (though some of its subfolders are) and nor does it have a connection to OneDrive.

Sorry for the confusion, I'd forgotten how non-standard my setup has become over the decades.

[xCSxXenon]

Sounds like you have broken your Windows with the non-standard changes. I would reset folder locations to defaults, use them, and see what happens. It's likely that the registry is dictating a differing location then file explorer and the file system

[amaca]

It's been like that for years. Never mind, thanks for your very speedy response, I'll look for another way of doing things.