Mirror Syncronization is not deleting files on the right side

Posts: 8 · jorg 25 Jun 2022, 19:35

New to FFS. Spent a bit of time trying to figure this out with no luck.
I'm using Mirror to copy or backup from left to right.
When I mirror my whole C:\User file to the backup folder on the right, the new photos for example get copied over but the deleted ones don't get deleted. They just keep piling up on the right.
If I just put the problem folder up on the left (C:\User\photo file -which is now empty) on the left and the same file on the right (which has 20 something old photos in it), and run Compare again, it recognized that those photos have to be deleted.

What gives?

Posts: 4059 · xCSxXenon 26 Jun 2022, 15:35

Post a screenshot of FFS after running the compare. Also, attach a log after running a sync that is supposed to delete them, but doesn't.

Posts: 8 · jorg 1 Jul 2022, 18:46

I've attached an older file which might show the problem. Since a screenshot would take dozens of pages, I just took one. Again, I deleted a lot of files and it only deletes a few data files, but none of my photos.
My photos aren't under the generic 'My Pictures', as I don't want them there. Could that be the problem?

Posts: 4059 · xCSxXenon 3 Jul 2022, 15:16

Okay... Can you attach a screenshot where FFS says that it is going to delete files? From your picture, FFS doesn't think it needs to delete anything on the destination at all. Or are you just deleting from the source and assuming it will delete on the destination? Attach a log if you can. Chances are you are using "update" instead of "mirror".

Posts: 8 · jorg 4 Jul 2022, 01:52

Thanks for trying to help.
The first attachment is a shot backing up my files from left to right:
This includes my No. 1 Temp file (on which I had made a lot of changes), plus other files. As you can see it only deletes my EssentialPIM files which have changed and been deleted on the left - not any 1 Temp files.

Now in the second shot I only saved my No. 1 Temp files on the left, to the No. 1 Temp file on the right, excluding the other files, but have made no other changes.
(Screen shots may be reversed - not sure how to fix but I think you can figure out which is which)

Posts: 2453 · Plerry 5 Jul 2022, 10:16

Your pictures do not show any files existing only on the right-side that FFS does not intend to delete (your original issue).
Such files would be shown in the Compare results with a "minus" (do nothing) icon in between the left and right column. If not empty, you can make that category visible by clicking the corresponding icon mid-below the Compare results.
If that category is not empty, it seems you are not using the Mirror sync variant, but rather the Update sync variant (F8).
If you DO use the Mirror variant, and you do have files that exist only on the right and do not get deleted, by a sync, it seems you have excluded those files from your sync via the FFS Exclude Filter.

Posts: 8 · jorg 5 Jul 2022, 13:39

I am using the Mirror Sync as you can see on the upper right of both pictures.
And I have not excluded those files in either picture. I ran both with the exact same filters. FFS will find those photos to be deleted if I only pick that temporary file by itself. But if I include that same temporary file among other files (which need to be backed up) it doesn't.

Posts: 2453 · Plerry 5 Jul 2022, 14:19

> ... if I only pick that temporary file by itself.
Which temporary file do you mean. I only see a "1 Temp" folder mentioned in the left and right base location of the top picture.
The remarkable thing is, that the entire "1 Temp" folder does not show up a a subfolder of the left and right base location in your bottom picture.

But then again the question: does that folder show up in the Compare result window of the bottom picture if you make all Compare result categories visible (including the minus-icon, "do nothing")?

Posts: 4059 · xCSxXenon 5 Jul 2022, 16:48

I think I understand. Your second picture mirroring "C:\Users\Jorg\1 Temp" to "D:\BU\1 Temp" sees the pictures missing from the source and will delete them from the left. The FIRST picture mirroring "C:\Users\Jorg" to "D:\BU" does NOT see the pictures in the "1 Temp" folder at all.

Post a screenshot of your filter settings

Posts: 8 · jorg 5 Jul 2022, 19:47

Exactly!
(I've attached a screenshot of the filter.)
So any ideas of why?

Another problem/question:
FFS wants to save all my 'appdata'. If I do that it has 37,000 lines & 3.5 gb of data & takes 2 minutes to just 'Compare', not to mention all the 'Synchronizing' time - even if very little needs to be backed up of my regular files. Most of that information strikes me as unnecessary that changes from day to day and need not be saved. Some of it like my email contacts is. Any suggestions on weeding out the deadwood?

Posts: 4059 · xCSxXenon 5 Jul 2022, 20:26

Bingo! The "*temp*" is the cause.
You'll have to make more specific filters.
In the full user folder sync, the "1 Temp" folder matches that filter, thus gets excluded

Posts: 8 · jorg 5 Jul 2022, 22:15

Makes sense.
Now I have to figure out why it worked when I selected that 1 Temp file by itself.

Posts: 8 · jorg 6 Jul 2022, 00:49

I just tried it and it works! I should have seen that.
Many thanks!

Posts: 2453 · Plerry 6 Jul 2022, 13:06

> Now I have to figure out why it worked when I selected that 1 Temp file by itself.
The Filters work on the content of the left and right base location, not on the left and right base location definitions themself.

Posts: 8 · jorg 6 Jul 2022, 16:59

Thanks.
Any better filter guides than this one: https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=exclude-files?

Posts: 3 · Waves 13 Jul 2022, 02:05

Hmm, I'm having a similar experience but filters don't seem to be the issue? Here's what I did:

• A few weeks ago I copied a very large folder to my new backup drive by hand
• This week, installed FreeFileSync and set up Mirroring to back up the very large source folder to the backup drive; I want FFS to copy new files from source to destination, and delete files on destination when they're deleted on source.
• The first Mirror sync went fine--FFS copied new files from the source to the existing backup folder.
• While looking at the backup set, I realized there was a file type I should exclude, ".!qB" No need to back those up. They had already been copied over to the backup drive, though.
• I added .!qB files to the exclude filter and Compared again.
• FFS did not notice any file deletion candidates, despite many .!qB files existing throughout the backup destination.
• I am not sure why. Assuming no bug, I must be overlooking something?

Here are my exclude filters:

\System Volume Information\

\$Recycle.Bin\

\RECYCLE?\

*\thumbs.db

*\~version archive\

*.!qB |

Removing all exclude filters doesn't do anything useful.

Thoughts appreciated.

Edit: Here's the .ffs_gui file contents:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<FreeFileSync XmlType="GUI" XmlFormat="17">

    <Compare>

        <Variant>TimeAndSize</Variant>

        <Symlinks>Exclude</Symlinks>

        <IgnoreTimeShift/>

    </Compare>

    <Synchronize>

        <Variant>Mirror</Variant>

        <DetectMovedFiles>true</DetectMovedFiles>

        <DeletionPolicy>RecycleBin</DeletionPolicy>

        <VersioningFolder Style="Replace"/>

    </Synchronize>

    <Filter>

        <Include>

            <Item>*</Item>

        </Include>

        <Exclude>

            <Item>\System Volume Information\</Item>

            <Item>\$Recycle.Bin\</Item>

            <Item>\RECYCLE?\</Item>

            <Item>*\thumbs.db</Item>

            <Item>*\~version archive\</Item>

            <Item>*.!qB |</Item>

        </Exclude>

        <TimeSpan Type="None">0</TimeSpan>

        <SizeMin Unit="None">0</SizeMin>

        <SizeMax Unit="None">0</SizeMax>

    </Filter>

    <FolderPairs>

        <Pair>

            <Left Threads="2">F:\Downloads</Left>

            <Right Threads="2">W:\F Backup (Data)\Downloads</Right>

        </Pair>

    </FolderPairs>

    <Errors Ignore="false" Retry="0" Delay="5"/>

    <PostSyncCommand Condition="Completion">robocopy "F:\Downloads" "W:\F Backup (Data)\Downloads" /e /timfix /xf *</PostSyncCommand>

    <LogFolder/>

    <EmailNotification Condition="Always"/>

    <Gui>

        <GridViewType>Action</GridViewType>

    </Gui>

</FreeFileSync>

Edit 2: I just manually deleted a !qB file on the source side, and FFS did not detect the deletion upon running Compare. Seeing that, I may have guessed the problem. Is it that since .!qB files are excluded from the backup set, FFS does not check for their existence on the destination side either?

If so strikes me as kind of a bother / unintuitive that the "mirroring" tolerates files on the destination that are not in the source backup set. That's just my first take though, perhaps FFS is right to be designed that way...

Anyway, please lmk if my "eureka" moment isn't actually right, hehe.

Posts: 2453 · Plerry 13 Jul 2022, 11:14

It is quite simple and replied to many times in this forum:
Files listed in the Exclude Filter (like your .!qB files) are excluded from the sync.
As they are excluded, FFS will not consider any sync actions for these files,
so it will also not consider to delete any such files from your backup location.

Posts: 4059 · xCSxXenon 13 Jul 2022, 14:04

Thanks.
Any better filter guides than this one: https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=exclude-files? jorg, 06 Jul 2022, 16:59

Not really. FFS uses pretty standard wildcard syntax. You could create a second folder pair that syncs that "1 Temp" folder that is being filtered out by the first. There is a "+" that you can click next to the source selection box, click that to add a second pair.

Posts: 2 · FolderMan2023 21 Sep 2023, 18:24

It is quite simple and replied to many times in this forum:
Files listed in the Exclude Filter (like your .!qB files) are excluded from the sync.
As they are excluded, FFS will not consider any sync actions for these files,
so it will also not consider to delete any such files from your backup location. Plerry, 13 Jul 2022, 11:14

That´s a thing i heard first today. And i use FFS a long time.
I tested this function before i used FFS and i was thinking that files and folders that excluded later will be removed. That´s what the trashcan say me in the mirror option.
Maybe my test was only files and folders that i add and removed (but not with exclude filters...) don´t know.

Ok. Now whats the best way for this "problem" ?
I don´t know if i add exclude filters later over last year. So must i compare the backup by my self ?
This is a thing that must do a software for me i think.
So there must be a "check everything" button to compare 1:1 i think.
Or i must delete some main folders on the backup volume and sync again ?

Posts: 4059 · xCSxXenon 21 Sep 2023, 18:30

It is quite simple and replied to many times in this forum:
Files listed in the Exclude Filter (like your .!qB files) are excluded from the sync.
As they are excluded, FFS will not consider any sync actions for these files,
so it will also not consider to delete any such files from your backup location. Plerry, 13 Jul 2022, 11:14
That´s a thing i heard first today. And i use FFS a long time.
I tested this function before i used FFS and i was thinking that files and folders that excluded later will be removed. That´s what the trashcan say me in the mirror option.
Maybe my test was only files and folders that i add and removed (but not with exclude filters...) don´t know.

Ok. Now whats the best way for this "problem" ?
I don´t know if i add exclude filters later over last year. So must i compare the backup by my self ?
This is a thing that must do a software for me i think.
So there must be a "check everything" button to compare 1:1 i think.
Or i must delete some main folders on the backup volume and sync again ? FolderMan2023, 21 Sep 2023, 18:24

Solutions have been presented in the thread already

Posts: 2 · FolderMan2023 22 Sep 2023, 15:57

I don´t see a solution for this.
The last posting was the thread i replayed and this is an "it is as it is" answer.