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FreeFileSync is a free open source data backup software which helps you compare and synchronize files and folders on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Jan 15, 2019 - You can try out Mozy's service thanks to a free file syncing account that comes with only 2GB of storage, but offers all the features of the paid.
File synchronization software comes in many shapes and forms. From cloud storage services that allow you to sync files with the cloud and from there to your other devices to local solutions that you use without third-party involvement. This article concentrates on local solutions only that are offered for free and run on all supported versions of the Windows operating system. While cloud syncing services have their advantages, it makes little sense to use them when you want to sync files in a local network between devices. Before we look at the programs that we reviewed for this article, it is important to define what makes a good file synchronization software. Requirements. Supports manual and automatic (scheduled) modes of operation.
Supports one-way and two-way synchronization of data. Filters to include/exclude files or folders based on rules that you specify. Should sync files in use. Should work with a variety of devices including internal and external hard drives, network shares and removable devices.
Should not limit you in regards to the synchronization (no file limits, use limits). The Contenders - Freeware - Open Source Software - Open Source software - Free for personal use. - Freeware - Free for personal use. Open Source software Not included - Limits syncs to 40,000 files per calendar month Bvckup 2 Bvckup opens a clean interface on launch., First thing you do is create a new backup profile under File and configure it. There you select the source and destination folders as well as all parameters for the job. You will notice that you can only configure one-way sync operations using the program. What sticks out on the other hand is support for delta-copying files which reduces the time it takes to update already synced files by transferring only the parts that have been modified.
The program can monitor the source directory in real-time, using specific intervals or manually. The preferences hold additional options of interest. It is for instance possible to link backup jobs to removable devices so that they are only run when the device is connected to the system. The progress is highlighted in steps when a job runs.
It highlights the current operation and the remaining steps and errors so far. A detailed log file is available as well which you can enable under options. Create Synchronicity Create Synchronicity is an easy to configure file backup and synchronization software. Compared to other syncing programs it is rather bare-bones which does not have to be a bad thing depending on your needs. It does support one-way and two-way syncing though and a couple of additional features that you configure during setup of a new sync job. It supports a preview option that displays exactly what will happen when you run the synchronization job. There is however no option to make last minute adjustments to the job which means that you will have to open the configuration of the job again to do that.
The sync dialog displays all there is to know about the process including the elapsed time, progress bars, the speed of the process and how many files and folders were created and deleted so far and how many are left. FreeFileSync Attention: The program ships with adware. Mystartsearch was offered during test installations and the only option to skip it was to switch from Basic (Recommended) to Advanced and remove the checkmark from the Install Mystartsearch box there before clicking Next. FreeFileSync's interface leaves you puzzled for a moment where to begin.
It is not really that complicated but a little bit of guidance would help out a lot. What you need to do is add folder pairs that you want to sync using the browse buttons. Once you have added at lest one pair, you use the compare, filter or synchronize button to start a process.
Both compare and synchronize are configured with a click on the cog wheel button next to their buttons. Compare for instance compares all files in both folders based on their size and file time. Synchronize on the other hand displays the sync methods supported by the program as well as other sync related preferences that you can configure there.
Please note that you need to run the program with elevated privileges as you may get access errors otherwise depending on the folders and files you select. Compare loads all files and folders and displays them in the interface. FreeFileSync higlights which files are only listed in one of the two directories and displays the total size and file count of the operation if executed. Scheduling is not built-in but you can export a job as a batch file and add it to the Windows Task Scheduler manually to run it regularly on the system.
SyncBackFree Setting up a sync job is a two-step process in SyncBackFree. You create a new profile and the desired synchronization method in the first step.
Once done, you configure the new sync profile in detail in the second step. A simple version of the configuration is displayed to you by default. You can change that to an expert configuration if you prefer that which displays all available options (and some not available in the free version). The expert options leave little to be desired. At the very least, it is necessary to add two folders to the profile but you can do a lot more than that.
For instance, it is possible to define detailed compare options that determine whether files are equal or not based no parameters that you can adjust in the settings. Next to that, it is the only program supporting compression and encryption of files, and ftp servers. Another interesting and unique feature it offers is a performance estimation for the profile highlighting settings that may slow down the profile.
SyncFolders The program is probably the easiest to set up thanks to its streamlined interface. One you click the new button you are taken to the configuration screen where you configure all sync related options. Before you run a sync operation, you may want to run a scan first as it provides information about the job. It lists files and folders to synchronize, the total size of the data and errors that it ran into.
A click on errors reveals those while details lists all files and folders and their status in regards to the other folder. A right-click on folders or files displays options to override the default rules in place. You can block files from being synchronized or copied for instance.
Synchredible When you first start Synchredible after installation you are taken directly to the task wizard which you can use to create a first sync job. Adding a new sync job is not complicated and every option that you can select is well explained. It takes seven steps (pages) to set up your first sync job which can be a bit overwhelming if you never used a sync software before. The wizard covers all necessary information on the other hand giving you full control over the process. Here is a quick rundown of the steps:. Select the two folders and decide whether subfolders should be included.
Enable one-way or two-way sync, and decide if you want to synchronize all files or only newer files. Add more parameters such as deleting redundant files, ignoring hidden files or folders, or comparing file contents. Set up filters to include or exclude files or folders from the operation. Set up automatic tasks. Schedule synchronization jobs or configure them to run based on certain conditions or system events.
Add actions that you want run before or after synchronization. Add a name, assign a system wide hotkey for the task, and enable the preview feature. Jobs can be run manually at any time or only manually if you want that.Another interesting feature is the program's group option. You can add multiple jobs to a group to run all jobs of that group in one operation. Before you run the first job you may want to check the program's options first as they list quite a few sync related preferences. Verification is enabled for instance by default while the saving of reports is not. You can also mail reports, suppress error messages during jobs, change the buffer size or disable log file creation.
Sync jobs that run show the progress of the operation in the interface. There is also an option to pause the job. Synkron Synkron supports folder synchronizations and multi-syncs. The difference between the two operations is that a folder sync is keeping files in sync between two or more folders while multisync syncing multiple source folders with one destination folder. Once you have added at least two folders you can hit the analyze button to display information about the current sync status. All folders not synced currently are listed for synchronization but you can blacklist files or folders to exclude them from the process.
Advanced options are available as well which you can use to define additional sync related preferences such as not creating empty folders or syncing hidden files and folders. Once you hit sync all files and folders are processed and displayed to you so that you know exactly where the process is at. There is no progress bar on the other hand which means that you don't know how long jobs will take to complete. FreeFileSync comes bundled with RealTimeSync. For real-time syncing, what you do is set up a sync job in FreeFileSync, save it as a FreeFileSync batch file, and create a shortcut to RealTimeSync with an argument that targets the FreeFileSync batch file. (The help instructions explain how to do this pretty clearly.) You can then put the customized RealTimeSync shortcut in your Startup folder. Once it is running, RealTimeSync monitors the folders referenced in the batch file for changes and, when a change is detected, it runs FreeFileSync in background.
When RealTimeSync first starts, it has to enumerate files on the remote computer(s). Once that’s done, file-syncing is reasonably prompt. On a hardwired Ethernet network, changes to a file on one computer usually show up on the other within a couple of minutes. On a WiFi network — one using the older G standard, at least — all FreeFileSync/RealTimeSync operations can take much, much longer.
With one pair of computers I’m using FreeFileSync/RealTimeSync on, I circumvented that problem by making a direct Ethernet connection between the two computers. (Because at least one of them has a gigabit Ethernet port, I didn’t even have to get a special crossover cable.) If the same file changes on both sides since the last sync — e.g., you open, edit, and save the same file or download the same file to the same place on both computers nearly simultaneously, or while RealTimeSync isn’t running — a conflict is detected and FreeFileSync will not sync that file. Conflicts are flagged in FreeFileSync’s logs, and I think you can probably configure error pop-ups for them as well.
Resolving conflicts is easy. You run the batch file in FreeFileSync manually and click the Compare button.
All the as-yet-unsynced files are listed, and the conflicted ones are flagged with a lighting-bolt icon. You indicate which direction to sync the conflicted files in by changing the lighting bolt to a right or left arrow and then you click Synchronize. Finally, you can set up your FreeFileSync batch job to back up any file deleted or changed by a sync operation, with or without versioning. And it’s smart enough to recognize the difference between moved files, renamed files, and deleted files. I’ve been using FreeFileSync/RealTimeSync on a couple of small home networks for around nine months now, and while there was a learning curve in setting it up, I’m extremely happy with the results. It’s satisfying to check in on the networks from time to time and find that everything is working flawlessly, with (mostly) zero conflicts and errors.
The bundled adware business is distasteful — they seem to be alternating between OpenCandy and whatever Martin mentioned in the article — but if you get tricked into installing it (they got me once, on an update), Malwarebytes Anti-Malware free can probably take it out. @ Mike Cabolet: FreeFileSync actually is free donation-ware. If you don’t donate, you get installers with bundleware that you can opt out of. If you donate, you get clean installers.
It’s actively maintained and developed and updates seem to come out every three or four months or so. I’ve been using FreeFileSync for a couple of years now, on my own computer, on my dad’s small home network, and on a friend’s small home network.
While it worked pretty well from the start — with a single FreeFileSync batch file and a single RealTimeSync task to trigger it — there were regularly conflicts that needed to be resolved manually, and the backup files generated by a sync weren’t guaranteed to themselves get synced before, e.g., a laptop was disconnected from the network and taken somewhere else. It took me a little thinking and trial-and-error to learn to break up the syncing work into multiple FreeFileSync batch jobs triggered by multiple concurrent RealTimeSync tasks,. to fine-tune the triggering delay for each RealTimeSync task, and to fine-tune the exclusion filters. Now that I have, I rarely find any unresolved conflicts or “missing files.” My dad and my friend don’t do any manual sync maintenance on their own and it’s probably been six months since I’ve seen any sync problems on their networks. As for my own computer, I’ve had maybe one conflict in that time. It was a huge, very slow Internet download that didn’t download into an exclusion-filtered temporary file.
The file synced halfway through the download, and when it tried to sync again after completion, it threw a conflict and I got a popup. It took me a minute to resolve, by running FreeFileSync manually and telling it to overwrite the half-completed file with the completed file.
I can live with that a couple of times a year. If you decide to maintain backups of the files you overwrite or delete via FreeFileSync (and you’d be either crazy or very short on drive space not to), at a minimum you should have two FreeFileSync batch jobs: the first for the files you want to sync, and the second for the backup files generated by the first job.
I’ve reached the point where I have separate batch jobs for (1) “regular” data, (2) “big” (slow to save, download, or copy) data, (3) configuration files, and (4) backups. Actually, I have two sets of these, one for “All Users” files, and one for my personal files. Shortcuts to the RealTimeSync tasks for the “All Users” jobs are in the All Users Startup folder; shorcuts for the RealTimeSync tasks for my personal account’s jobs are in my personal Startup folder. The smaller jobs run and complete much faster than one massive job does and they can run concurrently. RealTimeSync has a blind spot and doesn’t see new, intervening changes to the folders it monitors while its FreeFileSync job is doing a run. The faster and shorter the run, the smaller the blind spot, and the fewer outstanding unsynced files after each run.
Plus, you don’t burden the CPU with scanning every synced folder on the computer when just a single personal data file has changed; only the personal data folders get scanned. Maybe it wouldn’t make that much difference on a super-fast computer with SSDs, but on my old laptop with big, slow hard drives, the difference is very noticeable. Anyway, long story short, FreeFileSync and RealTimeSync can take some time to master and fine-tune, but once you do, it can result in blissfully thought-free, effort-free, error-free automation.
Still, don’t forget to run disk checks on your hard drives from time to time and to maintain periodic non-automatically-synced backups of all of your important stuff. Even if FreeFileSync/RealTimeSync is working perfectly, if something else takes out one or more of your synced folders, you’re going to want that backup. (An apparent drive error took out one of my FreeFileSync Backups folders a few days ago. Luckily, I had backed everything up to an external drive the day before. The free version’s installer usually has some kind of bundleware offer that you can manually opt out of or (if you are careless) subsequently uninstall. (Unchecky doesn’t always catch the opt-outs for you.) The bundleware usually triggers at least a PUP (potentially unwanted program) alert in most anti-virus programs. The donation version’s installer is clean.
I simply whitelist my free FreeFileSync installers in the two anti-virus programs I use and pay attention when I’m running them to make sure I don’t unwittingly install something extra and unwanted. I’m not a big fan of opt-out bundleware offers, but the developer has to eat and they beat what CCleaner (in conjunction with FileHippo?) was doing for a while, which was to peremptorily install Google Chrome and make it your default browser behind your back.
Long story short, it’s not a problem, just an annoyance. Whitelist the installer in your antivirus and opt out of bundleware offers during installation. And if your not already running, Unchecky, install it. It catches at least.some.
bundleware offers for you. I used to use Karen’s Replicator for quick-and-dirty backup jobs. It was easy to learn and easy to use. I seem to recall that it was pretty fast, too. However, as you say, it doesn’t do 2-way syncing, just copying in one direction and then the other (which isn’t the same thing), and it doesn’t detect moved or renamed files. More importantly, it’s a 32-bit program, so if you have a 64-bit system with pathnames or filenames that exceed 32-bit limits, Replicator won’t copy them. I have a special place in my heart for Karen (RIP), but I’ve had to stop using Replicator since moving to 64-bit Windows.
Two things: DSynchronize – which is a bit blocky and dull but I’ve used it for years without issue – Bvckup – unsupported beta, which is freeware. It does delta copying, meaning only sending over changes (much like Gadmin-rsync that you profiled back in 2012 ). Once you do the initial backup, no other backup program can begin to compete, especially with large file sizes or encrypted volumes. Pros:. Speed – dramatically faster than other options. Profiles – can setup multiple sync plans. Portable – with tweaks.
Versioning, verification, sync open files not sure about network support or some of the other criterion you list. Cons:. Space hungry – creates file hashes that can take up a lot of room.
Lacks the fine grain controls of some you’ve listed (but does support filters) The author is selling a supported version so much of the site is dedicated to that, but the beta is at towards the bottom under the “download” icon. I like and I use JFileSync.
Yes, its Java based but so what? It works good, it’s reliable, it allows local directory and over the lan sync, it allows multiple strategies for file synchronization and imo it’s very easy to use allowing a single job to sync multiple directories with multiple file naming exceptions. Also it’s cross platform, it works on Windows, Mac, Linux, everywhere Java works!
For me this is a must, I try not to use programs which are not cross platform. And Java is not a security risk provided you have disabled the browser plugin. Try it please and include it because I think JFileSync is a really nice free and open source utility that is stable and works reliably for many years and it deserves to be more well known. I am copying several TB of video data every month (PC to NAS storage systems).
I have looked at many synchronization software packages, including Syncback. The main concern I have is data integrity.
How do I make sure my data is copied fault-free? This is an issue especially when copying between different OS’s and filesystems. After trying Syncback and Syncovery I went down the dark alley: I installed cygwin and now use rsync over SSH. Rsync uses md5 checksums on completed transfers to ensure bit level integrity.
This is something none of these software packages listed can guarantee — unless they redownload the entire file after copying, doubling processing time. Syncovery offers such an option. Once setup, rsync is just unbelievably reliable. Couldn’t be happier. Well, I recently added three pretty big virtual machines (ranging from 16GB to 24GB each) to my hard drive and I’m suddenly beginning to appreciate the value of having a sync utility that supports delta-copying, i.e., copying only the changed portion of a file rather than copying the whole thing from scratch. I still think FreeFileSync is pretty fabulous (especially for free software), but it doesn’t do delta-copying.
As a result, working in one of my virtual machines and closing it triggered RealTimeSync/FreeFileSync operations that took nearly an hour to complete, all told. (The virtual machine file got copied from my system drive to my clone drive and got verified; the previous version of the file got backed up in my system drive’s backups folder; and the backup got copied to the clone drive and got verified.) Needless to say, I removed the virtual machines from my real-time sync job and created a manual job for them instead. It looks like there are a number of paid commercial products (e.g., GoodSync) that support delta-copying, and maybe BitTorrent Sync does as well, but I’m not all that enthusiastic about learning the finer points of a new program. For now, I can live with having to back my virtual machines up manually when convenient. And if I’m lucky, maybe FreeFileSync will do delta-copying in a future version. I might as well mention another thing I noticed about RealTimeSync/FreeFileSync while I’m at it: RealTimeSync seems to have a little blind spot. Normally, when RealTimeSync notices changes in the folder pairs it’s monitoring, it triggers a FreeFileSync run to sync the changes.
However, if any additional changes (to different files) occur while that FreeFileSync job is running, RealTimeSync either doesn’t notice the new changes or doesn’t queue them up and trigger a subsequent FreeFileSync run for them. They will only be picked up the next time a change occurs while FreeFilesync is not running (or the next time RealTimeSync is started after being turned off). The practical impact of this blind spot is that if you need to be absolutely certain that everything on a “target” drive is properly synced and up to date before you eject the drive or shut down, you should run the FreeFileSync batch job manually just beforehand.
Respected, I used to use “FreeFileSync”. However, after some time I noticed that some of images started getting corrupt (blank black image, when I open them). Also, some of my excel files are also corrupted (even if excel auto-recover contents, it contains all symbols and irrelevant content). Has anyone came across such issue? I think this problems pertains to files in deep directories. Have you checked all of above softwares for data corruption issues and deep directory files sync success? I now use plain backup software.
I personally use FreeFileSync (1) to sync my laptop’s data files in “real time” (actually with a short delay) to an internal resident clone drive (a bootable backup system drive), (2) to maintain versioned backup copies of all the files that FreeFileSync updates/replaces/deletes when syncing to the clone drive, and (3) to maintain an external backup of most of my system drive. With my set-up, I almost never have reason to try to load the copies FreeFileSync makes on my resident clone and external backup drive, so I’m not a good benchmark. However, I have also used FreeFileSync to sync data between two different computers (e.g., desktop and laptop) whose users actually do routinely access the same data files on both computers. To my knowledge, they haven’t run into any corrupted files after a year or so of frequent syncing. (And if they did, versioned backups would hopefully offer a recovery path that isn’t too painful.) Incidentally, one of the people I set this up for has deeply nested folders, long paths, and long file names, to the extent that it caused problems with 32-bit copying/backup programs. Had you turned copy verification on in FreeFileSync’s global settings XML file?
For an installed (non-portable) Windows version of FreeFileSync, it’s done in:.: Users UserName AppData Roaming FreeFileSync GlobalSettings.xml where you change: VerifyCopiedFiles Enabled=”false”/ to: VerifyCopiedFiles Enabled=”true”/ Copy verification significantly increases the time required to sync (roughly doubling it), but especially if you’ve had trouble with corrupted files, it’s probably worth it. I haven’t thought out the real-world implications on a heavily trafficked corporate network, but I feel like the developers should probably have exposed the global copy-verification setting in the program’s main interface (Tools Options) instead of making home users dig for it in a configuration file, and possibly add separate copy-verification settings for batch jobs and individual folder pairs. As FreeFileSync’s help section on Expert Settings explains, copy verification relies on system features external to FreeFileSync and cannot be relied upon 100%, but it’s probably better than nothing. Anyway, the short answer is that, to my knowledge, the FreeFileSync routines I have set up haven’t resulted in any file corruption so far, including in deeply nested folders. I hope this isn’t a case of ignorance being bliss.
Hello “A different Martin”, I am intrigued by your FreeFileSync setup. Can you please elaborate on the paths and setting you use to set up to: (1) to sync my laptop’s data files in “real time” (actually with a short delay) to an internal resident clone drive (a bootable backup system drive), (2) to maintain versioned backup copies of all the files that FreeFileSync updates/replaces/deletes when syncing to the clone drive, and (3) to maintain an external backup of most of my system drive. I would really appreciate some helpful pointers because I find FreeFileSync brilliant if I coud use it to achieve what you have done with it.
Thank you very much. Many thanks Martin Brinkmann for the “Update: SyncBackFree is another excellent program that ships with a couple of unique features. It is probable the feature-richest program of all programs mentioned in this article.” I had been using SyncFolders, which is a really pleasing Sync Program to use, but it could not detect that copies with a different creation date were the same files, and went and did damage deleting or double copying files for lack of discernment. Those “extra features” in SyncBackFree made it a delight to specify date of Creation as “ignore files Created before/after date ddmmyy”, along with several other features which will travel a long way.
Introduction File synchronization utilities help you keep updated copies of files or folders in two or more locations, such as different computers, network drives, USB drives, or online storage. While a file sync utility could be used as a simple backup tool (called one-way syncing), its real power lies in keeping an identical set of working files in two or more locations.
An example of this would be keeping current versions of the same data files on both your home computer and office computer (two-way syncing). File sync utilities keep track of which files you create or change, or even delete in one location, and can create, change and delete those same files in the other location. There are a lot of contenders in this category, but only a few stand out based on the criteria below. Criteria for the Evaluating a Synchronization Utility: A good synchronization utility would have most or all the following features. Support two-way synchronization of files.
Able to replicate any source folder even if the files are in use. Detect conflicts or file collisions. These occur when a file has changed in both locations since the last sync operation. This requires that a database or journal be kept by the utility. Propagate deletions and detect file renames.
This also requires a log file of previous operations. Support filters and rules for fine tuning what files are, or are not included in the sync operations. Show a preview of what is going to take place during a sync operation, and allow the user to easily over-ride any actions desired. Have a job scheduler and the ability to automatically detect and launch sync operations when a destination becomes active. (Such as plugging in a USB drive).
Support syncing to both local and network locations. Monthly file copy limit of 40,000 files, no support for copying locked files. Honourable Mentions. supports file compression and can verify file integrity after job completion.
had a lot of votes for this one in the comments section. is good if you are looking for a minimalistic or simplistic utility. Related Products and Links You might want to check out these articles too:. Editor This software review is copy-edited. Please help edit and improve this article. Please rate this article.
Currently seems to be a problem finding home website of FreeFileSync. The Help tab within the program results in unable to connect and if you follow the download link given here it takes you to SourceForge. There is a link there but that also results in 'Unable to connect'. I've had the program since version 8.3 but occasionally go to the website to consult the manual. There are a few blogs about the program but there not quite as good as the developers proper manual.
Maybe it's a temporary issue or maybe the project has been terminated. Based on comments of others here I thought I'd give Synchredible a try. However my 'go to' file download site, Softpedia, only seems to have the commercial version. A search found the developers site and they do have a 'Free for private purposes' file to download. or to post comments.
I've been a long-time user of Karen's Replicator. Yesterday I was sad to learn that one of the Microsoft May 2017 patches has made Karen's Replicator unusable. (Briefly, from what I gather, the patch made it so that KR can't create a new folder on the destination drive. Which means it can't create a back-up copy of any file created in a folder that didn't exist before your PC received the offending May patch.) So of course I came to Gizmo's Freeware to see what is recommended.
Based on comments, I evaluated Synchredible. It was looking pretty good until I ran into a problem I was unable to solve. (The problem was that it kept trying to resynch files that didn't need to be synched, because the files were identical.
These are old files that I brought over from another system. The problem might be that the file 'modify date' is 2009 while the file 'create date' is 2014. I wanted to see if that situation was confusing Synchredible, causing it to want to always recopy the files. Otherwise, I had no explanation.) However, the point of this post is not to dwell on that, but rather their support situation.
The company Ascorp (in Germany) has a not-very-active forum. I was going to create an account in order to ask a question or two.
Unfortunately, their forum registration form wouldn't let me create an account. (1) The form included a captcha that you had to respond to, but neither Firefox nor IE would display the graphic. Only after I told IE to 'display insecure content' would the graphic appear. (2) For some reason, the form said that 'the community' wouldn't accept my e-mail address, and please use a different e-mail. Well, sorry, but that's my e-mail (the same one I use for my account here at techsupportalert).
So I have a problem I can't solve with the app and no way to get on the forum to ask a question. That doesn't work for me.
If I have a better experience with another app, I'll report it back here for the benefit of those who follow. or to post comments.
Following up from a couple of days ago, I am very pleased with SyncBackFree, which is in the 'honorable mentions' category of this review. SBF won't appeal to everyone. It has a bit of a learning curve as there are a LOT of options. I like software that puts the user in charge, and SBF certainly does that. In a nutshell, you create one or more 'profiles' (i.e., tasks) for the back-up, synchronization, or mirror you want to perform.
It will do pretty much any file operation you can think of, contingent on the status of the files & folders in the source & destination drives. It operates on demand or, via Windows Task Scheduler, on the schedule you set. You can set filters at the file and folder level, and you can either skip or include files or folders that are created after you set up the filter. You can set a warning so that you don't delete a bunch of your backup files inadvertently. A particular strength of SBF is the comprehensive, context-aware help utility. On the flip side, the after-the-fact reporting could be more flexible and robust. By default, SBF provides a recap of the most recent run of each profile.
I would prefer that it didn't overwrite the previous log, and instead offer to retain all logs for 'x' number of runs or 'y' number of days. The intrepid user can work around the issue, but native support would be better. Some options (e.g., encryption and versioning) are reserved for one of the two paid-for versions. But the free version does a lot. I recommend it for those whose back-up needs might be a little more complex than average and/or for those who like a fine level of control over their critical apps.
or to post comments. My main need is that a back up program absolutely mirrors the FOLDER and FILE timestamps After all, isnt that the point of a folder and file backup program?? Such a simple need, but I have not found one free backup program that does this. I have to rely on a commercial backup program to faithfully mirror the timestamps of the original files Let me know if you find a freeware back up program that can perform this very basic process You need to check back up programs, such as Free File Sync, are doing a complete job, and not missing files, by using a separate folder/file comparison utility Also some synchronisation freeware works well enough, but are very slow.
Its often not evident you are using a slow program, until you have found a faster one! Australia, thanks for your comments. I am managing about 3 TB of data, so I certainly do appreciate speed. In the checking I've done so far, SyncBackFree doesn't seem to be missing any files. My biggest folder has 250,000-plus files (including subfolders) and the numbers agree between my source and destination.
But I will test more thoroughly, based on your cautionary words. If you are running in interactive mode, SBF does give the user a report of exactly what files & folders will be copied, created, and deleted. You can review the report and abort the run before any changes are made. In fact, there is a Simulated Run mode that does just that.
I think that is a fairly common feature. To your other point, SBF does not retain the original creation date on the newly-created file or folder copy, although it does retain the original modification date. I agree it would be nice if that info was preserved, but it's not a particular requirement in my case. (SyncBackSE is one of the 2 paid versions of the same program. I didn't install or work with that version.) Based on earlier user comments, I opted not to evaluate FFS. If SBF hadn't worked out for me, TrueSyncFree was next on my list, although I did see a comment or two that TSF had skipped files.
or to post comments. As a followup, I've been using Aomei Backupper for imaging my boot drive. Just discovered their version 4 has added Real-time Sync in the scheduling section. This will allow me to use it for Backup on Save functions as well - this is for key files to be automatically backed up with each new version.
It avoids loosing a days work if something goes wrong between daily data backups. It's saved my bacon a couple of times. Synchredible is a good sync tool too though. Cleaner interface than FFS. or to post comments. G'day David - please explain what you mean by 'sharing activity with external servers'.
What information does it share IYO? I only sync with partitions on or drives attached to my computer.
I don't really see how it is meant to share activity with any one else, particularly as I obviously do not need to be online to sync. I use FFS every day and find it excellent. I even spend a few dollars once or twice per year to support Zenju who has responded well to the few issues I have had, Jon. or to post comments. Hi Jon The free version of FFS now has ads.
That requires sending data to ad servers and returning with the ad content. What that data includes, I don't know but there is often an effort to 'target' the ads, meaning they share some user data.
I have 0 interest in having adware on my computer, especially when I have no way of knowing what is being shared with who. Many examples illustrate that once that door is opened, collected data tends to expand. There is also issues with opening a door for malware if the unknown ad companies are compromised. If you've supported FFS, perhaps he gave you a code that turns that off?
I understand why developers are doing this. Its become common for free apps on cell phones and is widespread online. Most people have no clue how much of their user data is being collected and shared unknowingly. But I'd rather not invite that onto my desktop.
To use an analogy, it's one thing to have someone listen in on a conversation in a restaurant. It's quite another to have it happen in my living room. or to post comments. Thanks David - yes I did pay something for the new version (9.0) in mid-April, which may explain the lack of adware.
The paid version has no ad or crap ware attached. Glad to hear (from others) that Syncredible is good.
Will switch to that if FFS gets too intrusive (or expensive), but in the meantime, all my filters and time shifts work well in FFS, and my various backup relativities are saved. It is also remarkably fast - I backup around 100 MB per day to OneDrive - takes 0.5 seconds approx. So for the time being I plan to subscribe every six months or so. Jon. or to post comments. FreeFileSync suits my needs. I find it easy enough to use and it has a pretty simple and intuitive GUi.
I've used it on and off for years and always keep coming back to it. I like it so much I donated $20 to the developer. Unfortunately that payment does not include upgrades. If I do upgrade to any future versions it reverts to the bundleware version, so I'm sticking with version 8.3 indefinitely.
It's a pity they don't just provide a 'Pro' version that includes all future upgrades. Added:- If the pop-up nag to update annoys just add the following two lines to the host file: 127.0.0.1 a2ss35.a2hosting.com 127.0.0.1 www.freefilesync.org Happy update/calling home to mother-ship blocking:).
or to post comments. FreeFileSync is excellent - at least six stars. My MalwareBytes identified OpenCandy as a PUP, but I agreed to install anyway.
In practice, no open candy, no malware. But quite why I don't know. As a precaution, I took a registry backup before installing.
But this time, and the last two or three, there has been no click-off malware button during the install, and nothing untoward has installed. Actually the program is so useful, that I will go back to donating for each new version - not very much I admit, but I do donate more for major upgrades, eg, when FFS goes to version 9. I am looking forward to the day when Zenju can give OpenCandy the flick and just rely on donations. Sorry CANCEL THAT - my normal morning MWB scan found: PUP.Optional.OpenCandy, C: Users Admin AppData Local Temp is-7Q1NL.tmp OCSetupHlp.dll, 9dab8ba2b3512123e1ce32 Encouraging is that it doesn't seem to have done anything, but I have anyway deleted it. I will also post to the FFS forum.
I have therefore reduced my FFS rating to 5 stars. or to post comments. The application Unchecky is quite useful in helping to deal with PUPs (such as OpenCandy) that may be included with an application one would like to install. During the installation process, it helps steer one along the path to the options (if they have been provided) to deselect the PUPs that may have been bundled with the app. It also writes exclusions to the HOSTS file, preventing the PUPs from phoning home (The app automatically updates itself. Also extremely useful (in many ways) is the venerable WinPatrol, as another commenter has mentioned (Both are highly recommended (if not essential) for every Windows box, IMHO. or to post comments.
It is now common practice for freeware programs to come bundled with unwanted components. This is why we have an installer warning message next to the download link and publish articles such as this. When you run the installer it is necessary to block any outgoing connections in order to prevent these from downloading additional material although the fact this is happening is clearly stated during the install process. You can easily make a test install first using one of the freeware programs such as ToolWiz Time Freeze.
MC - Site Manager. or to post comments.