Backup forum

IanPul · 2021-02-07 21:54:52

Hi.

My IDrive Express disk just arrived, and I have about 1/2 TB of disk images that I want to back up to it. Reading the instructions that came with it, I need to set this up as the local backup set, and choose the IDrive disk as the destination. The problem there is that I already have a local backup set configured for daily backups to my NAS, with quite a complex list of files/folders to back up. So the question is how can I replace those with the files for saving on the express disk, and then restore the existing list once it is done, without disrupting the daily local backups.

I could take a screenshot of the files/folders list and them re-enter them all manually later, but that will be very tedious and likely error prone. I was hoping that the list would be stored in a text file somewhere so I could make a copy of it, and then restore it afterwards, but so far haven't been able to find such a file. I picked the name of one of the folders in the list, and am searching for a text file containing that, but couldn't find anything under C:\ProgramData\IDrive.

Any ideas on where the local backup set files/folders list might be stored, or any suggestions for a better way to achieve this?

I don't want to end up triggering a full backup on the next local backup run once I've restored it, if I can help it.

Ian

SteveA · 2021-02-07 22:07:22

If you create a new user account on your computer, you should be able to create a new backup set for that user profile (by logging in to it).

Make sure the user is a local administrator so that it can access files in other profiles. Also in the backup settings, make sure Allow IDrive only for current profile is unchecked.

IanPul · 2021-02-07 22:20:10

Thanks - I had thought of that as a possibility.

However, I did just find where the files/folders lists are stored, and it turns out that it is under C:\ProgramData\IDrive after all (I'm not sure why the search that I ran earlier didn't find it there). Under C:\ProgramData\IDrive\IBCOMMON\<account-name> is a file named backupset.xml which holds one line for each backup set, like this one for the local set:

<item bksetname="LocalBackupSet_Ian" type="8" flname="20170826093657612"/>

And there is a file with it named 20170826093657612.txt that holds the list of files/folders to back up. So hopefully I can make a copy of that, and then restore it later. I'll do a little testing first, just tom make sure that I can remove one file/folder from the list and then get it back this way. If that works then it'll be easier than creating a new user account for it.

Ian

IanPul · 2021-02-20 19:03:08

Just to round this off, that all worked nicely. My Express backup is uploaded and online, and my local backup is restored and unaffected. Should anyone else hit the same problem, here is what to do:

Note that this is only necessary if the files to be backed up up via IDrive Express are different to those configured in your regular local backup set.

1. Look in C:\ProgramData\IDrive\IBCOMMON\<account-name>\backupset.xml for the entry with name "LocalBackupSet_..." and note the long number given with its "flname" attribute.

2. In the C:\ProgramData\IDrive\IBCOMMON\<account-name> directory, copy <file-number>.txt to <file-number>.save (or save it elsewhere) where <file-number> is that long number above.

3. To double-check that you're saving the correct file, look at the content of it and you should see a list of the files that you've configured in your local backup set.

4. When you follow the steps for the Express backup, select your local backup set and delete all the existing files to back up. Then enter those that you want to back up via Express, and change the destination drive to the Express drive.

5. Once the express backup has completed and you've verified that the backup of the drive looks correct, change the destination drive back to the destination for your regular local backup set, then close IDrive.

6. In the C:\ProgramData\IDrive\IBCOMMON\<account-name> directory, copy <file-number>.save (or whatever file name you saved it to) to <file-number>.txt. This restores your original "files to back up" list.

7. Restart the IDrive service, or reboot. I don't know if this step is actually needed, but I did it to be safe.

8. Open IDrive, select the local backup set and make sure that the list of files to back up and the destination drive are set correctly.

Ian

Last edited by IanPul (2021-02-24 17:25:52)

Backup forum

Announcement

#1 2021-02-07 21:54:52

How to use IDrive Express without obliterating my local backup set?

#2 2021-02-07 22:07:22

Re: How to use IDrive Express without obliterating my local backup set?

#3 2021-02-07 22:20:10

Re: How to use IDrive Express without obliterating my local backup set?

#4 2021-02-20 19:03:08

Re: How to use IDrive Express without obliterating my local backup set?

Board footer