Fab's AutoBackup 7 Pro - a must have tool for techs

[Microbolt]

It was not the first time I have been asked for "default selections".
I am still against that idea (some kind of "cover my a**" policy) but if several people asked for it, then I must admit I am wrong somewhere.

What about instead of default "Backup profiles". How about default "Restore profiles". That way everything gets backed up and then we can have a profile to select what we want restored to the new machine. Little to no risk that way

(Though I still like the Backup profile idea better as some of the items we uncheck can be quite large. Apple Mobile Backups)

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

Not sure how I feel about selection profiles. If they were available, I probably wouldn't use them. I'm all for automation, but there comes a time when you need to be very careful about what that automation is doing.

My standard process is to back up EVERYTHING I can get my hands on so at least I have it. Then, at restore time, I'll determine WHAT to restore based on a variety of criteria, especially what the user wants. (e.g. don't restore Windows Live Mail if he's moving to Outlook).

Having profiles does not negate the responsibility of the tech to verify the settings or backed up data just like you should be doing now.

 

[fincoder]

I am still against that idea (some kind of "cover my a**" policy)

Did you see my post above, repeated here:

To avoid accidentally running with a certain profile, maybe we should have to choose the profile every time (no default).

This would mean doing nothing will still back up everything by default.

If someone takes the step to save settings and giving it their own name, then selects that name when run again later, it's very clear that person is responsible for their actions.

There are some backup options I always untick because I know I won't want to restore them. Some examples:
- desktop background (I've never seen this restored successfully)
- user account picture (I've rarely seen this used except for MS Account logins which pick up the account picture from the cloud)
- windows modern UI shortcuts layout
- Internet Explorer start page (it's very commonly hijacked by a fake search engine)
- Internet Explorer proxy settings (if set for residential users it's always malicious)
- screen saver settings (not important and could be malicious)
- network places (not used by residential users)
- fonts (residential users don't add fonts, and I don't want the Windows fonts backed up)
- office activation files (I've never seen that work anyway)

I often untick the cloud files options, because by definition these files will resync anyway.

It's true that I could leave all those ticked, and untick them on the restore but it will save some backup time and space to not include them in the first place.

Also I sometimes use Fabs to recover a customer's data onto their own external drive for them to take home, and having unnecessary folders in the backup is messy.

 

[Porthos]

desktop background (I've never seen this restored successfully)

Don't have that issue, It works for me albeit if it is just some "windows" background I dont bother restoring it.

office activation files (I've never seen that work anyway)

If you are going to a new computer it wont work. 2010 and older on same computer works for me most of the time but I rarely use it.

- user account picture (I've rarely seen this used except for MS Account logins which pick up the account picture from the cloud)
- windows modern UI shortcuts layout
- Internet Explorer start page (it's very commonly hijacked by a fake search engine)
- Internet Explorer proxy settings (if set for residential users it's always malicious)
- screen saver settings (not important and could be malicious)
- network places (not used by residential users)
- fonts (residential users don't add fonts, and I don't want the Windows fonts backed up)

Always delete these ( not back up )

Also I sometimes use Fabs to recover a customer's data onto their own external drive for them to take home, and having unnecessary folders in the backup is messy.

I clean it up(useless folders) and scan the files.

 

[fincoder]

Don't have that issue, It works for me

I ended up with a black desktop background after restoring with this option. I haven't experimented with it much though because it's isn't important.

Always delete these ( not back up )

Good to know I'm not the only one!

I clean it up(useless folders)

I do that too, but it would be good to have fewer empty/useless folders to clean up.

 

[GTP]

Don't have that issue, It works for me albeit if it is just some "windows" background I dont bother restoring it.

If you are going to a new computer it wont work. 2010 and older on same computer works for me most of the time but I rarely use it.

Always delete these ( not back up )

I clean it up(useless folders) and scan the files.

+ 1 to above ^^

 

[fabs]

Did you see my post above, repeated here:
If someone takes the step to save settings and giving it their own name, then selects that name when run again later, it's very clear that person is responsible for their actions.

It can be done like that and it will in a first place but I can see coming from far far way request for custom preset selected by default at startup. Then I would update the EULA or at least make a message prompt telling that I do not take any responsibility in that case.

I often untick the cloud files options, because by definition these files will resync anyway.

This! That's exactly why I was so reluctant in adding these but like today, due to popular request, it has been done anyway.

For now, I am more going to focus on adding those C:\ and user's profile unusual folders. That's the less hard to do, the presets require a lot of code editions. By the way, the custom profiles will be stored in the 'autobackup.ini' file (simpler for me).

 

[Mr. Ingram's Computer Repair & Shoppe]

It can be done like that and it will in a first place but I can see coming from far far way request for custom preset selected by default at startup. Then I would update the EULA or at least make a message prompt telling that I do not take any responsibility in that case.


This! That's exactly why I was so reluctant in adding these but like today, due to popular request, it has been done anyway.

For now, I am more going to focus on adding those C:\ and user's profile unusual folders. That's the less hard to do, the presets require a lot of code editions. By the way, the custom profiles will be stored in the 'autobackup.ini' file (simpler for me).

I personally prefer to just backup everything.... Some people store things in the "onedrive" folder but aren't signed in, thinking that they are backing up in the cloud.... Not all my customers are "tech savvy"

So I hope that the defaults will stay "backup everything".

 

[Diggs]

This! That's exactly why I was so reluctant in adding these but like today, due to popular request, it has been done anyway.

Woa! Thank you! Do not delete cloud stuff. There's still many connections around here that are either in the 1 Mbs range or they are rural on cell Internet with a data cap. Re-downloading their cloud stuff would be long and expensive and I don't want to be downloading everyone's cloud files while here. I'm not sure why there would be a preference to download cloud files when they are available at SATA speeds on the backup.

 

[fabs]

Woa! Thank you! Do not delete cloud stuff. There's still many connections around here that are either in the 1 Mbs range or they are rural on cell Internet with a data cap. Re-downloading their cloud stuff would be long and expensive and I don't want to be downloading everyone's cloud files while here. I'm not sure why there would be a preference to download cloud files when they are available at SATA speeds on the backup.

I am surprised you have not seen it. It is part of V7 since it came out

 

[fincoder]

I can see coming from far far way request for custom preset selected by default at startup.

But that's a better place to draw the line if you don't want to do that. Even users who choose the same custom profile every time they run Fabs would be far better off than if they had to select/deselect all the settings every time.

For now, I am more going to focus on adding those C:\ and user's profile unusual folders.

Perfect, I think that feature's more useful than the custom profiles.

By the way, the custom profiles will be stored in the 'autobackup.ini' file (simpler for me).

That will work well for users too. Much faster to choose a profile name from a drop-down list than to use a browse-for-file dialog, and still could be manually edited for power users and testing purposes.

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

Would it be possible to integrate CloneApp into Fab's? It copies software settings for migrating to new computers. It currently migrates settings for 245 apps.

 

[fabs]

Would it be possible to integrate CloneApp into Fab's? It copies software settings for migrating to new computers. It currently migrates settings for 245 apps.

It does not look like it works in offline mode with a slaved source drive or in WinPE. At least, its app settings are easy to read with any text editor, so, if this works as claimed, I could look at the app settings and add new features in Fab's Autobackup

 

[HCHTech]

I am against default backup profiles. In the first place, in terms of cost/benefit, you are talking about saving what, 30 seconds to a minute on the setup before you kick off the backup? This is not enough of a benefit to justify the costs. ...and the cost (in addition to Fab's not-trivial development/testing/beta time) is that you are giving yourself and your employees a reason NOT to look carefully at the process, which means the incidence of missing something will increase. It's not that hard (IMO) to look for folders in the wrong places since there aren't that many places they can be. Plus the act of looking could well uncover another problem you didn't see at first. If every computer were the same, I'd be in favor of this addition. But that's not the case -- every computer is different. Every user is different. Every software load is different. Spend that extra minute and uncheck the boxes.

My 2 shillings anyway.

 

[GTP]

+1 this ^^^

 

[fabs]

I am against default backup profiles. In the first place, in terms of cost/benefit, you are talking about saving what, 30 seconds to a minute on the setup before you kick off the backup? This is not enough of a benefit to justify the costs. ...and the cost (in addition to Fab's not-trivial development/testing/beta time) is that you are giving yourself and your employees a reason NOT to look carefully at the process, which means the incidence of missing something will increase. It's not that hard (IMO) to look for folders in the wrong places since there aren't that many places they can be. Plus the act of looking could well uncover another problem you didn't see at first. If every computer were the same, I'd be in favor of this addition. But that's not the case -- every computer is different. Every user is different. Every software load is different. Spend that extra minute and uncheck the boxes.

My 2 shillings anyway.

Sooooo true.

+1 this ^^^

+1 billion for me

 

[Porthos]

Sooooo true.


+1 billion for me

Ill raise you another million.

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

I am against default backup profiles. In the first place, in terms of cost/benefit, you are talking about saving what, 30 seconds to a minute on the setup before you kick off the backup? This is not enough of a benefit to justify the costs. ...and the cost (in addition to Fab's not-trivial development/testing/beta time) is that you are giving yourself and your employees a reason NOT to look carefully at the process, which means the incidence of missing something will increase. It's not that hard (IMO) to look for folders in the wrong places since there aren't that many places they can be. Plus the act of looking could well uncover another problem you didn't see at first. If every computer were the same, I'd be in favor of this addition. But that's not the case -- every computer is different. Every user is different. Every software load is different. Spend that extra minute and uncheck the boxes.

My 2 shillings anyway.

How is this any different than any other automated software with profiles like D7II, UVK, etc.? Techs need to take responsibility for their actions. Just because some people The point of all of these different software titles is automation and repeat-ability. If you save a minute or two per machine, in a busy shop that could add up over the course of a year. If @fabs is concerned about liability then put in a disclaimer, but in reality we trust his program with our customer data already, so what's the difference? Put the responsibility on the techs to do their job.

How about make the profiles option, optional. Like you have to turn it on in the .ini file and by default when you enable it, it backs up everything just like how the program works now if you just run it.

 

[fincoder]

I am against default backup profiles.

There doesn't have to be a default settings profiles, we just want the ability to select a profile name that we have previously saved. If Fabs makes it so there is no profile selected by default ever, then this doesn't affect anyone that unthinkingly press next.

Incidentally, it already remembers other settings such as Overwrite on the last page without needing to select it again. This is more potentially dangerous than the ability to select settings profiles.

It's not that hard (IMO) to look for folders in the wrong places since there aren't that many places they can be.

So this is a different feature request, nothing to do with Fabs settings profiles.

Personally I don't look in the user profile folder every time I run a backup because it's too much trouble, and now this has been discussed I realise now that I could be missing files/folders that users manually place in that folder. I have come across people who do this.

There is already a new profile folder in Windows 10 that Fabs is currently ignoring (3D Objects) and nobody has requested it be added to Fabs yet. This is the default save location for the Paint 3D app included in every Windows 10 install. Should we manually look in there every time with run a backup? That's drilling down 3 levels below C:\.

The requested new feature of backing up 'other user profile files/folders' would automatically back up 3D Objects and any other new folder that Microsoft potentially adds every 6 months, along with files and folders incorrectly placed by users.

I understand that we don't want to wish more development work on Fabs, but these two features would be incredibly useful (especially the second one about other profile folders). Also, there's no hurry for these features since we've lived without them so far, I wouldn't mind if Fabs decided to release these later to ensure we pay the next annual fee!

 

[fincoder]

How about make the profiles option, optional

Yes it doesn't have to remember any profile name by default. If we want to use the feature we should need to select the profile name every time to prevent unknowingly running with a profile.

There's no need to 'activate' the feature by manually editing the ini file, that's just awful, we will already need to activate the feature first by saving a profile, then secondly by selecting that profile name every time we want to use it.