Remember when...(a rant of sorts...)

Altster

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Microsoft "used to" put all associated files to each installed program in that particular program's folder(s)?

Of course it was way back when in ver 3.0 / 3.1 of Windows (maybe?) and maybe not. I can't really recall when they started shoving application data into a hidden folder in the user's folder under the guise of "AppData."

I am currently working on script to back up users files from their individual user folder(s) and using robocopy as the backup software. Since it is included with Windows now and is "part of the software" I am using it because it is a free command-line utility and for the most part it works quite well. It's just that I really DON'T WANT everything that is associated with the AppData folder.

And before any of you suggest that I use "this program" or "that program" I will remind you that I am not interested in paying for anything in any way. It either needs to be included with the O/S I am using at the moment or of the "Open Source Software" nature.

I'm sure that I will find a way to accomplish what I am up against. It has been a (re)learning experience for me and I even have a working copy of Windows 10 Home Premium to work / experiment with. The scripts that I am working with MUST work with Windows 7 - 10 Home Premium AND Professional as this is the target I (we) are going after.

I'll get down off of my soapbox now.

Cheers ;) :)
 
Well when things started going multi user they stopped using .ini files for settings and switched to registry....i don't think anyone liked dealing with that so to support multi user environment but avoid registry they use appdata.

I don't quite understand what you are looking to do, the only way you are going to backup settings without backing up all of it is if you specify which folders you don't want or which ones you do want. I don't think there is any software out there that keeps track of programs and their associated appdata directories (someone correct me if im wrong).
 
Look for robocopy /xd and /xf to exclude specific files or directories if that's what you want...
Robocopy -> from XP to W10: great way to sync files & folders ;)
 
It either needs to be included with the O/S I am using at the moment or of the "Open Source Software" nature.
Then have a look at DeltaCopy. Essentially, it's rsync for Windows, but with added value features, GPLv3.

As any fule kno, rsync is nature's way of incremental backup.
 
We use robocopy all the time for quick & dirty backup scripts for residential clients. Works well, but you have to know its limits. We specifically name the directories we want in the script. Also, we always mount the external drive to a folder and refer to that folder in the script so when Windows gives the external a new drive letter, it doesn't break the script. They look something like this (adjusted as necessary):

echo Backup started %date% %time%. >>c:\backuplink\backuplog.txt
taskkill /im /outlook.exe /f
taskkill /im /qbw32.exe /f
taskkill /im /winword.exe /r
robocopy c:\users\steve\desktop c:\backuplink\desktop /e /tee /r:2 /w:2 /xo /xj /z /fft
robocopy c:\users\steve\documents c:\backuplink\desktop /e /tee /r:2 /w:2 /xo /xj /z /fft
.
.
.
.
echo Backup completed %date% %time%. >>c:\backuplink\backuplog.txt
shutdown.exe /s /t 30

We typically backup desktop, downloads, documents, pictures, music, videos, IE favorites, Chrome & Firefox profiles, etc. - where the data is.

Note also the lack of the "/purge" flag. This keeps files on the backup drive that they have deleted from the computer. Disk space is cheap, and adds protection if they don't discover they have deleted something important 6 months ago.

Then we place an icon on the desktop so the user can run it at any time by double-clicking on the icon. We also (if it's a desktop) offer to schedule it to run every night at 11 or whatever, that way the only thing they have to do is plug in the drive and leave their computer on. We sell them the external drive if necessary and usually couple this with a sale of Backblaze. Belt & suspenders and all that.

It doesn't get "settings", but that falls under "know its limits". This quick & easy file backup. Fancier features means use another program.

Also, if you the easier you can make it, the higher the odds of them actually running the thing. We make sure we tell them more than once that THEY are in charge. They don't run it, they are not backed up - simple as that. On return calls for service we check the log file and scold them if it hasn't been run in a while, then have them run it in front of us, pointing out the icon, etc.
 
Take a look at Free File Sync (It's free!). You can specify right down to individual files if you want, and build a simple batch file that runs whenever (or, you could use windows task scheduler, I guess). Can even have it run automatically when a named volume on an external device is plugged in, or a network device becomes active. Good support, too.
 
echo Backup started %date% %time%. >>c:\backuplink\backuplog.txt
taskkill /im /outlook.exe /f
taskkill /im /qbw32.exe /f
taskkill /im /winword.exe /r
robocopy c:\users\steve\desktop c:\backuplink\desktop /e /tee /r:2 /w:2 /xo /xj /z /fft
robocopy c:\users\steve\documents c:\backuplink\desktop /e /tee /r:2 /w:2 /xo /xj /z /fft
.
.
.
.
echo Backup completed %date% %time%. >>c:\backuplink\backuplog.txt
shutdown.exe /s /t 30
There is a "log" switch which you can use ->> /log+:<path_to_log_file_and_filename>. The "+" will append the log(s). Doing it this way will CAPTURE EVERYTHING that is backed up and at the moment this is how we create our logs.

Using robocopy has been a real learning experience for me (again). And in some ways a PIA!

Unfortunately I / we need to copy files from the %AppData% folder too and you can probably imagine all of the other "crap" that Microsoft shoves into that folder. This was the reason for my initial posting. I will probably end up listing each folder and excluding the ones I don't want backed up in my script.

Thanks for the response(s) folks. Keep 'em coming. ;)
 
I like Back4Sure. Checkboxes to select the origin on the left, set destination on the right, and it's ready to go.
Portable and free including for commercial use. Plenty of other options to play with, if desired.

print.jpg
 
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Take a look at Free File Sync (It's free!). You can specify right down to individual files if you want, and build a simple batch file that runs whenever (or, you could use windows task scheduler, I guess). Can even have it run automatically when a named volume on an external device is plugged in, or a network device becomes active. Good support, too.
I'm giving this another "good" look at. I had glanced at it a few days ago and didn't think it was what I was looking for. But so far, so good. It's doing a file sync as I type. Since I could create a batch file then I can call it from within another batch file that makes the connection(s) and disconnects upon completion of the operation.

Thanks Mick ;)
 
Thanks Altster. I find it very versatile, if you can put a little time into figuring out all the various possibilities. For example, I often just drop the .exe file into the Startup folder, so it just sits in the background, ready and waiting. One problem with this is that if you are actively using a program (such as, say, Outlook), it will throw a warning message that 'the file is in use by another process' (or something to that effect) when a change occurs which warrants a sync. However, if you're using it on appdata folders, that might be less of an issue. There may even be a way round this, but it's so infrequent I haven't bothered to find out!
 
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