Discussion on:

Configure automated backups using SyncToy and Windows 7's Scheduled Task

erik:
maybe you can shed some light.
using windows 7 desktops in a win2008r2 domain. pc's are typically logged off, but not always
if I set up synctoy under the user account with the target on the server, the test works, but then the job fails when run as a scheduled task, if I remember, can't find the path, or something like that. the path I typically use as the target is "\\servername\users\username\documents\outlook backup"
if I use a mapped drive and they've logged out, it will fail, because it doesn't know what the mapped drive is.
I've set it up logged in as the administrator on the pc, and it seems to work, though sometimes it can't find the target path because I have redirected my documents to a folder called documents in their user directory.
in all instances, the test after initial setup works fine.

also, how do you get away without specifying the backup name? I always use - R "Outlook Backup" for the command line parameters.

I have tried SyncToy on various scenarios. I can safely say that it works fine for personal use but do not consider it a workhorse for large number of files.

I stopped using SyncToy because it became unreliable. I've been using FreeFileSync which is open source. It is more customizable than SyncToy and SyncToy can't hold a candle to it. My 2 cents.

I've been using Robocopy for some time now, after reading Greg Schultz's article, and comes with Vista and 7. It's a manual backup, replacing Xcopy, but it has many switches and works well. I used an Xcopy batch file in XP and put it in the Task Scheduler. Both worked well and handled my backup needs. My files are backup up to my NAS, a Dlink DNS-321 network storage device on my home network with mirrored drives. My wife's and my computer are backed up to it.

This comment is addressed to those IT pros with concerns about SyncToy reliability. Have you used SyncToy in the manner I described in this article, namely just the Echo component writing files one way? I've deployed this solution at numerous clients and have yet to see a single file not back itself up when the scheduled task runs.

I am using Microsoft Outlook. My PC crashed due to Hardware failure several times due to mishandling of my Laptop in the Laboratory.
Every time i called for a data recovery, it is costing me huge. I would like to know whether, SyncToy can be able to take of *.pst while Outlook is in operation?
If not, Please give any other tool details, which will operate for back-up, even when the file for back-up is in use.

Thanks

I am using the software "Allway Sync" ... very reliable and has automatic backup option as well. And also very fast.

I am trying to back up the external drive of a new computer. It is on the same network. Sync toy sees the computer but not the drive. How can I get it to see the external drive. I want to back up the entire external drive.

Thanks,
wdpcpa

Share the Drive for it to be visible on the Network.

Col

Do you know any way of getting synctoy to work on Win8? running through GUI syncs fine but trying to sync via cmd with task scheduler just error's saying it cannot find the network source?