freefilesync not working

[peaceridge]

I'm trying freefilesync for my calibre library. My library is on my hard drive on my Windows PC, my folder for backup is on an sd card. I am mirror copying. The first time I let ffs (freefilesync) mirror all my hard drive library to the sd library. Looked good. I made a couple of changes to my hard drive library and ran ffs. It could not find any files on the sd drive and wanted to sync all the files. What am I doing wrong?

[BetterRed]

You should ask in the FFS forum, https://freefilesync.org/forum/

Originally Posted by peaceridge

I made a couple of changes to my hard drive library and ran ffs. It could not find any files on the sd drive and wanted to sync all the files. What am I doing wrong?

Without seeing your FFS settings etc how would anyone know?

BR

[AnotherCat]

Given that FFS isn't saying that it can't find the card the first suspicion I would have is that for some reason it does not recognise the card as being the same one as used for the first sync.

The following is a bit of a long shot because as far as I know this should not be necessary, but it is quick and easy to try. If you have not given the card its own discrete name yourself my first go would be to rename it (in Windows right click on the card in File Explorer and select Rename) then reset up a completely new sync by browsing to the card on the right hand side of FFS's window then saving it.

Even if you have renamed the card I think I would still try renaming it and when setting up a new sync to it making sure that one browses to the card in the right hand side of FFS rather than typing the path in.

[peaceridge]

Thanks Anothercat, I tried that and still nothing for the right column. The odd thing, I selected a different file for the left column and the same for the right. It didn't find the left one, but all the right ones were there! Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. I'll keep trying various things. Thanks for being helpful. Oh, I have asked on the ffs site, but not gotten any answers. Not every forum is as great as this one!

[AnotherCat]

Assuming the card is OK I can't think of anything else that would cause the problem except making sure everything is correct in the Compare and Sychronize sides of the setup (but the defaults work, so everything should be OK)

In your last post you said "I selected a different file for the left column and the same for the right. It didn't find the left one, but all the right ones were there"

Did you mean "folders" not "files"? FFS does not sync isolated files, only folders - in fact I don't think it can even be set up to sync individual files so if you did mean "files" I am probably misunderstanding your comment.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

I made a couple of changes to my hard drive library and ran ffs. It could not find any files on the sd drive and wanted to sync all the files. What am I doing wrong?

When FFS goes to sync I believe it examines the sync.ffs_db file found in the root of the destination folder. If the file isn't there it assumes it has never synced this folder before. Has this file somehow been deleted?

[AnotherCat]

I do stand to be corrected on this but as far as I have experienced if the sync.ffs_db file is deleted on either or both sides of the sync FFS will do a scan but will still only want to write across the files that are on the Compare side but are not on the Synchronize side, plus write new sync.ffs_db files - it will not want to write everything across as the OP experienced.

That does bring to mind trying deleting the sync.ffs_db files in the folders on both sides and seeing if that causes FFS after its scan to recognise the existence of the files already on the card and not want to write them again. Again, a long shot I would have thought.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

I do stand to be corrected on this but as far as I have experienced if the sync.ffs_db file is deleted on either or both sides of the sync FFS will do a scan but will still only want to write across the files that are on the Compare side but are not on the Synchronize side, plus write new sync.ffs_db files - it will not want to write everything across as the OP experienced.

You may be correct, the files may just speed things up.

[stumped]

its a windows app with a windows style file explorer
one or both of these shoudl work
1. find the sd card using windows file explorer, copy the exact path, paste it into FFS
2. find the SD card using widnwos then find it using the same navigation with ffs fiolder browser

( forget about using some previously saved spec, windows has probably mounted the SD card to a different drive letter this time around; as its a removable drive, it gets the 1st available letter if removed, then remounted)

if above is useless because you are not in a windows environment, please specify what you are using

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

Assuming the card is OK I can't think of anything else that would cause the problem except making sure everything is correct in the Compare and Sychronize sides of the setup (but the defaults work, so everything should be OK)

In your last post you said "I selected a different file for the left column and the same for the right. It didn't find the left one, but all the right ones were there"

Did you mean "folders" not "files"? FFS does not sync isolated files, only folders - in fact I don't think it can even be set up to sync individual files so if you did mean "files" I am probably misunderstanding your comment.

Yes, I did mean folders not files. Actually glad I misspoke, as I did not know it would not sync files.

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by stumped

its a windows app with a windows style file explorer
one or both of these shoudl work
1. find the sd card using windows file explorer, copy the exact path, paste it into FFS
2. find the SD card using widnwos then find it using the same navigation with ffs fiolder browser

( forget about using some previously saved spec, windows has probably mounted the SD card to a different drive letter this time around; as its a removable drive, it gets the 1st available letter if removed, then remounted)

if above is useless because you are not in a windows environment, please specify what you are using

Yes, Windows 10, I'll give your suggestion a try and let you know how it works.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by stumped

its a windows app with a windows style file explorer
one or both of these shoudl work
1. find the sd card using windows file explorer, copy the exact path, paste it into FFS
2. find the SD card using widnwos then find it using the same navigation with ffs fiolder browser

( forget about using some previously saved spec, windows has probably mounted the SD card to a different drive letter this time around; as its a removable drive, it gets the 1st available letter if removed, then remounted)

if above is useless because you are not in a windows environment, please specify what you are using

For removable storage one does not use drive letters at all in the synchronize side path and copying the path from File Explorer will not fix any drive letter changing problem. Using them will lead to problems.

For removable storage one uses the storage's Volume Name. So, for example, if the Volume Name of the SD card is MYCARD and the drive letter happens to be F: and the first folder on it to be used is MyFolder then the path on the synchronize side in FFS will be when one browses to it in FFS show as F:\MyFolder. But one then clicks on the arrow to the right of the path and selects the Volume Name MYCARD (which FFS will have recovered from the card) and the synchronize side path will change to [MYCARD]:\MyFolder.

One does the same if syncing to a device such as a phone, tablet or another PC by using the device's name.

The synchronisation is then drive letter agnostic. If it is not set up like the above (it is fully described in its own section in the FFS Help under "Variable Drive Letters") then it will lead to tears. If it is set up as it is supposed to be it will be fail safe, I have synced many storage devices and other devices and PCs for many years and never had a problem.

If the removable storage does not have a Volume Name already, then in File Manager right click it and select rename

[peaceridge]

I'm not sure exactly where I found this (I've tried so many things), but I did it and now freefilesync is working. Actually it is to get Dropbox working on a thumb drive, but worked for freefilesync. Just in case someone else has the problem and wants to try this:
Dropbox on a Thumb Drive
1. You can have your Dropbox folder on removable media (a flash/thumb drive) on Windows. If you have a flash/thumb drive, you will first need to mount it. This is done by:

a. Control panel --> Administrative Tools --> Computer Management --> Storage --> Disk Management
b. Right click on the flash/thumb drive, select Change Drive Letter and Paths…
c. Select add, then select Mount in the following empty NTFS folder, browse to your C:, select New Folder…
d. Name the folder "DB Mount", click OK, click OK, click OK. Close Computer Management.
e. You can now access your flash/thumb drive through its removable storage location (drive letter) or through the mounted location (C: DB Mount). Dropbox requires a local drive (the mounted volume).

2 Download Dropbox at: https://www.dropbox.com/install (You will have to signup for an account if you don't already have one).

3. If you have a flash/thumb drive, install Dropbox to the mounted drive in C:, named DB Mount. Select the this as the location for your Dropbox directory. [actually I just moved my Dropbox folder to DB Mount and it's working.

[AnotherCat]

We parallel posted . Very glad you got it going, but if synching to removable storage one just needs to do it directly using the Volume Name of the storage device itself in the sync path as I set out.

John