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How to get full list of all dates that file was backed up


x509

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Retrospect 12.6.101 running on a Win 10 Pro 64, all patched up to FCU and beyond.

 

I recently discovered that a 66 MB file got corrupted, and now is only 1 KB.  I did a Restore > Find Files, and selected just *.DNG files for my search.  Retrospect responded with a list of all *.DNG files with their size and last backup date.  However, I need to find a previous backup, before the file in question got corrupted.  How can I do that automatically, that is, without manually checking each snapshot for the job which backs up *.DNG files?

 

x509

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x509,

I'm going to assume that you at least know the name of the corrupted 66MB file.  You should first watch this YouTube tutorial, called "Using Find Files to Restore Data with Retrospect for Windows", which will tell you how to select only the file with the specific name you want.

Then you have two options, depending on whether you know the date of the last good backup of that file.  If you don't know that date and don't trust Retrospect, then IMHO what you should do is to repeatedly run Restore->Find Files—always specifying the file name and selecting on each run a single last backup date that is earlier than the one you restored on the preceding run.  After each run, look in the folder created by the Retrospect restore at the size of the file you just restored to see if it is 1KB or 66MB.  If it's 66MB, then you've just restored the last un-corrupted backup of the file—and you can move that restored version to replace the corrupted version.  The fourth paragraph of this post by the very-knowledgeable twickland  alludes to this procedure, and also mourns the loss in Retrospect Mac of an earlier facility that would have eliminated the need for repeated Restore runs.

But you are running Retrospect Windows, and IMHO still have this facility.  If you do know the date of the last good backup of that file or if you trust Retrospect's  reporting of file sizes, then you can get fancy in order to eliminate the repeated Restore runs.  Read pages 451-454 in the Retrospect Windows 12 User's Guide, and specify the name of your corrupted file and the size or date of the un-corrupted version.  Then you should be able to build a custom Selector that will allow you to make a single Immediate Restore run, or simply checkmark the latest backed-up version with the desired size and Restore that version.

Edited by DavidHertzberg
Revised 2nd prgf., because I realized Retrospect Windows still has the browser facility that was removed from Retrospect Mac
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x509,

Actually I'm pretty sure you can eliminate the repeated Restore runs mostly by using the Retrieve Just Files option on page 123 in the Retrospect Windows 12 User's Guide, combined with "Specifying the Search Criteria" on page 124.  I did a Restore test after I wrote the preceding post this morning, followed by another test just now.  The tests were on my Mac Pro "backup server", but what I did seems equivalent—although the Retrospect Mac GUI is a bit different.

The trick will be to specify the file name, but then to click the More Choices button in the dialog.  This will enable you to create a custom Selector, as described on pages 456-464 of the UG.  Pay most attention to "Universal Selector Conditions" on page 462, which will tell you you can specify Size.  If the custom Selector replaces the specification of Name on page 124, then your custom Selector will also have to specify Name as part of the custom Selector—and combine the Name and Size with And as described on pages 464-465.

 

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