"Always exclude files" are backed up anyway... How to fix?

[Daru@daru.net]

In "Creating file selecting criteria," I have excluded enclosing folders whose label is yellow, OR folders whose label is yellow, OR files whose label is yellow. In my Pictures (unlabeled) folder I have 13 folders. I've labeled six of them yellow (all contain enclosed folders that are not labeled yellow). Retrospect backs up four of the six anyway, thus substantially increasing my backup file.

 

Enclosed in Pictures is PhotoWork (unlabeled); inclosed in PhotoWork are about 20 folders, five of which I've labeled yellow. Retrospect copies all of them.

 

Retrospect User Guide, page 181, says: "Each checkbox in this window corresponds to a specific item position in the Label menu and not to the actual color or label names." There is no explanation.

 

In the Finder preferences, Labels, Yellow is in the third position. In the Action button in the tool bar of Finder windows, "none" is first position and yellow is therefore fourth. In the Retrospect Selecting window, it is impossible to know which position yellow is in. Colors are listed in four columns with two in each. Reading top to bottom and left to right, yellow is third. Reading left to right, yellow is second.

 

This kind of impossible to interpret instruction is what made me stop using Retrospect a few years ago.

 

So Retrospect copies 9 of 11 files I've labeled yellow, and the two it does not copy are in sequence with three of those it does copy, same level, same label. This caused me to spend twelve hours backing up to DVD's. It should have been half that time, and even then I had to abort when I realized I needed about six more DVDs on top of the first five. I only wanted to backup about 12 GB to begin with.

 

What is going on? Is there a way to fix this?

[CallMeDave]

Try cusomizing one of the label names in the Finder Preferences. You should then see the new custom name in Retrospect.

 

Label selectors have always worked as expected for me, so there might be some other user error in your configuration.

 

Since selectors can simple or complex, it's always wise to "Check Selectors" under the "Selector" menu before you run an actual backup. This will allow you to make any corrections that might be necessary before you begin to use it.

 

Use the "Define Subvolume" feature to limit your test to a known folder, so you don't have to scan the whole drive just to test.

 

Dave

[Daru@daru.net]

Hi Dave,

 

I was on the phone with Retrospect Tech Support when I got your message. Just realized I had a couple of days left of complimentary support. On hold 1 hr 20 min. Then we worked for 1 hr. 20 min. Gave up. Couldn't get it to recognize a yellow label. Decided to ask for a refund.

 

I did what you said: changed name of Yellow to Don't Backup. It appeared in the Retrospect window. I was setting the correct label.

 

Later this afternoon I went back into the program and relabeled all the files No Label, then relabeled them Yellow (or, Don't Backup), relaunched the finder. Didn't help. Then I went back into my Selector window and set it to:

always exclude files matching: folder name contains 'anything'/AND enclosed folder label is Don't Backup/OR matching folder label is Don't Backup.

 

Went to Immediate, clicked Backup, clicked Preview. It was correct! No folder I had labeled Don't Backup (yellow) was checked. Then I did a backup.

 

Didn't work. In my Pictures folder, all labeled folders were backed up anyway. In my Library folder, only ONE labeled folder (Caches) was backed up; most of those folders I had labeled. Just wanted Application Support, Mail, Safari, etc. (mostly data files).

 

So, guess I'll go back to Apple's Backup, which is much slower...

 

Daru

[CallMeDave]

Without attempting to deconstruct your actual Selector (which, as I suggested, are prone to misconfiguration due to inherent limitations between the keyboard and the screen), did you try the Check Selector menu item, instead of setting up a backup and using Preview?

 

Dave

[Daru@daru.net]

I just did that. Thanks for telling me about it. "Check Selector" gave me exactly the same return as Preview. The correct files are checked. But the backup this selector produced included files that I had labeled Yellow-Don't Backup. I'm really puzzled. I'd really like to use Retrospect. Apple's Backup produces files that get much larger each day, and there is no way to do a recycle. I'm wondering if I have a logic board, CPU, hard disk, or memory problem...

 

I may settle for SilverKeeper. Very easy to use; it correctly excludes the files I want excluded, and I've got enough capacity to store uncompressed backups... Restore is pretty simple, too. Just drag and drop.

 

Daru

[CallMeDave]

Quote:

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The correct files are checked. But the backup this selector produced included files that I had labeled Yellow-Don't Backup. I'm really puzzled.

 

---

 

So am I. It's hard to imagine that files that are not checked in a Preview browser get written to media. So hard, in fact, that I don't believe it.

 

Once you get into nested conditions it's not unusual to end up with unanticipated results. But the marked/unmarked status of files in a Preview browser are after the selectors have done their work; Retrospect simply won't backup unmarked files.

 

> the backup this selector produced included files that I had labeled Yellow-Don't Backup

 

- How can you tell?

- What methods are you using to see what has been backed up in this Session?

- Is this the same Backup Set that you used originally?

 

Remember that files that have been copied to a Backup Set stay there; if your original Selector efforts resulted in unwanted files being copied, those files will still be there after additional Sessions.

 

As for the text on page 181, well, I don't know what to make of it. The Finder's label name (either default or customized) has always been reflected in the Selectors dialog box, long before OS X. There must be some other situation that this wording needed to predict.

 

Dave

[Daru@daru.net]

Well, Dave, I don't know what would make a believer of you, but I deleted my old backup file, gave the backup a new name, and saved it in a new folder. Then, after about 45 minutes of backing up, I told Retrospect to Restore. In files chosen, the list revealed that my Library was exactly correct, for the first time. In my Pictures folder, I'd labeled 6 files Don't Backup. Four of them were backed up. In my PhotoWork folder, a subfolder in Pictures, 5 of 5 Don't Backup files were backed up. I then selected a few of the files that were not supposed to be backed up and restored them to my hard disk, and opened them. They are there. For real... I'd send you screen shots, but I doubt the forum will allow attachments. I sent screen shots to the technical help person yesterday. He couldn't figure it out either.

 

"Retrospect simply won't backup unmarked files."

 

But it did. AND both Check Selector and Preview showed these files to be unchecked.

 

Today was my 28th day since purchase, and I've just faxed a request for a refund. I'd really rather find a solution. It may have something to do with hierarchy. Maybe I should have put in a few more "OR if enclosed folder is labeled Don't Backup" "OR if folder is labeled Don't Backup." But according to the Check Selector and Preview, I didn't need them, and if I'm going to get a refund, I'm out of time to experiment.

 

Daru