Backups take 18 hours. Files don't exist!

[PitterPat]

Hi,

 

RS is taking forever to do a backup.  It seems some very large files are the culprit.  For example one file has a name: tmpxxxxx (where xxxx is a very long string of digits).

 

The thing is I can't find any such file!  I've excluded \System Volume Information and \Recovery on the chance that the file is in an inaccessable directory.  But that hasn't helped.

 

What's going on?  Why these "ghost" files and how do I exclude them from the backup.

 

Thanks

 

[Scillonian]

What version of Windows are these "ghost" files on? Is this the same system that Retrospect is running on or is it a client?

 

These files could be in hidden folders which are, you've guessed it, hidden by default. How to view these folders depends on the Windows version.

 

Depending on how many files are in the backup session it may be possible to try and fine the location of these files by reviewing the session contents. From the panel on the left select Reports > Session Contents then select the backup set and session and click Browse.

[PitterPat]

Thanks Scillonian,

 

Your suggestion helped me find the "culprits".  The files (tmp000*) are in C:\Windows\Temp.

 

I've excluded them from the bu.

 

What's interesting is I had to take ownership of the directory in order to view its contents and even then the tmp* files do not show up.  I have opted to show hidden files/folders and there is no option to show/hide system files for that directory. 

 

So RS knows the files are there and backs them up but I can't see them.  I don't understand that.  Unless those files are no longer there.

 

The session contents report is quite useful (I had never used it b4).  I first viewed the files alphabetically; selected the tmp* files; and then went to the tree view to see which directory was checked.  Worked great!

 

Oh, to answer your questions, the system is running Win7 and it isn't the system running RS.  I'm using a RS client to access it.

 

Many thanks!

[Scillonian]

Your suggestion helped me find the "culprits". The files (tmp000*) are in C:\Windows\Temp.

By the sound of it these files are taking up a large amount of disk space. It may be worth trying to find out what application is creating these files and not removing them when finished.

 

Instead of selecting the individual files to exclude you could safely (in theory!) exclude the entire C:\Windows\Temp folder along with C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp.

 

So RS knows the files are there and backs them up but I can't see them.  I don't understand that.  Unless those files are no longer there.

Retrospect can see all the files and folders on a volume even though you, courtesy of Windows Explorer, can't. By default Windows Explorer won't show hidden files and folders and certain important operating system files. To show these files got to Folder Options in Control Panel and on the View tab select 'Show hidden files, folders, and drives' and uncheck 'Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)'. (When you have finished remember to reverse these changes to help prevent inadvertently deleting/damaging any important operating system files.)

 

Oh, to answer your questions, the system is running Win7 and it isn't the system running RS.  I'm using a RS client to access it.

If there are specific folders on a client that you do not want to backup you can exclude them using the Retrospect Client application itself. In Windows Control Panel select Retrospect Client and select the Privacy tab. Click Add and navigate to the folder you want to exclude then click Select Folder.

 

Because the folders are excluded at the client they will not be scanned during the backup which will speed up the backup. This is reduction in scanning time is more noticeable if the excluded folders contain a lot of files. (If the folders are excluded on the server they will still be scanned before they are excluded.)