Which files/folders to back up to laptop?

[Ramon PG]

On a Mac OS X: I am trying to find out which files I should back up to my laptop in order to be able to open a document back home and have all the proper defaults and preferences for that particular documet/project up to date.

I noticed that some items like the Object Libraries can be kept outside the VW application folder, but others like the Plug-ins folder cannot be automatically found by VW if kept outside.

I would prefer to have all docs in the Document folder so that I can backup any changes to libraries, prefs and the like on a regular basis.

Anyone has backup strategy figured out for VW?

[Jonathan Pickup]

i have but it's not easy. some preferences are kept in the document (Document Preferences). some are VectorWorks preferences, things like Click-Drag drawing, which set up on each machine, since it doesn't take long.

then you have plug-ins, and there are lots of those. some things like the wall type library are stored in the plugins folder, inside other folders.

Templates have to be stored in the templates folder,

Standards in the standards folder...

[Jonathan Pickup]

I tried using an alias in the templates folder, but that doesn?t work.

I also tried the alias in the standards folder, but that doesn?t work either.

[jan15]

I don't know the answer to this, but I'm really interested in it, and for more reasons than just coordinating a laptop.

It seems to me that what Ramon needs is a simple program that will allow him to drag the VectorWorks folder from the desktop to the laptop, and will respond to that drag by copying the folder, including the folder structure, but won't replace any file or folder that's already there in the same sub-folder and with the same date stamp. That way, any new or changed files get copied to the appropriate folder on the laptop, and it only takes one drag and then waiting a few seconds.

To my mind, this is also what a back-up program should do. This and nothing else. When I think of backing up, what I want is to copy any data files that are new or revised since my last backup, and to cumulatively create an exact copy of my entire data partition in the same folders as on the source drive so that I can find them again if I ever need to. And I would do back-ups much more often if I could just drag and drop, instead of looking through a million settings that I can't de-cipher, and without waiting for all the millions of files that are already backed up to be copied again.

And it seems to me that anyone who owns a computer needs that simple program, especially people who also have laptops, but everyone who has data files to back up. Yet, for some reason, I've been unable to find a back-up program that has this capability, after hours and hours of searching. Does anyone know of such a beast?

It's maddening that Windows won't do this with an ordinary drag and drop. Windows gives you a choice of either not replacing any files, even the new ones, or else replacing all files, even the millions of files that are already there in the same form, or else manually making that choice for each of the millions of files. It would be so easy for the computer to see that a file already exists and hasn't been updated, and therefore doesn't need to be copied.

[Jonathan Pickup]

what about a simple syncroniziing program like DataBackup X

http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_backup_info.php

[Delmer]

I have a Maxtor external drive that I use for backups to be taken off-site. It plugs in to either firewire or USB and the accompanying RetroExpress software is ridiculously simple while allowing the setup options you want; manual, accumulative backups, automated, complete, partial. Plus you can of course just access it through a drive letter. Compared to some systems I've used in the past its like moving from ACAD to VW.

This would also work for Ramon as you could set your VW folder to be backed up to the external when new or altered files are found and then restore them to the laptop.

Though I haven't tried it I am sure this program or other similar ones would do the same thing to a zip disc.

[jan15]

That sounds good, but I can't find a RetroExpress web site. Do you have a company name or something?

[Delmer]

Retrospect Express is the full name, produced by Dantz; http://www.dantz.com/ I see there are a number of price levels. Mine came bundled with the 300 gig external for $230.

You can also do a search on www.download.com for backup software.

[jan15]

Thanks, Delmer.

They don't sell that Express version, just a pro version of Retrospect, for $120, which is too much for just making the Windows Explorer drag-and-drop Copy feature work the way it should. And anyway at that price it must do a lot of other things that I don't want to spend time on.

The same is true of all the back-up shareware. I've looked at tons of it. It's all too complicated, even the freeware. There's always a big interface, with lots of commands and options and settings. Why are there options? Just back up everything that's not already backed up! What part of that don't they understand?

[Ramon PG]

"t seems to me that what Ramon needs is a simple program that will allow him to drag the VectorWorks folder from the desktop to the laptop..." jan15

I actually have the backup program already. It's called Synchronize! Pro X ($99) and, believe me, it is way simpler and better than Retrospect Express. I used RE for years, probably more than 15, but I never liked its weird, confusing interface. Worst of all sometimes the program files were not recognised and you had to restart the backup from scratch. RE did compact your files, but with 250 gb hard disks selling for $199 I don't think it's that necessary. Synchronize! Pro X will even archive erased files so that you dont lose anything to incremental backing up. And the support is excellent.

Synchronize! Pro X will let you back up a number of folders at the same time. I do this which the Mail applications thanks to some help from Joe Kissel, author of the Take Control - eBook "Take Control of Email with Apple Mail (1.1)". BTW, these e-books are inexpensive and packed with relevant info.

So... what I really need is to know which folders to backup in order to have identical prefs and supports on both machines.

[Kevin]

Ramon;

I don't have an exact answer for you, but I would backup the entire VW folder. I would assume that most everything is in there.

I would then launch VW and do a search on the hard drive for files by date and see what VW files, if any, were just modified. Those would be good candidates for backup as well.

[Delmer]

So if you've got all that space and a backup software that you know how to use, what's the question again?

[Ramon PG]

quote:

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Originally posted by Delmer:

So if you've got all that space and a backup software that you know how to use, what's the question again?

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Delmer,

One thing is to backup your documents and another is to backup your applications. Trying to backup the applications which are particularly installed in a volume or machine does not guarantee that they will work because there are application support files ( in the Mac OS system, at least ) that cannot be copied to another volume and just work. You can ruin your machine trying to do that. I for one don't want to risk that just now. I would suspect that both machines, or at least their system files, would have to be identical. I don't think they are. Some applications simply will not work by copying and will require you to re-install them.

[jan15]

Good point, Ramon.

But looking at my VW folder (on Windows), it looks like everything in the sub-folders could be copied. The intent seems to be that all the machine-specific files are in the main VW folder, and all the user-specific files are in the sub-folders. Both from the filenames and extensions, and also from the fact that the dates of all the files in the main folder are from before I installed VW. But to be sure of all that, I guess we'd need to get a comment from an engineer at Nemetschek.

I don't know see anything that would store VectorWorks Preferences. Maybe that's stored in the Windows Registry, in which case there's no way to copy it.

[islandmon]

I suggest a clean install of VW to the laptop then write an Applescript to handle the back-upsbased on tthe install log file(s). On OSX you should avoid drag&drop for archive because of invisibles & symbolic links.

[Kevin]

For OSX; You might take a look at Carbon Copy Cloner. I am now using this for backup in addition to Retrospect.

[Ramon PG]

quote:

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Originally posted by islandmon:

... write an Applescript to handle the back-ups based on the install log file(s). On OSX you should avoid drag&drop for archive because of invisibles & symbolic links.

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I believe Sync Pro can be programmed to do just that. Iguess I'll be trying it very soon. I'll let you know. Thanks all for the prompt and generous feedback.

[Ray Libby]

You can export and import registry keys.

[quigley]

On Mac OSX I use Carbon Copy Cloner to creat disk images of the system and application folders and all work in progress to external drives. This works well.

For everyday backups I use Deja Vu (which comes with OSX) to backup work folders to two back up drives (one internal the other external). These are scheduled to set off daily.

Never tried iDisk syncing but that should work (in theory).

On Windows XP I burn DVDs every week of work folders. Applications and System stuff on Windows is too hard for me to get my head around (!!) so I resort to having redundant hardware with the same system and software installed. In theory the work files whould be enough.

Once you have had a 40GB drive and an 80GB drive die within 2 weeks you take no chances again!!