Use SyncToy to back up folders
summary
Back up your folders using SyncToy, a freely available backup tool provided by Microsoft.
Operating Environment
Operation check environment
| Windows Version |
|
| SyncToy Version | 2.1 |
System requirements required
| Windows Version |
|
| CPU | 1.0 GHz or higher |
| memory | 512 MB or more |
| Storage space | 20 MB or more |
| Required Components | Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable Package (x86) or Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable Package (x64) |
substance
There are many software for folder backup software regardless of whether it is free or paid, but "SyncToy" used this time has the following features.
- Free to use
- Folder-by-folder backup
- Multiple folders can be specified
- Consists of a simple screen, enabling intuitive operation without looking at manuals, etc.
- Two-way synchronization, unidirectional synchronization, and overwrite copy of folders can be specified
- Backup processing by command line tool is possible
- Rather than synchronizing by checking the existence of folders, high-speed backup is possible because of synchronization processing by file operation tracking. For example, when the file name is changed, the file before the file change is deleted at the backup destination and copied with the new file name, but in the case of SyncToy, the process of changing the file name of the destination is performed.
- SyncToy is only available in English
install
Go to the "http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c26efa36-98e0-4ee9-a7c5-98d0592d8c52&displaylang=en" page and click on "Download" at the bottom of the page. button to download the installer.
SyncToy is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, so download the one that is appropriate for your operating system.
Run the downloaded installer.
When the setup dialog is displayed, click the "Accept" button.
Click the Accept button.
Check "I have read and understand the warning above" and click the "Next" button.
Read the license agreement carefully, and if you can grant it, check "I Agree" and click the "Next" button.
Click the Next button to start the installation.
When the installation is complete, click the Close button to close it.
Configuring SyncToy
When the installation is complete, select "SyncToy 2.1" from the "Start Menu" to launch it.
The SyncToy Customer Feedback Options dialog appears, but if nothing else is specified, click the OK button to close it.
When the SyncToy window opens, specify the folder you want to sync. Click the Create New Folder Pair button.
Specify the source folder in "Left Folder" and the backup destination folder in "Right Folder".
Once specified, click the ÒNextÓ button.
Specifies the copy method. Here's how to copy it:
| Types of copiesCopy | behavior |
|---|---|
| Synchronize | Synchronize files that have been created, updated, deleted, or renamed in both directions. |
| Echo | Propagates files that were created, updated, deleted, or renamed in the Left Folder to the Right Folder. |
| Contribute | Propagates files created, updated, or renamed in Left Folder to the Right Folder. Files in the Right Folder are not deleted. |
Sets the name of the folder pair. It can be anything, but it is also used for the name you specify on the command line.
The folder pair you created will appear in the upper left corner of the screen. Since the files have not yet been copied at the time of creating the folder pair, you can press the "Preview" button to check the files to be copied.
In the list of files to be copied, you can check the copying operation, file size, etc.
Usually all files in a folder are copied, but you can also uncheck the left to exclude copying of specific files.
Click "Run" at the bottom right of the screen to actually copy the files. You can also run it by pressing the "Run" button directly on the previous screen without previewing.
The file is actually copied and the progress and results are displayed.
Select "All Folder Pairs" from the menu on the left to display a list of folder pairs you created. If you click the "Run All" button here, you can synchronize all folder pairs. If there is a folder pair that you want to exclude from being copied, uncheck the box to the left of the folder pair.
While selecting each folder pair, you can rename and delete the folder pair with the "Rename Folder Pair" and "Dekete Folrder Pair" buttons.
Regular backups with Task Scheduler
SyncToy itself does not have scheduling capabilities, but because it can be run from the command line, you can perform scheduled backups with the built-in Task Scheduler that comes with Windows.
Start it by selecting Accessories → System Tools → Task Scheduler from the Start menu.
When the Task Scheduler starts, click Create Basic Task... from the action menu on the right.
The "Create Basic Task Wizard" dialog box is displayed, so enter "Name" and "Description" so that the contents of the task are easy to understand.
Specifies when to back up.
Specify details about when to perform the backup. Depending on the trigger specified on the previous screen, what is displayed here will vary.
Check "Start Program" and click the "Next" button.
In "Program/Script", type "C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" (check if you have a "SyncToyCmd.exe" file because the folder may be different depending on the version of SyncToy). Paths should be enclosed in double quotation marks.
In Add Argument (Optional), enter -R <folder pair name >". Specify the folder pair name if you want to run only a single folder pair, but specify only "-R" if you want to synchronize all folder pairs.
Confirm the contents you entered and click the "Finish" button. After that, check whether the synchronization occurs automatically on the specified schedule.
Suppress the command prompt when running from the command line.
If you actually run it from the command line in Task Scheduler, you'll see that the command prompt is displayed when you synchronize folders. SyncToy's file copying is very light, so it's okay to schedule it at short intervals, but it's quite an eyesore to see a command prompt during copying.
Here's how to synchronize folders so that the command prompt doesn't show up.
First open the text folder and enter a program like the one below.
Set ws = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
ws.run """C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe"" -R""SyncTest""",vbhide
The text you created is called " . vbs" extension. The file name and destination of the save folder are optional, but since it is used regularly in the task scheduler, please save it to a location where you do not need to move the file in the future.
Also, if you do not specify a folder pair name with -R as shown below, SyncToy will synchronize all folder pairs enabled.
Set ws = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
ws.run """C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe"" -R",vbhide
When you open the task scheduler, the task you created earlier is displayed, so double-click it to open the details dialog.
Select the Operations tab and double-click the operation you just created.
In "Program/Script", enter "wscript.exe", and in "Add Argument (Optional)", enter the ". vbs" file. Paths should be enclosed in double quotation marks. Now you can synchronize your files without the command prompt appearing.
other
A file called "SyncToy_xxxxxx.dat" is created in the folder specified in the folder pair. This is a file that is used in SyncToy syncing and should not be deleted.