Windows: How to file backup all existing hard drive partitions?

Server
1

On the server, I would like to configure this file (not image) backup scenario for all my Windows clients, but can’t get it to work:

  • Backup the C: drive except all Windows and Program Files related folders,
  • Backup all other partitions with exceptions, but only if they are real hard drives, not CD/DVD drives, network drives, USB drives/sticks, card readers and so on.

So generally said, i would like to backup all users data on all fixed hard drives on all Windows computers without the need of adjusting the config for every single machine.

Currently, if i configure e.g. C:\ and D:\ as “Default directories to backup”,on all clients where D: does not exist I’m getting this error: ERROR: Could not open path in os_get_final_path.

Thanks a lot,
Peter

2

See Save ALL : constructing of filelist failed (index/shadowcopy problem) - #2 by uroni on how to fix this error.

3

Thanks uroni, works like a charm. Didn’t find that post…

4

With the “optional” parameter, the server is creating emtpy folders for non-existing or invalid drives and is logging errors for them, so a “successful” backup is reported as “with errors”, which should not be the case.

For a CD/DVD-Drive (E:) i can see this errors reported by the server:
backupcom->AddToSnapshotSet(volume_path, GUID_NULL, &dir->ref->ssetid) failed: EC=VSS_E_VOLUME_NOT_SUPPORTED
Creating shadowcopy of “E” failed in indexDirs().
Cannot access directory to backup: “E:” Errorcode: 21 - The device is not ready.
Activating shadow copy on “testclient1” for path “E” failed

5

Been trying to figure out how to set up my file backups across different computers, and had settled on separate configs for each until I saw this. The Optional parameter is just what I needed to make a single config for all the computers.

However, is it supposed to include “optional” as part of the name when it stores the backup on the server?

For example, I have one entry as “C:\Documents and Settings|Users/Optional”, and it is showing in the backup sets as UsersOptional.

6

It is case sensitive. so C:\Documents and Settings\|Users/optional.

A lot of users seem to want to backup all volumes. I’ll increase the priority of adding the special values ALL and ALL_NONUSB to file backups as well.

1 Like
7

Ah, then it probably would have still failed on some of my other computers, which I hadn’t tested yet. I’ll fix that in my config. Thanks. :smile:

I’m not necessarily doing all volumes, but I have different setups on some of my home machines (some have a Z: drive, some don’t, for example). All I was looking to back up was the user profiles (with some excluded directories) and the Z: drive if it was there. The optional parameter let’s me list specific directories/drives, skipping others by not including them (the D: drive on one computer would use up more space than I have free on the server!).

8

Hello Uroni!

You wrote:

A lot of users seem to want to backup all volumes. I’ll increase the priority of adding the special values ALL and ALL_NONUSB to file backups as well.

I would like to backup ALL_NONUSB at file backups.

Does this setting work for file backup? I didn’t find any information in the manual and this forum.

Thank you!