Author Topic: Re: Autobackup with OneDrive (Read 16377 times)

kalos · « **on:** June 03, 2016, 06:40 PM »

hello!

I have problem making OneDrive work as auto-backup, can you tell me please how to do it?

I want to right click on files and folders and make them to be backedup regularly in the cloud

how can I do that?

will it save older versions automatically?
will it detect when the files/folders are changed and back them up?

thanks!

PS: I tried GoogleDrive and it failed to sync some files so I dumped it

kalos · « **Reply #1 on:** June 03, 2016, 06:41 PM »

I just read "Fetching files on a PC running Windows 8.1 isn't supported!"
Is this the reason I cannot make it work??
This is very disappointing! How can they not support 8.1? It is supposed to backup files from various devices, thus various OS!

tomos · « **Reply #2 on:** June 04, 2016, 02:41 AM »

FWIW I've used onedrive to backup photos from a Windows 8.1 phone and accessed the backup from a Windows 7 machine (was very slow to backup but I'm not sure whether I can blame onedrive for that). Phone OS obviously works different to a full OS so cant help you otherwise.

Did you try searching?
Your questions seem fairly basic, I would presume you'ld easily find the answer.

Tuxman · « **Reply #3 on:** June 04, 2016, 07:24 AM »

I just use hard links for "cloud backups". One version of each file is enough for me.

kalos · « **Reply #4 on:** June 04, 2016, 04:54 PM »

I just use hard links for "cloud backups". One version of each file is enough for me.
-Tuxman (June 04, 2016, 07:24 AM)

what do you mean by hard links?

Tuxman · « **Reply #5 on:** June 04, 2016, 04:58 PM »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_link

Deozaan · « **Reply #6 on:** June 04, 2016, 05:00 PM »

I just use hard links for "cloud backups". One version of each file is enough for me.
-Tuxman (June 04, 2016, 07:24 AM)

what do you mean by hard links?
-kalos (June 04, 2016, 04:54 PM)

It's "like a shortcut" to the original file. Not a backup at all.

Tuxman · « **Reply #7 on:** June 04, 2016, 05:02 PM »

Precisely. I found out that I can save a lot of time when I just keep most of my files "in the cloud" and only store hard links in ~.

Shades · « **Reply #8 on:** June 05, 2016, 09:46 AM »

With a tool called: CyberDuck you should be able to create a script that copy the files you want to one or more cloud providers at intervals you can set up with Windows' scheduled tasks functionality. The command-line version of CyberDuck has a descriptive online manual, so that shouldn't be a problem. There is also a version with a GUI. Both versions are available as separate download, each are distributed under the GPL license and there are builds for Windows, Linux and OSx.

By using hard links you'll open a can of worms for yourself if you don't understand the implications of the Hard links concept. Its deceptively simple, so most won't bother, but you really should read up on it before you start implementing it. Because if when you lose hard linked files, you don't (fully) understand the gravity of the concept.

Now, if you share your computer with family members that aren't into computers (and file management!) the way you do...hard links are a nono, unless you really like restoring backups. Backup strategies (on-line and/or off-line) can be messed up significantly too when you apply hard links wrong. You literally deserve all the ridicule you'll get after restoring only the hard link (and forgot to backup the file itself).

kalos · « **Reply #9 on:** June 05, 2016, 04:09 PM »

I really can't believe there is no way to sync my files automatically

last time Bitcasa did it, but that company is a huge failure

isn't there any more trusted solution???

wraith808 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 05, 2016, 07:37 PM »

Most of the solutions that you've been using require that your files be in a certain location. They're not backup solutions- they're sync solutions. For google drive, it will create a drive folder. Only the files in that folder will be synced. Same with Onedrive, and Dropbox. If you really want to use a sync solution as your backup, and want to use one of these for it, you have to make use of symbolic links so you can store the files in the folder they want you to, but it's accessible where you want to access it from. Or you can use Cubby. It allows you to make any folder a sync folder. https://www.cubby.com/

Jimdoria · « **Reply #11 on:** June 05, 2016, 10:22 PM »

It sounds like what you want is more in line with Mozy. It is a cloud-based backup software that automatically copies files up to the cloud. It automatically syncs certain file types but you can configure it to do any kind of custom backup. You don't configure it through Windows Explorer though, you need to use the Mozy client.

But it will not do synchronization across machines. Is that also what you are looking for?

If so, I cannot recommend InSync highly enough! It syncs with Google Drive and is highly configurable.
Also very inexpensive and well worth the money!

https://www.insynchq.com/

kalos · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2016, 05:01 PM »

It sounds like what you want is more in line with Mozy. It is a cloud-based backup software that automatically copies files up to the cloud. It automatically syncs certain file types but you can configure it to do any kind of custom backup. You don't configure it through Windows Explorer though, you need to use the Mozy client.

But it will not do synchronization across machines. Is that also what you are looking for?

If so, I cannot recommend InSync highly enough! It syncs with Google Drive and is highly configurable.
Also very inexpensive and well worth the money!

https://www.insynchq.com/
-Jimdoria (June 05, 2016, 10:22 PM)

that InSync seems to be the best option, but isn't there any opensource freeware?
it's not that the money is much but I would prefer a more mainstream developer

Clive · « **Reply #13 on:** June 19, 2016, 10:16 PM »

Hello Kalos,
Here's my solution:
1) I have a dedicated hard drive which I have configured as the OneDrive destination. Go here to see how to do it
2) I use backup software called Yadis which backs up my My Documents partition to the OneDrive HDD. It backs up in real time and has versioning.
3) OneDrive then backs up to my cloud storage

Hope that helps

kalos · « **Reply #14 on:** June 20, 2016, 11:59 AM »

Wow Clive! Your solutions seems awesome, I 've been looking for that quite long time! thanks!

wraith808 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 20, 2016, 12:56 PM »

Hello Kalos,
Here's my solution:
1) I have a dedicated hard drive which I have configured as the OneDrive destination. Go here to see how to do it
2) I use backup software called Yadis which backs up my My Documents partition to the OneDrive HDD. It backs up in real time and has versioning.
3) OneDrive then backs up to my cloud storage

Hope that helps
-Clive (June 19, 2016, 10:16 PM)

That's very similar to the solution I set up for my wife. I'm just using rsync to back up to the backup drive.

tomos · « **Reply #16 on:** June 20, 2016, 02:18 PM »

good to know about Yadis, must check it out

1) I have a dedicated hard drive which I have configured as the OneDrive destination. Go here to see how to do it
-Clive (June 19, 2016, 10:16 PM)

link missing?

kalos · « **Reply #17 on:** June 20, 2016, 02:29 PM »

do I need that dedicated drive? can't I just specify to back up in onedrive disk directly?

wraith808 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 20, 2016, 02:53 PM »

do I need that dedicated drive? can't I just specify to back up in onedrive disk directly?
-kalos (June 20, 2016, 02:29 PM)

Depends on your usage. If you use items in onedrive directly, you have to make sure that they are not locked, and able to be copied even during use.

tomos · « **Reply #19 on:** June 20, 2016, 03:13 PM »

do I need that dedicated drive? can't I just specify to back up in onedrive disk directly?
-kalos (June 20, 2016, 02:29 PM)

that would be a sync of your files as opposed to a proper backup (but I dunno, does OneDrive do versioning?)

The way Clive is describing is doing backup -- with versioning of files, and that all then gets backed up to onedrive.
That's the way I do backup myself from my desktop:
backup to a second internal harddrive -- that all then gets backed up online and to external HD.

Obvious advantage is a better 'proper' backup, disadvantage is increased size of backup.

wraith808 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 20, 2016, 03:20 PM »

that would be a sync of your files as opposed to a proper backup (but I dunno, does OneDrive do versioning?)
-tomos (June 20, 2016, 03:13 PM)

Indeed it does. That's why I made my caveat above about it not being in use. If I have the same document open at home and work in Word, sometimes it has a problem merging the deltas.

kalos · « **Reply #21 on:** June 20, 2016, 03:29 PM »

do I need that dedicated drive? can't I just specify to back up in onedrive disk directly?
-kalos (June 20, 2016, 02:29 PM)

that would be a sync of your files as opposed to a proper backup (but I dunno, does OneDrive do versioning?)

The way Clive is describing is doing backup -- with versioning of files, and that all then gets backed up to onedrive.
That's the way I do backup myself from my desktop:
backup to a second internal harddrive -- that all then gets backed up online and to external HD.

Obvious advantage is a better 'proper' backup, disadvantage is increased size of backup.
-tomos (June 20, 2016, 03:13 PM)

Yadis does the versioning, I don't need OneDrive to do the versioning
I cannot use second drive, I only have laptop
And can anyone explain me what is the purpose of the second drive really? I don't understand, as I said Yadis is supposed to send the files to the cloud versioned
I don't want to hold a local backup, I only need the cloud

tomos · « **Reply #22 on:** June 20, 2016, 05:49 PM »

as I said Yadis is supposed to send the files to the cloud versioned
-kalos (June 20, 2016, 03:29 PM)

you havent actually looked at Yadis, have you?
EDIT// AFAICS, it doesnt do that (ondrive would have to do that)

tomos · « **Reply #23 on:** June 20, 2016, 05:56 PM »

My solution, like Clive's, is to make the versioned backup locally (can be to same partition if you want), and then sync/backup that online.
Otherwise you're depending on the online backup site's versioning (e.g. the basic dropbox software, or onedrive, or whatever -- which may be an option for you?)

Clive · « **Reply #24 on:** June 20, 2016, 06:21 PM »

do I need that dedicated drive? can't I just specify to back up in onedrive disk directly?
-kalos (June 20, 2016, 02:29 PM)

that would be a sync of your files as opposed to a proper backup (but I dunno, does OneDrive do versioning?)

The way Clive is describing is doing backup -- with versioning of files, and that all then gets backed up to onedrive.
That's the way I do backup myself from my desktop:
backup to a second internal harddrive -- that all then gets backed up online and to external HD.

Obvious advantage is a better 'proper' backup, disadvantage is increased size of backup.
-tomos (June 20, 2016, 03:13 PM)

Yadis does the versioning, I don't need OneDrive to do the versioning
I cannot use second drive, I only have laptop
And can anyone explain me what is the purpose of the second drive really? I don't understand, as I said Yadis is supposed to send the files to the cloud versioned
I don't want to hold a local backup, I only need the cloud
-kalos (June 20, 2016, 03:29 PM)

I use Onedrive as a third level of backup i.e. the last resort if all other backups fail. (That isn't what a lot of people use cloud storage for - they want access to their files no matter where they are, but there's only one version of that file if you like). If, like me, you only need backup and are prepared to forgo versioning then you could create a partition on your laptop which you assign to Onedrive and where you store all of your files. I believe that would be the closest to what you are trying to do