Hi All,

W10 Pro 22H2

I have a weird "one off" (meaning it happens nowhere else)
problem with a customer's Cobian backup:

This is the source:

C:\Users\accounting\Documents>dir /a | grep -i junction
09/14/2020 07:39 AM <JUNCTION> My Music [C:\Users\accounting\Music]
09/14/2020 07:39 AM <JUNCTION> My Pictures
[C:\Users\accounting\Pictures]
09/14/2020 07:39 AM <JUNCTION> My Videos
[C:\Users\accounting\Videos]

This is the backup directory (after trying to delete it with windows
explorer and saying no to the overrides)

F:\MyDocsBackup\backup3\Documents 2023-08-15 16;28;47 (Full)>dir /a
Volume in drive F is BACKUP
Volume Serial Number is 0866-7D92

Directory of F:\MyDocsBackup\backup3\Documents 2023-08-15 16;28;47 (Full)

01/05/2024 07:49 PM <DIR> .
01/05/2024 07:49 PM <DIR> ..
08/15/2023 03:29 PM <DIR> My Music
08/15/2023 03:29 PM <DIR> My Pictures
08/15/2023 03:29 PM <DIR> My Videos
0 File(s) 0 bytes
5 Dir(s) 480,294,719,488 bytes free

The junction points got created as regular directories.
And they won't delete with conventional means.

I placed the junction points into Cobian's Exclusion Mask
which fixed the issue. Cobian still create directories,
but they now erase.

Cobian's log with the excludes:

2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source
"GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My
Music\": found in the task's exclusion masks

2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source
"GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My
Pictures\": found in the task's exclusion masks

2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source
"GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My
Videos\": found in the task's exclusion masks

What the h***?

-T

On 1/5/2024 11:39 PM, T wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> W10 Pro 22H2
>
> I have a weird "one off" (meaning it happens nowhere else)
> problem with a customer's Cobian backup:
>
> This is the source:
>
> C:\Users\accounting\Documents>dir /a | grep -i junction
> 09/14/2020  07:39 AM    <JUNCTION>     My Music [C:\Users\accounting\Music]
> 09/14/2020  07:39 AM    <JUNCTION>     My Pictures [C:\Users\accounting\Pictures]
> 09/14/2020  07:39 AM    <JUNCTION>     My Videos [C:\Users\accounting\Videos]
>
>
> This is the backup directory (after trying to delete it with windows explorer and saying no to the overrides)
>
> F:\MyDocsBackup\backup3\Documents 2023-08-15 16;28;47 (Full)>dir /a
>  Volume in drive F is BACKUP
>  Volume Serial Number is 0866-7D92
>
>  Directory of F:\MyDocsBackup\backup3\Documents 2023-08-15 16;28;47 (Full)
>
> 01/05/2024  07:49 PM    <DIR>          .
> 01/05/2024  07:49 PM    <DIR>          ..
> 08/15/2023  03:29 PM    <DIR>          My Music
> 08/15/2023  03:29 PM    <DIR>          My Pictures
> 08/15/2023  03:29 PM    <DIR>          My Videos
>                0 File(s)              0 bytes
>                5 Dir(s)  480,294,719,488 bytes free
>
>
> The junction points got created as regular directories.
> And they won't delete with conventional means.
>
> I placed the junction points into Cobian's Exclusion Mask
> which fixed the issue.  Cobian still create directories,
> but they now erase.
>
> Cobian's log with the excludes:
>
> 2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source "GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My Music\": found in the task's exclusion masks
>
>     2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source "GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My Pictures\": found in the task's exclusion masks
>
>     2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source "GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My Videos\": found in the task's exclusion masks
>
>
> What the h***?
>
> -T

I don't know what to do to help here.

This is for junctions. There is also mklink, which is in the OS.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/junction

You can scan the C: partition for permissions. One of the
"nice side-effects", is there could be some hints of trouble
in the Cerr.txt file. If it "steps on a Junction", it deposits
an error entry in the CErr.txt file. That's what my notes say
at least. There used to be, like, sixty errors in the file or so,
that need attention.

icacls c:\ /save ntfsCdrive.txt /t /c > CErr.txt 2>&1

But generally, backup at file level, is pretty hairy for C: partition.
Plain old data partitions won't be nearly as much trouble as C:
would be.

https://www.2brightsparks.com/resources/articles/ntfs-hard-links-junctions-and-symbolic-links.html

Paul

T <T@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> W10 Pro 22H2
>
> I have a weird "one off" (meaning it happens nowhere else)
> problem with a customer's Cobian backup:

Not much help, but only to confirm that this indeed seems a one off.

My Cobian Backup doesn't try to backup junction points, at least it
doesn't fail on them, and doesn't put My Music, My Pictures and My
Videos folders in the backup (only the normal ones without the 'My '
bit).

BTW, are you using Cobian *Backup* or its replacement (Reflector?)?

N.B. You probably won't be seeing this, but I've posted it
nonetheless.

[...]

On 1/7/2024 4:06 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> T <T@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>> W10 Pro 22H2
>>
>> I have a weird "one off" (meaning it happens nowhere else)
>> problem with a customer's Cobian backup:
>
> Not much help, but only to confirm that this indeed seems a one off.
>
> My Cobian Backup doesn't try to backup junction points, at least it
> doesn't fail on them, and doesn't put My Music, My Pictures and My
> Videos folders in the backup (only the normal ones without the 'My '
> bit).
>
> BTW, are you using Cobian *Backup* or its replacement (Reflector?)?
>
> N.B. You probably won't be seeing this, but I've posted it
> nonetheless.
>
> [...]
>

Well, he can't be using Reflector, because he has a lot
"invested" in the solution he has got.

Microsoft is constantly messing with stuff, so it's not like
the "target" is stationary. It's a moving target.

Paul

On 1/7/24 14:37, Paul wrote:
> Well, he can't be using Reflector, because he has a lot
> "invested" in the solution he has got.

My CobianWrapper.pl6 supports both Cobian Backup and Cobian
Reflector. The data on my original post was using Reflector

> Microsoft is constantly messing with stuff, so it's not like
> the "target" is stationary. It's a moving target.

NO S*** !!!!

On 1/7/24 12:28, Paul wrote:
> On 1/5/2024 11:39 PM, T wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>> W10 Pro 22H2
>>
>> I have a weird "one off" (meaning it happens nowhere else)
>> problem with a customer's Cobian backup:
>>
>> This is the source:
>>
>> C:\Users\accounting\Documents>dir /a | grep -i junction
>> 09/14/2020  07:39 AM    <JUNCTION>     My Music [C:\Users\accounting\Music]
>> 09/14/2020  07:39 AM    <JUNCTION>     My Pictures [C:\Users\accounting\Pictures]
>> 09/14/2020  07:39 AM    <JUNCTION>     My Videos [C:\Users\accounting\Videos]
>>
>>
>> This is the backup directory (after trying to delete it with windows explorer and saying no to the overrides)
>>
>> F:\MyDocsBackup\backup3\Documents 2023-08-15 16;28;47 (Full)>dir /a
>>  Volume in drive F is BACKUP
>>  Volume Serial Number is 0866-7D92
>>
>>  Directory of F:\MyDocsBackup\backup3\Documents 2023-08-15 16;28;47 (Full)
>>
>> 01/05/2024  07:49 PM    <DIR>          .
>> 01/05/2024  07:49 PM    <DIR>          ..
>> 08/15/2023  03:29 PM    <DIR>          My Music
>> 08/15/2023  03:29 PM    <DIR>          My Pictures
>> 08/15/2023  03:29 PM    <DIR>          My Videos
>>                0 File(s)              0 bytes
>>                5 Dir(s)  480,294,719,488 bytes free
>>
>>
>> The junction points got created as regular directories.
>> And they won't delete with conventional means.
>>
>> I placed the junction points into Cobian's Exclusion Mask
>> which fixed the issue.  Cobian still create directories,
>> but they now erase.
>>
>> Cobian's log with the excludes:
>>
>> 2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source "GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My Music\": found in the task's exclusion masks
>>
>>     2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source "GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My Pictures\": found in the task's exclusion masks
>>
>>     2024-01-05 20:26 Ignoring the source "GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\Users\accounting\Documents\My Videos\": found in the task's exclusion masks
>>
>>
>> What the h***?
>>
>> -T
>
> I don't know what to do to help here.
>
> This is for junctions. There is also mklink, which is in the OS.
>
> https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/junction
>
> You can scan the C: partition for permissions. One of the
> "nice side-effects", is there could be some hints of trouble
> in the Cerr.txt file. If it "steps on a Junction", it deposits
> an error entry in the CErr.txt file. That's what my notes say
> at least. There used to be, like, sixty errors in the file or so,
> that need attention.
>
> icacls c:\ /save ntfsCdrive.txt /t /c > CErr.txt 2>&1
>
> But generally, backup at file level, is pretty hairy for C: partition.
> Plain old data partitions won't be nearly as much trouble as C:
> would be.
>
> https://www.2brightsparks.com/resources/articles/ntfs-hard-links-junctions-and-symbolic-links.html
>
> Paul

Hi Paul,

Thank you!

I have to explore that icacls command in depth!

-T

On 1/7/24 14:37, Paul wrote:
> BTW, are you using Cobian*Backup* or its replacement (Reflector?)?

Both. New installations, I use Reflector. The data on
the post was from, Reflector.

> N.B. You probably won't be seeing this, but I've posted it
> nonetheless.

You are right. I am only seeing in Paul's reply.

On 07/01/2024 21:06, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> T <T@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>> W10 Pro 22H2
>>
>> I have a weird "one off" (meaning it happens nowhere else)
>> problem with a customer's Cobian backup:
>
> Not much help, but only to confirm that this indeed seems a one off.
>
> My Cobian Backup doesn't try to backup junction points, at least it
> doesn't fail on them, and doesn't put My Music, My Pictures and My
> Videos folders in the backup (only the normal ones without the 'My '
> bit).
>
> BTW, are you using Cobian *Backup* or its replacement (Reflector?)?
>

Thanks.
I didn't know about Cobian Reflector
- https://www.cobiansoft.com/cobianbackup.html

--
Regards
wasbit

On 1/8/24 01:42, wasbit wrote:
> I didn't know about Cobian Reflector
>  - https://www.cobiansoft.com/cobianbackup.html

Reflector is a wonderful upgrade!

If you are upgrading, leave Backup in place, install
Reflector.

Go to File --> Import Legacy List and tool over to your
old Backup directory in program files x86 and import
most of your old stuff.

With your old Backup in place, you can go back and forth
until you have everything you want reinstalled.

On 08/01/2024 10:09, T wrote:
> On 1/8/24 01:42, wasbit wrote:
>> I didn't know about Cobian Reflector
>>   - https://www.cobiansoft.com/cobianbackup.html
>
> Reflector is a wonderful upgrade!
>
> If you are upgrading, leave Backup in place, install
> Reflector.
>
> Go to File --> Import Legacy List and tool over to your
> old Backup directory in program files x86 and import
> most of your old stuff.
>
> With your old Backup in place, you can go back and forth
> until you have everything you want reinstalled.
>

Will add to my notes.
Thanks

--
Regards
wasbit

On 1/9/24 02:06, wasbit wrote:
> On 08/01/2024 10:09, T wrote:
>> On 1/8/24 01:42, wasbit wrote:
>>> I didn't know about Cobian Reflector
>>>   - https://www.cobiansoft.com/cobianbackup.html
>>
>> Reflector is a wonderful upgrade!
>>
>> If you are upgrading, leave Backup in place, install
>> Reflector.
>>
>> Go to File --> Import Legacy List and tool over to your
>> old Backup directory in program files x86 and import
>> most of your old stuff.
>>
>> With your old Backup in place, you can go back and forth
>> until you have everything you want reinstalled.
>>
>
> Will add to my notes.
> Thanks
>

You are most welcome