Music Library back-up xcopy or Robocopy

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by spanky1, Aug 5, 2022.

  1. spanky1

    spanky1 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    In the past 2-3 years, I was able to rip my music library to flac(over 40,000 files). I ripped these to a 2TB external Seagate Backup Plus Slim drive. For a back-up, I copied these over to a 1TB solid state Sandisk Extreme portable drive.

    Since my initial copy, I've added or modified several hundred files, and I'd like to get them copied to my back-up. This is apparently the first time that I've tried to back-up files with Windows 10. I found out that I was unable to drag and drop files, then given the option to only copy changed files. I've read through several threads on here regarding various back-up questions. Some of the threads were pretty old, so I was wanting to see if XCOPY and Robocopy were 2 of my most popular options.

    Is there a better option now, or if not, which of the 2 I mentioned would be preferable?
     
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2022
  2. I'm on Windows 10 and have been using FreeFileSync successfully for many years, using the Mirror Synchronize function to automatically update any changes in the backup folders (additions, deletions or edits) to match the source folders. I have never tried the two options you named.

    FreeFileSync
     
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  3. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    I used to use Synctoy ( SyncToy - Wikipedia ) but it triggered a corruption bug in ZFS with some attribute issue, so I stopped. Now I use rsync on Solaris for my backups, but I don’t know if rsync distributions on Windows can be recommended or not.
     
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  4. SKBubba

    SKBubba Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tennessee
    I use robocopy. Been using it for years and it's been bulletproof. Still working on Windows 11. I have a bunch of robocopy batch files that run as scheduled tasks, daily, weekly, etc. Study the flags carefully, though, to avoid uninted results.
     
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  5. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    Robocopy will work. But you need to be very comfortable with the command line parameters and understand what they all mean and do. Just be aware that Robocopy can be very dangerous. It is way too easy to get the source and destination reversed and end up wiping out your source files. Way too easy to make that mistake. Robocopy is a powerful tool, but not user friendly.

    A better option is FreeFileSync. It has a graphical interface and will show you what files will be moved or erased. So you won't accidentally end up erasing your source files. FreeFileSync is free but does ask for a donation. It works. I've been using it to back up my music files. It can do two way syncs and one way mirror syncs. You want the one way mirror style sync.

    Practice using FreeFileSync using a test directory and test drive before using it for real on your music files. Make sure you understand what a two way sync is and a one way mirror sync is so you don't end up accidentally doing a two way sync that may overwrite or delete source files. There are some video tutorials on the FreeFileSync site that explain the features and what they do.
     
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  6. Phil Thien

    Phil Thien Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Robocopy. Create a log so you can check the summary (at the bottom) to see that nothing was missed.
     
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  7. brucej4

    brucej4 Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Coast, USA
    I have used TeraCopy for quite a few years, and it gives me a graphical interface with all the options I need for overcopying older files only, replacing all files, etc. I use it to do exactly what you want to do, and I have a similar number of music files. It's free.
     
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  8. Mike-48

    Mike-48 A shadow of my former self

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Another option is Syncovery. It's inexpensive but not free. I've been using it for about 10 yrs happily for backup and synchronization.
     
  9. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    What about SyncBack Free? I've been backing up my files with it ever since it was recommended in a discussion here on the forums some years ago. Have things moved on? That is, would one of the programs mentioned here be a better choice at this point? The only semi-problem I've had with SyncBack is that it takes several minutes to scan each of the source and destination drives before asking whether to proceed with the backup.
     
  10. claire0

    claire0 New Member

    Location:
    USA
    XCOPY and Robocopy, both tools are command-line based and offer similar functionality. However, Robocopy is generally considered to be more powerful and flexible than XCOPY, and is better suited for complex backup scenarios. If you are comfortable using command-line tools, Robocopy is a good option to consider. However, if you prefer a graphical user interface, you may want to consider one of the other options listed below :
    1. SyncToy: This is a free tool from Microsoft that allows you to synchronize files and folders between two locations. It has a simple and user-friendly interface and supports a variety of synchronization options.

    2. FreeFileSync: This is a free and open-source software that offers advanced features for file synchronization and backup. It has a modern and intuitive user interface and supports a variety of synchronization modes, including mirror, two-way, and custom.
    1. Gs Richcopy 360: This is a popular software for Windows that offers advanced features for file copying and synchronization. It supports multi-threaded file copying, incremental copying, and real-time file synchronization. It also has a user-friendly interface that allows you to easily configure and monitor your backups.

    2. Teracopy: This is a popular file copy utility for Windows that offers faster and more secure file copying. It uses asynchronous copying to speed up the file transfer process, and verifies files for errors during the copying process. It also has a pause and resume feature that allows you to pause and resume file transfers at any time. Teracopy has both a free and a Pro version, with the Pro version offering additional features such as file verification and command-line support.
     
  11. spanky1

    spanky1 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Thanks for all the recommendations and advice. I downloaded FreeFileSync several months ago, but was hesitant to attempt the back-up. I could see 3 years of ripping and tagging being lost with 1 erroneous click of the mouse.

    I tested on other drives and files, and felt comfortable doing it. It was extremely easy, and as others mentioned, the biggest concern was to make sure that two-way sync wasn't turned on.

    Thanks again!
     

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