Advanced Settings - Keep Files/Folders unchanged.

[Lucato]

Dear Horizon team,

In the Advanced settings there is a checkbox (see image below) to keep files/folders unchanged after a snapshot restoration, right? So, it should keep the files and folders the way they were even after a restoration and NOT put back the way the files/folder were in the moment of the SNAPSHOT taken, right?



So, when I restore a base line, after I restart Windows, it shows a pop-up with a progress bar searching all folders (i don't remember now what the message says), but the result is that even when I keep checked this checkbox, my files and folder are going back the way it was when I set as BASELINE.

So here are some doubts:

1) Does this checkbox work for BASELINE? For me it seems not to be working, once all my files/folders get back as they were instead of keeping the way I've left before requesting the restoration.

2) Does it work for other HD? I use for hd
D:/ and not C:/

3) When I select a folder, does it assume all subfolders or do I need to select every single folder in my HD? I will get crazy if so!

4) Instead of selecting folders, don't I get just to select the whole HD (D:/)? I tried, but it seems there is no way. So, next update you guys should allow to select to keep the whole HD!

Thanks in advance and waiting a feedback from Horizon.

[dellaz]

Hey bud,
If you want to exclude a whole drive from Rollback altogether then there is the option during setup which allows you to select/deselect which drive you want Rollback to image.
As for the otha queries I will leave that to the others
Hope that helps a bit at least.
Cheers

[HDS-Jacob]

Lucato and dellaz, thanks for the posts. Let's see if we can get some feedback here. Support can also be reached at http://support.horizondatasys.com

[Nick10]

Originally Posted by Lucato

1) Does this checkbox work for BASELINE? For me it seems not to be working, once all my files/folders get back as they were instead of keeping the way I've left before requesting the restoration.

Yes, this feature will work for Baseline, since the baseline is simply the very first snapshot... However, I think that you may not be using the feature correctly. The KEEP FILE / FOLDERS feature is designed for files and folders that you want to make available for all snapshots, including the baseline.

The way to use this feature is to click on the SETTINGS button, after checking the option to enable the use of the KEEP FILE / FOLDERS option. See the below image:



You then need to select a FILE or FOLDER and the RIGHT-CLICK on your mouse and press the ADD button. Once the file/folder is placed on the right-hand side, only then will that file or folder remain persistant throughout every snapshot/Baseline.

2) Does it work for other HD? I use for hd
D:/ and not C:/

NO. You will not be able to place the entire Drive onto the right-hand side. Even if you could your system would take a long time booting up, as this file/folder maintainance feature would work in the background during startup.

If you want to keep the entire partition or separate drive persistant, there is a better way to do this. You should select custom installation during the installation of RollBack Rx and let RollBack Rx know which drives you want to keep untouched.

3) When I select a folder, does it assume all subfolders or do I need to select every single folder in my HD? I will get crazy if so!

Yes. If a folder that you select includes sub-folders then the sub-folders will also be included.

I hope that this information helps.

[Nick10]

Originally Posted by dellaz

Hey bud,
If you want to exclude a whole drive from Rollback altogether then there is the option during setup which allows you to select/deselect which drive you want Rollback to image...

Absolutely correct.. The feature is designed for FILES and FOLDERS only. Thanks for your assistance on this.

[Lucato]

@ dellaz, HDS-Jacob and Nick10. Thanks for all feedback. I appreciated that.

Let's go to the quotes. ;0)

Originally Posted by Nick10

Yes, this feature will work for Baseline, since the baseline is simply the very first snapshot...

- Until here, ok, it was working as Baseline. I think there is no other way to have baseline without being the very first snapshot, otherwise it will be just a snapshot instead of baseline. ;0)

However, I think that you may not be using the feature correctly. The KEEP FILE / FOLDERS feature is designed for files and folders that you want to make available for all snapshots, including the baseline.

Did you mean, after restoring they will keep intact with no change as they were left before calling a restoration, right? What I want to mean is: if I add files on these folder after taking a snapshot and call a restoration, the Rollback won't revert these folder to the state without these files addition and will remain the added files after the snapshot taken, right?

The way to use this feature is to click on the SETTINGS button, after checking the option to enable the use of the KEEP FILE / FOLDERS option. See the below image:

{image...}

You then need to select a FILE or FOLDER and the RIGHT-CLICK on your mouse and press the ADD button. Once the file/folder is placed on the right-hand side, only then will that file or folder remain persistant throughout every snapshot/Baseline.

That is exactly the way I'm adding them, by right-click or by pressing add button. See the image below:

NO. You will not be able to place the entire Drive onto the right-hand side. Even if you could your system would take a long time booting up, as this file/folder maintainance feature would work in the background during startup. If you want to keep the entire partition or separate drive persistant, there is a better way to do this. You should select custom installation during the installation of RollBack Rx and let RollBack Rx know which drives you want to keep untouched.

- Is there any way to inform it to Rollback after being installed? Will I need to uninstall and install over? If so, how can I keep my baseline? Further info I'll appreciate.

Yes. If a folder that you select includes sub-folders then the sub-folders will also be included.

- Thanks God and Horizon. :0)

I hope that this information helps. :)

Helped and thanks, but I'm still needing more info as you can see above. :0)

[Lucato]

Originally Posted by Nick10

If you want to keep the entire partition or separate drive persistant, there is a better way to do this. You should select custom installation during the installation of RollBack Rx and let RollBack Rx know which drives you want to keep untouched.

Hey Nick, just a comment on this from a customer.

The RollBack is an amazing software, but it has a weak point. It shouldn't sin in this area. Last week I've updated my RollBack to 9.1. So uninstalled the previous version and installed the new one as default setup. But the default setup has a weak point when setting partitions that you can't set and I though just the C:/ would be protected. So, today I had to use RollBack and lost all my previous data in the other partitions, which rollback as default assume all partitions to be protected and shouldn't! So, IMHO, here are some suggestion that I think it should be a must have into RollBack:

1. When installing RollBack as "default setup", the installing should work as "custom setup", I mean, RollBack should assume just the main HD (C:/) to revert to the snapshot (Protected) and keep all other partitions intact (unprotected) and during the installation the "default setup" should inform and ask to the user to select the other partitions to be protected. A lot of people installs it as default, and this is a very important step that should have in the "defalt setup". If it isn't so easy to programm again, in the next update, at least a warning should be added informing that 'if you install as default setup you will have no control over partitions to be protect, all will be protected and you may lose previous data when reverting. Use custom install to unprotect and keep data from other partitions'. Well something like that.

2. A warning should also be shown when selecting a snapshot to be reverted informing if you have checked the settings "keep these files unchanged..." and selected the files and folders before reverting avoind to lose data.

3. A doubt: As the rollback lack on it and I have lost all data changed and added after the snapshot and recovered later, I ask: is there some way to recover these files that were created/modified?

Thanks in advance.

[HDS-Jacob]

Hello Lucato,

Thanks for the feedback. I'll flag this for Nick and see if we can get some additional insight.

Thanks,
Jacob

[Nick10]

I understand where you are coming from. I too am accustomed to protecting the c: drive only. However, not everyone is the same - Every person with a PC has different methods of partitioning or naming their ROOT drives.

The development team have pondered this idea previously. But many PC's now come with 2 or more partitions or recovery partitions that are hidden. How could we create an installer to arbitrarily decide which is the primary partition? We may be right 95% of the time; but the room for error is there. So our stand is that the DEFAULT setup would protect ALL partitions of the ROOT Drive (0). Any changes or customizations would require and advanced user's input to decide on which partitions should be included and protected by RollBack Rx.

[carfal]

Originally Posted by Lucato

Did you mean, after restoring they will keep intact with no change as they were left before calling a restoration, right? What I want to mean is: if I add files on these folder after taking a snapshot and call a restoration, the Rollback won't revert these folder to the state without these files addition and will remain the added files after the snapshot taken, right?

Yes, if you add anything to these folders they will be included with the restoration. These folders are still dynamic meaning that when you added them to be restored it doesnt mean their fixed. You can still change the contents of these folders and they will be included when restored.

If this is not happening then Horizon need to look at it as this IMHO would be a nasty bug or unexpected side effect of this feature.

Originally Posted by Lucato

Is there any way to inform it to Rollback after being installed? Will I need to uninstall and install over? If so, how can I keep my baseline? Further info I'll appreciate.

Unfortunately you will have to uninstall Rollback in order to unselect the drives you want unprotected. There is no other way to do this.

To keep your baseline is simple. Because you have chosen to keep some folders across all snapshots, the safest thing to do is rollback to your baseline. Rollback will presumably restore the folders you/ve marked (Confirm that all files have been restored correctly before proceeding). Once this is complete, uninstall Rollback choosing the last snapshot named "Current System".

IMPORTANT NOTE: This choice is very important. Remember that your "Current System" is the snapshot your in RIGHT NOW. So because you've rolled back to Baseline and Rollback restored your selected folders then when Rollback has finished uninstalling this will be your new permanent system. There is no turning back. All other snapshots will be erased and any data in them gone forever. So if you wish to recover any files that are not included in the folders you've already chosen then do so BEFORE you start uninstalling Rollback.


Goodluck!