batch file

Money_Saver

When I run my batch file to copy the contents from my pc to my external hard drive, it copies everything but the folders are empty. Can someone tell me where I have gone wrong please? Obviously I need the contents of the folders included in the back up.

@echo off
xcopy j:\*.* k:\ /m /e /y/


Thanks

gadgeteer_2

Don't use /M. That's telling it to only copy files with the archive attribute set. I suspect your files don't have it set.

closed

try /s/e/d/h/c/y

that will copy all new or updated files, including subdirectories and contents apart from open files.

using xcopy as a method of backup on it's own could potentially result in data loss, for example if your originals got corrupted or infected, you will copy that corruption across too, also not much use for a windows/programs backup, disk imaging with macrium reflect free could do the lot in one go

esuhl

You might find something like FreeFileSync to be easier and/or faster and/or more reliable that using a batch file...

aerostar

This works quite well

http://www.nchsoftware.com/backup/index.html

and free

Money_Saver

Thanks to everyone who has helped.

When I run the batch file I am presented with the following:

Access denied
Unable to create directory - K:\$RECYCLE.BIN

Anyone know how to remove this entry?

Thanks

closed

are you using /c to skip past the error?

not really anything to worry about, it's just the rights on recycle bin

Money_Saver

Yes, I've just removed it and now it's not presenting like before.

Thanks for your help!

closed

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx might be useful

Dave_C_2

Money_Saver wrote: »

@echo off
xcopy j:\*.* k:\ /m /e /y/

It may be that you have missed off the /s to copy subfolders. I know that /e is supposed to do this but ...

Don't know what the last / is for and there should at least be a space before it.

The first run through should be without the /m to get the first copy done, thereafter the /m will do the incremental backups.

This works for me:

echo *** MY Documents ****
xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\Dave\My Documents"\*.* Z:\Backups\Dave /s /m /d /y

Repeated for wife's documents and shared folder.

Hope this helps, Dave

closed

dont really need the /m, with the /d and /s/e