Just looking at the difference between "Export" and "Copy/Update.

Yes, I have and am still RTFM but not quite clear about something.
I notice that when you Export a snapshot whether you overwrite an existing, or make a new archive, that FDR does NOT include any anchored files. But when you Copy/Update an existing snapshot either to another snapshot or to an archive, it does seem to include anchored files. Trying to understand why this would be, or have I missed something?

 

Actually, anchored data is excluded.
It's left alone as a separate and independent entity, accessible from all snapshots.

 

Kennyboy,
You really have to read the manual for this, anchored folders/files have specific rules.
Also frozen snapshots have specific rules.

If you don't use CD/DVD's in FDISR, you don't really need import/export.
Copy/Update and using a new/existing archive as destination is the best and fastest way to create or update an archived snapshot.
Creating a new archive takes longer, but is still faster than creating a new snapshot.
Copy/Update an existing archived snapshot is the fastest backup method, I've ever seen (seconds or a few minutes)
The longest activity in FDISR is creating a frozen snapshot.

I agree with wilbertnl regarding anchoring.
I moved all my personal files to another partition to avoid anchoring.

 

See I'm not the only one tripped up the the use of the term export. I used it to create an offline archive to a USB hdd and I'm assuming the archive it created is the same kind of usable archive that copy/update would create if you were to create an archive off to an external USB hdd. The export import just gives you the option of making CD's.

The big question is will I be able to make updates to this exported archived snapshot since I didn't originally create it with copy/update?

 

I've never tested this possibility, because I don't need it.
However I assume that it will work, because Copy/Update (= Archive) and Export create the same kind of file : .ARX

Nevertheless, you have to test this like Peter said.

Test #1
1. Create a new archive with Export on a internal or external harddisk.
2. Then you restore (copy/update) the exported archived snapshot and check if the restoration was successful

Test #2
1. Create a new archive with Export on a internal or external harddisk.
2. Then you copy/update the exported archived snapshot.
3. Then you restore (copy/update) the exported archived snapshot and check if the updating worked.

Test #3
This would be a very interesting test.
Export splits an archived snapshot in parts that fit on a CD/DVD. For instance 650 MB for a CD.
1. Create a new archive with Export on a internal or external harddisk, but in parts of 650 MB.
2. Then you restore (copy/update) the exported splitted archived snapshot and check if the restoration was successful

Test #4
1. Create a new archive with Export on a internal or external harddisk, but in parts of 650 MB.
2. Then you copy/update the exported splitted archived snapshot.
3. Then you restore (copy/update) the exported splitted archived snapshot and check if the updating worked.

The last two tests are interesting, because the archived snapshot is splitted and that is different from a single .ARX-file.
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I really wonder if an updating of an archived snapshot (using export) on a CD+RW is possible.
That would be an interesting and extreme test too. LOOOL.

 

Thanks for that Erik. However I did have trouble with the phraseology in the manual over this particular point. Your explanation is in my opinion much clearer.
With regard to data anchoring, the only thing I have found it useful to anchor actually is my browser (Opera) settings and Bookmarks. It seems a much easier way to anchor these than to keep a backup elsewhere.
Other than that, I do the same as you, and keep all of my data on a seperate partition and have backup on External HD.
Grateful as always for your input.

 

Kennyboy,
I use Firefox and moved the profile folder to my data partition [D:].
If I create a new bookmark it is stored on my data partition [D:] and not on my system partition [C:].

I did the same for Thunderbird, which has grosso modo the same folder structure as Firefox. So my emails and email-address-books are also stored on my data partition [D:].

I don't know if that is possible for Opera. It would be interesting for me to know, if somebody already tried this, because Opera will be my next browser, if I ever ditch Firefox.

 

Erik. Did you just "move" the Profile folder in Firefox? I have been looking for an option to have the Opera Profile folder somewhere other than the default but havnt found anything. Surely you needed to do something more to enable Firefox to find the Profile folder.

 

You are right, you have to do something more than cut/paste the profiles folder.
You have to change two lines in the file "profiles.ini", using Notepad. In that file you tell Firefox where to find the moved profiles folder.

For the moment I only know this procedure.
However, I wouldn't be surprised that you can avoid all this by creating a NEW profile in Firefox, but I never tried this.

Whatever method you use, this is not an abnormal manipulation of Firefox, because in one of its own webpages, Mozilla describes how to do this in full detail. I have a step-by-step description in my personal installation file of Firefox how to do this on my computer.

Since you are an Opera-user, I didn't give much details in my previous post.
Most users don't move their personal data to another partition, because it isn't always that simple and some old softwares don't make this separation possible.

"nLite" makes it even possible to move the entire folder "Documents and Settings" to another partition. My pre-tests were very promising and I was quite impressed but all these tests take alot of time, if you have only one computer.
If nLite works like I expect, I don't have to move or change anything anymore to separate data from system.