Registry Backup Recent Failure to Auto Back Up Current User Files [SOLVED]

[fwcetus]

Registry Backup Recent Failure to Auto Back Up Current User Files

I am currently using Registry Backup (V.2.2.0) for daily Registry backups on my two PC's (a Lenovo laptop and a Lenovo desktop, both running Win 7 Pro x64 SP1).  I have Registry Backup set up on each PC, using Task Scheduler, to run a daily automatic backup 5 minutes after my login once a day (keeping 7 backups from the most recent 7 days).  This has worked well on both machines for some time now.

The command line I've been using in Task Scheduler is "C:\Programs\RegBackupPortable\TweakingRegistryBackup.exe", with the argument of "/auto".  (I believe this is still the configuration Task Scheduler was originally set up by Registry Backup to use many moons ago.)

However, on just the last two days on just the laptop, the auto backups have been missing files.  Specifically, the following four current user files now seem to be "skipped over" during auto backups:

C:\RegBackup\FRED-T420S\[dateandtime]\C\Users\DefaultAppPool\ntuser.dat

C:\RegBackup\FRED-T420S\[dateandtime]\C\Users\DefaultAppPool\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\UsrClass.dat

C:\RegBackup\FRED-T420S\[dateandtime]\C\Users\fred\ntuser.dat

C:\RegBackup\FRED-T420S\[dateandtime]\C\Users\fred\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\UsrClass.dat

However, just yesterday and today, after I noticed the above, I then also ran manual Registry Backup backups (using VSS) on the laptop, and found that the manual backups did seem to be complete (in that they did at least include the above four user files).

Just as an experiment, I also slightly modified the Task Scheduler settings on the laptop just for today, so that today's auto backup occurred 10 minutes after login (instead of 5), but the (defective) result was the same.  (Only the time delay was changed in Task Scheduler -- the command line and argument remained the same.)

The contents of the Settings.ini file (not including the [color] settings) are the following:

[main]
ChangeBackupLocation=1
BackupLocation=C:\RegBackup\
CheckForUpdates=1
AutoDeleteOldBackups=1
AutoDeleteOldBackupsDays=5
ScheduleUser=False
ScheduleSystem=True
VSSexe=Auto Detect (Default)
FallBackMethod=1
DefaultBackupName=ManualBackup
DefaultAutoBackupName=AutoBackup
VSSletter=B:
DidCloseProperly=False
AlwaysUseFallBackMethod=0
Only1AutoBackupPerDay=1
BackupsToKeep=7
ScheduleCommand=2
ShowTrayIcon=0

I have not changed any of the above settings in quite a while -- in particular, I have not changed any Registry Backup settings recently.

Interestingly, auto backups created with both ERUNT and RegBak, which Task Scheduler is set up to run a few minutes after Registry Backup is run, do contain the missing ntuser.dat and UsrClass.dat files.  (Yes, I am still running these two older non-VSS backup utilities -- I guess I have "CDO" -- that's just like "OCD", except that the initials are properly alphabetized, just the way they're supposed to be -- )

I just checked when the most recent Windows Updates occurred (in case there might be a connection), but it seems as if the last Windows Updates (on the laptop) took place over a week ago (and not just a couple of days ago).

I could still try a few more experiments to try to see if there's anything I can figure out that is going wrong all of a sudden, but I first wanted to report the issue, to let the "Top Geek, err uh Dog" be aware of it, and to also see if anyone else has noticed this as well.

Thanks for listening.

[fwcetus]

Well, I compared the Registry Backup file/directory structure between my laptop and my desktop, and I found out that one file, auspiciously named "vss_start.exe", located in the "files" directory, was present on the desktop PC but was absent on the laptop.  So, I copied the file over to the laptop and I am pleased to report that Registry Backup did perform a complete backup shortly after login this morning -- specifically, the four missing-as-of-late files were properly backed up today. 

Certainly, if I had merely tried reinstalling Registry Backup, the file would have been automagically put back in place, so, in retrospect, that was probably the very first thing I should have tried.  (I apologize for taking up forum space and forum readers' time with this problem, which, in retrospect, I should have been able to fix quickly.) 

I have no explanation for why the file went errant (not "ERUNT" - LOL) -- that is to say that I have no idea how I managed to delete the file (which presumably had been present on the laptop until only recently).  But at least I am able to report that the problem seems to have been solved. 

[Shane]

Good to here you got it working

I should think about putting a file check in the program like I do my windows repair, that way if a file is missing it will let you know

Shane