bq. Windows Backup Even with this done, I wasn’t happy with the fact that the XP backup utility compressed all of my files into a single file that was only readable by the backup utility.

Hmm, fine, but you actually still have everything in one file readible only by the original application, don’t you?

Pretty Good article that seems to expand more on something I read a few days back on Digital Web:

Digital Web – Web Designer’s FREElance Toolbox for Windows

I use this all the time…for both home and work (when I need to bring stuff back and forth).

What about this
7z u c:/backup.7z @c:/7ZipBackup.txt

Using u option, it’s only adding new files or updated files.

Art Saisuphaluck

To remove your cleared files you have to do something like this:
c:programme\7-zip\7z.exe a c:\tempArchive c:\temp\* -uq3y1

7zip is realy fine.
But how can you keep versions of files in your Backup?

How do I zip the single file by follow the filename that i would like to archieve.

For example, MyDoc20060401.doc to MyDoc20060401.7z

The document will create it everyday follow by the date, so we want it zip by follow the filename.

Can this be done in 7zip?

This is great. Any idea how to archive only files with the archive bit set?

this method doesnt work anymore ?? y so ?

Thanks for your work for the writeup!

Here is my script for this backup method. I was in the same boat about using ntbackup… only my issue was it did NOT compress, otherwise it did what I wanted it to.

Here is my script, if you improve on it, please send me a copy to jp@jptechnical.com. It is for use on external HDs and thumb drives. It gets the drive path and puts it into a variable and executes everything from there. Just put the 7za.exe (the standalone commandline version available from the 7zip site) and the dirs.txt in the \bin folder (I put the entire 7zip dir in there as well so I can read the .7z files from the drive without installers) and save the script to \backup.bat.

Saves an archive with the abbreviation for today in the file name, that is the “date:~0,3” if you want the full date substitue with “date:~4,2_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%”

(5 line numbers added in case this wraps on you… remove them in the final script)

1.set BACKUPDRIVE=%cd%
2.echo Backup Started on date%time% > ”%BACKUPDRIVE%backup_%date:~0,3%.log”
3.%BACKUPDRIVE%bin\7za a -ms=off -w%temp% ”%BACKUPDRIVE%backup_%date:~0,3%.7z” @%BACKUPDRIVE%bin\dirs.txt >> ”%BACKUPDRIVE%backup_%date:~0,3%.log”
4.echo Backup Completed on date%time% >> ”%BACKUPDRIVE%backup_%date:~0,3%.log”
5.pause *** Please review the backup_%date:~0,3%.log logfile ***

I have reduced the script and add an exclude forlder and it will email me the log…

1. backup.bat

@ECHO OFF
CLS
set include=J:/backups/DAILY
echo Backup Started on date time >> HOMEDRIVE/bin/log/backup_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.txt
HOMEDRIVE/bin/backup/7-Zip/7z.exe a -pPASSWORD -ms=off -w%temp% include/backup_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.ZIP <span>HOMEDRIVE</span>/bin/backup/dirs.txt -xHOMEDRIVE/bin/backup/excludes.txt >> HOMEDRIVE/bin/log/backup_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.txt
echo Backup Completed on date time >> HOMEDRIVE/bin/log/backup_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.txt

REM the is an exclude file for folder that I dont want to take

2. email the log based on the error level

@ECHO OFF
CLS

REM ERRORLEVEL 0 = there is a value found
REM ERRORLEVEL 1 = there is no value found

DEL D:\bin\log\results.txt
:1
FINDSTR “WARNING: ERROR: ” D:\bin\log\*_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.txt >> D:\bin\log\results.txt
IF ERRORLEVEL==0 GOTO :ERROR
IF ERRORLEVEL==1 GOTO :2

:2
FINDSTR /C:”Everything is Ok” D:\bin\log\*_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.txt >> D:\bin\log\results.txt
IF ERRORLEVEL==0 GOTO :OK
IF ERRORLEVEL==1 GOTO :END

:OK
ECHO The Backup was completed with an—OK—value >> D:\bin\log\results.txt
GOTO EMAIL_OK

:ERROR
ECHO The backup was completed with an—ERROR—value, please investigate the issue >> D:\bin\log\results.txt
GOTO EMAIL_ERROR

:EMAIL_OK
febootimail -to you@yours.com -from backup@yours.com -smtp smtp.isp.com -msg backup logs -subj—ERROR—BACKUP -ATTACH INCLUDE/error_logs_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.ZIP -auth auto -user email@isp.com -pass password -LOG d:\bin\log\email.log
GOTO END

:EMAIL_ERROR
REM This will email a OK status or an ERROR status with the log for trouble shooting

set include=J:/backups/DAILY/log

HOMEDRIVE/bin/backup/7-Zip/7z.exe a include/error_logs_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.ZIP HOMEDRIVE/bin/log/*_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.txt

febootimail -to you@yours.com -from backup@yours.com -smtp smtp.isp.com -msg backup logs -subj—ERROR—BACKUP -ATTACH INCLUDE/error_logs_%date:~4,2%_%date:~7,2%_%date:~10,4%.ZIP -auth auto -user email@isp.com -pass password -LOG d:\bin\log\email.log
GOTO END
del J:/backups/DAILY/log/*.*
:END
ECHO DONE >> D:\bin\log\results.txt
DEL D:\bin\log\results.txt
EXIT

With this I use febootimail, works really great and have great support for troubleshooting

PS I noticed that there could be a problem with the posting on this site with the % word %, so if you see the word INCLUDE and HOMEDRIVE, they have % on both side

Your Backup-System works. However, it is NOT practical. First: you get what you did not want: one file.
Second: If you do not need encryption on your external HD, you should NOT use 7-Zip.
Third: For compression you could set the file system compressed.

The task: backup 2 folders with many files, also many jpgs. 3 GB.

7-Zip: 7z u -pSecret D:\archive.7z @C:\7ZipBackup.txt versus
xcopy /D /E /V /Y C:\Folder1\*.* D:\Folder1\*.* (same for Folder2)

First a complete backup, then addition of 1 new file and “update backup”

Result in minutes:
—————7z —- xcopy
Complete Backup 29’ 5’
Update Backup 9’ 1s(!)
==============================

Conclusion: if you don’t need encryption you should prefer xcopy over 7zip for backup purposes. Most users don’t need encryption at home but need to secure their valuable data.
Encryption rises other problems and makes you dependent on another piece of software.
(Nevertheless 7zip is excellent and probably the coming compression standard.)

-Mino

Hi!

If you have enough space on your backup drive, you should make two batch files, one for backup1.7z and one for backup2.7z -> If you have an brownout, computer failure or whatever, at least one backup remains working and not all data is corrupt…

Hi guys, just wanted to say thanks for a very educational article, and moreso comments, awesome, you answered all the questions i was asking myself!!