copy (backup) directories without altering file dates

honx · 11 July 2019, 18:38

i used do backup complete cf cards using directory opus. until today. i won't do use it anymore. because today i saw in an backed up folder, every folder and every file has as filedate the day the copy was created. i don't want it this way. if i want to backup files and directories i also want to preserve filedates to see when a file was altered last time... so what software do i need in order to achieve this full backup including correct and unaltered file-/directory dates?

daxb · 11 July 2019, 19:07

You need to correctly configure DOpus. What version do you use? However, you will find the settings in the configuration settings (copy). If you want to switch to a better backup tool have a look at BackUp from Aminet.

honx · 11 July 2019, 19:21

i'm using v4.12a from amiga plus, german menues and buttons. there is a red button "APlus" with yellow font, not sure what it's supposed to do (its configurations says: AmigaDOS {F} -x {d}, shortcut configured LAMIGA + CONTROL + LSHIFT + 'A') in copy settings "Also copy source's... datestamp" is ticked already, also "protection bits" and "comment" are ticked. so something seems to be wrong... i'll have a look at backup from aminet, thx. do you mean this one? http://aminet.net/package/disk/bakup/BackUp

daxb · 11 July 2019, 19:35

Yes, that's the BackUp I mean. About DOpus 4.12a I don't know, maybe there is a bug. In 4.15c there was a DateStamp bugfix with filenames longer then 40 chars.

meynaf · 11 July 2019, 19:47

If you copy with normal WB it won't alter file dates.

honx · 11 July 2019, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by daxb

Yes, that's the BackUp I mean. About DOpus 4.12a I don't know, maybe there is a bug. In 4.15c there was a DateStamp bugfix with filenames longer then 40 chars.

thx, i'm currently running BackUp, let's see what the outcome will be.
//edit: unfortunately not successful. a lot of errors, all errors begin with "MetaC", look like this:
"MetaC: CF_SHARE/backup/20190711/WB3.1/System.info (Erstellt 04.11.2017 18:44:58. letzter Zugriff 04.11.2017
this example ist the last error of a VERY long list...

Quote:

Originally Posted by meynaf

If you copy with normal WB it won't alter file dates.

isn't it a bit complicated if you want to backup an entire partition including root directories and files? and what about icon positions?
copying them by drag&drop would alter icon positions on copy. so using this method i can't save original icon positions of drawers.

DamienD · 11 July 2019, 20:15

Why don't you just use one of these solutions?

Quote:

Originally Posted by trixster

If you have a PC, download win32diskImager and use that to make an exact image of the cf card. Use a usb card reader to attach the cf card to the pc. Don’t try and access the cf card, just plug it in, launch win32diskimager and clone from the cf cards drive letter to a file on your hard drive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by c0dehunter

Thanks for letting me know!

I have also found two other methods:

USB Image Tool
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=94557

WinImage
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=67293

So now we have at least 3 different way to accomplish this easily!

mark_k · 11 July 2019, 20:17

I'm using DOpus 4.12CU and file dates/comments/protection bits are copied. In DOpus settings, click Operation then Copy then check all three boxes under "Also copy source's..."

There is one exception/bug though. If you copy a zero-length file, the destination file date, comment and protection bits are lost. Maybe that bug was fixed in one of the later 4.1x versions?

DirDiff is a useful tool to compare directories including dates/comments/protection.

honx · 11 July 2019, 20:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamienD

Why don't you just use one of these solutions?

cf card in boot slot of aca500+ contains amiga formatted partitions WB3.1, Work and a 50mb WB1.3 partition.
so windows pc won't read that card as it doesn't have a "proper" file system which windows wants...

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark_k

DirDiff is a useful tool to compare directories including dates/comments/protection.

can i use dirdiff to copy also?

as postet above, BackUp makes a lot of errors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by honx

//edit: unfortunately not successful. a lot of errors, all errors begin with "MetaC", look like this:
"MetaC: CF_SHARE/backup/20190711/WB3.1/System.info (Erstellt 04.11.2017 18:44:58. letzter Zugriff 04.11.2017
this example ist the last error of a VERY long list...

DamienD · 11 July 2019, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by honx

cf card in boot slot of aca500+ contains amiga formatted partitions WB3.1, Work and a 50mb WB1.3 partition.
so windows pc won't read that card as it doesn't have a "proper" file system which windows wants...

You can still clone the card; it doesn't matter what OS / partitions are on it; or if Windows can see them or not...

Read trixter's post again:

Quote:

Originally Posted by trixster

If you have a PC, download win32diskImager and use that to make an exact image of the cf card. Use a usb card reader to attach the cf card to the pc. Don’t try and access the cf card, just plug it in, launch win32diskimager and clone from the cf cards drive letter to a file on your hard drive.

Here's the full thread: How do I "clone" a CF to another CF? (Containing 3.1)

DamienD · 11 July 2019, 20:29

You can also use this via Shell / CLI to copy from one hard drive or CF card to another:

Code:

Copy DHO: DH1: ALL CLONE

CLONE - The date, comments and protection bits of the FROM file are copied to the TO file.

meynaf · 11 July 2019, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by honx

isn't it a bit complicated if you want to backup an entire partition including root directories and files? and what about icon positions?
copying them by drag&drop would alter icon positions on copy. so using this method i can't save original icon positions of drawers.

If you want to backup the entire partition, just drag the disk icon of said partition, rather than the contents. Icon positions will be preserved.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamienD

CLONE - The date, comments and protection bits of the FROM file are copied to the TO file.

For files, yes. But dates of directories are not preserved.

DamienD · 11 July 2019, 21:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by meynaf

For files, yes. But dates of directories are not preserved.

I tried this via Shell and it just finished:

Code:

Copy DHO: DH1: ALL CLONE

Looks like an exact copy to me; date, comments and protection bits from a quick inspection

AMIGASYSTEM · 11 July 2019, 21:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by honx

cf card in boot slot of aca500+ contains amiga formatted partitions WB3.1, Work and a 50mb WB1.3 partition.
so windows pc won't read that card as it doesn't have a "proper" file system which windows wants...
.

The programs suggested by DamienD as USB Image Tool, make a copy 1:1 including all kinds of partitions and bootloaders.
If you want, you can also "burn" the resulting image file to an HD or other device.

meynaf · 11 July 2019, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamienD

Looks like an exact copy to me; date, comments and protection bits from a quick inspection

Sorry, i remembered wrong.

But then, problem solved ?

daxb · 12 July 2019, 15:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by honx

thx, i'm currently running BackUp, let's see what the outcome will be.
//edit: unfortunately not successful. a lot of errors, all errors begin with "MetaC", look like this:
"MetaC: CF_SHARE/backup/20190711/WB3.1/System.info (Erstellt 04.11.2017 18:44:58. letzter Zugriff 04.11.2017
this example ist the last error of a VERY long list...

That is a strange (the error and that you have so much files with that stupid comment). The BackUp.guide says: MetaC: Could not update file comment on a target file or directory.
It seems you use Samba or USB or non Amiga filesystem for the backup. If yes, guide says to use NOFILECOMMENTS to prevent set comments. However, you need to know what you are doing if you use alien systems/filesystems for backup. In worst case you have a backup that isn't a backup. Read the manuals.

BackUp has also a TESTMODE.

honx · 13 July 2019, 07:40

source file system on wb3.1 and work partitions is the one created by aca500+ installer. i don't know exactly what icomp uses as file system there for automatic workbench 3.1 installation. in aux slot (target) i tried both pc formatted cf card AND amiga ffs formatted cf card. in both cases these metacf errors appear. i also tried testmode after you mentioned it. testmode: NO ERRORS (and much faster than real backup)! real backup: huge amount of metac errors again. what are these filecomments? are they needed? or is there no problem setting NOFILECOMMENTS and is it "Never copy Amiga file comments" menu entry in backup entry?

meynaf · 13 July 2019, 09:42

The comments you're seeing come from fat95 file system. PC file systems have 3 datestamps : file creation, last file modification, last file access. Amiga files only have last file modification. Thus fat95 uses the file comments to store the two others. If you copy the files back to some Amiga FS, you can of course remove them.

AMIGASYSTEM · 13 July 2019, 10:59

The "Comments" on Amiga Files (Amiga File System) are not none, they are just info on the file, in any case even if copied to a Windows folder the comments are not deleted, they are deleted for example only if the files are compressed On Windows with the ZIP or RAR.

Can you attach here a file that has problermi in copying?

honx · 13 July 2019, 11:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by meynaf

The comments you're seeing come from fat95 file system. PC file systems have 3 datestamps : file creation, last file modification, last file access. Amiga files only have last file modification. Thus fat95 uses the file comments to store the two others. If you copy the files back to some Amiga FS, you can of course remove them.

okay, with "never copy amiga file comments" enabled, copy of both partitions WB3.1 and WORK completed without errors. backup seems complete. after copy, dopus shows in first date column correct date and time of the files, and two more columns "created" and §last access", both showing todays date. on a amiga ffs formatted cf card (which i formatted today, just for backup), after using that "never copy amiga file comments". so are file comments maybe something different? i'm confused.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

Can you attach here a file that has problermi in copying?

most original amigaos files (for example in devs or storage) had this problem. (besides mui and fullpallette no thirdparty software is installed on WB3.1 partition, the very rest is amigaos 3.1 itself). so due to amigaos still on copyright, i can't attach any of these files.

11 July 2019, 18:38	#1
honx Registered User Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Klagenfurt / Austria Posts: 1,559	copy (backup) directories without altering file dates i used do backup complete cf cards using directory opus. until today. i won't do use it anymore. because today i saw in an backed up folder, every folder and every file has as filedate the day the copy was created. i don't want it this way. if i want to backup files and directories i also want to preserve filedates to see when a file was altered last time... so what software do i need in order to achieve this full backup including correct and unaltered file-/directory dates?

11 July 2019, 19:21	#3
honx Registered User Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Klagenfurt / Austria Posts: 1,559	i'm using v4.12a from amiga plus, german menues and buttons. there is a red button "APlus" with yellow font, not sure what it's supposed to do (its configurations says: AmigaDOS {F} -x {d}, shortcut configured LAMIGA + CONTROL + LSHIFT + 'A') in copy settings "Also copy source's... datestamp" is ticked already, also "protection bits" and "comment" are ticked. so something seems to be wrong... i'll have a look at backup from aminet, thx. do you mean this one? http://aminet.net/package/disk/bakup/BackUp Last edited by honx; 11 July 2019 at 19:31.

11 July 2019, 20:29	#11
DamienD Banned Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London / Sydney Age: 47 Posts: 20,420	You can also use this via Shell / CLI to copy from one hard drive or CF card to another: Code: Copy DHO: DH1: ALL CLONE CLONE - The date, comments and protection bits of the FROM file are copied to the TO file.

13 July 2019, 07:40	#17
honx Registered User Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Klagenfurt / Austria Posts: 1,559	source file system on wb3.1 and work partitions is the one created by aca500+ installer. i don't know exactly what icomp uses as file system there for automatic workbench 3.1 installation. in aux slot (target) i tried both pc formatted cf card AND amiga ffs formatted cf card. in both cases these metacf errors appear. i also tried testmode after you mentioned it. testmode: NO ERRORS (and much faster than real backup)! real backup: huge amount of metac errors again. what are these filecomments? are they needed? or is there no problem setting NOFILECOMMENTS and is it "Never copy Amiga file comments" menu entry in backup entry? Last edited by honx; 13 July 2019 at 07:48.

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11 July 2019, 19:07	#2
daxb Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 3,303	You need to correctly configure DOpus. What version do you use? However, you will find the settings in the configuration settings (copy). If you want to switch to a better backup tool have a look at BackUp from Aminet.

11 July 2019, 19:35	#4
daxb Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 3,303	Yes, that's the BackUp I mean. About DOpus 4.12a I don't know, maybe there is a bug. In 4.15c there was a DateStamp bugfix with filenames longer then 40 chars.

11 July 2019, 19:47	#5
meynaf son of 68k Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Lyon / France Age: 51 Posts: 5,322	If you copy with normal WB it won't alter file dates.

11 July 2019, 20:17	#8
mark_k Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Posts: 3,333	I'm using DOpus 4.12CU and file dates/comments/protection bits are copied. In DOpus settings, click Operation then Copy then check all three boxes under "Also copy source's..." There is one exception/bug though. If you copy a zero-length file, the destination file date, comment and protection bits are lost. Maybe that bug was fixed in one of the later 4.1x versions? DirDiff is a useful tool to compare directories including dates/comments/protection.

13 July 2019, 09:42	#18
meynaf son of 68k Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Lyon / France Age: 51 Posts: 5,322	The comments you're seeing come from fat95 file system. PC file systems have 3 datestamps : file creation, last file modification, last file access. Amiga files only have last file modification. Thus fat95 uses the file comments to store the two others. If you copy the files back to some Amiga FS, you can of course remove them.

13 July 2019, 10:59	#19
AMIGASYSTEM Registered User Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Brindisi (Italy) Age: 70 Posts: 8,248	The "Comments" on Amiga Files (Amiga File System) are not none, they are just info on the file, in any case even if copied to a Windows folder the comments are not deleted, they are deleted for example only if the files are compressed On Windows with the ZIP or RAR. Can you attach here a file that has problermi in copying?

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