Backing up Outlook

[ibeme99]

I just switched from Yahoo Desktop Search to the X1 free client. Doesn't look any different to me and has the same problems.

One of the big ones that many people have been complaining about in the YDS and apparently, the X1 version is the locking of the Outlook PST file. This causes problems with backing up the file.

I shut down Outlook tonight to test if X! has the same problem as YDS. I run the free MS PST backup add-in which I have set to run a backup every 1 day (when/if I shut down Outlook. Sadly, I got the same error as I got in YDS:

Cannot copy Outlook: The process cannot access the file because another process has locked a portion of the file.

Since I have X1 set to index Outlook every 12 hours (I don't get much mail on Outlook), I ask why X1 can't release its hold on Outlook when it is not actively indexing the file? This would be a simple solution to the whole problem!

[Kenward]

Locked files are a "feature" of Outlook.

I find that if I shut down X1 indexing, my backup software Syncback SE works just fine. The software can even shut down X1 before it starts. And launches X1 again when it has finished.

As we all know, most of the utilities build into Windows are rubbish. You might want to try more "adult" backup software.

There is a freeware edition of SyncBack. I don't know if it supports the shutdown feature.

http://www.2brightsparks.com/

[cloggy]

To my kowledge (and experiences), you don't need to shut down X1 as the paid version of SyncBackSE is able to make backups of open files like Outlook PST files. I never shutdown any of the services nor Outlook when a backup is scheduled.

[Kenward]

Is there a setting to make this happen? I find that if I do not shut down X1 indexing, SyncBack complains and will not copy.

[cloggy]

What are the complaints? Which error code do you get with SyncBackSE? Do you have the paid or the freeware version?

[ibeme99]

Locked files are a "feature" of Outlook.

I find that if I shut down X1 indexing, my backup software Syncback SE works just fine. The software can even shut down X1 before it starts. And launches X1 again when it has finished.

As we all know, most of the utilities build into Windows are rubbish. You might want to try more "adult" backup software.

There is a freeware edition of SyncBack. I don't know if it supports the shutdown feature.

http://www.2brightsparks.com/

"Adult software" shouldn't require one to shutdown anything before backing up. I use Acronis True Image to image/backup my logical disks weekly. TI doesn't seem to have any problems with Outlook being locked by X1. I also backup my C: and D: logical drives nightly using the built-in free Windows backup software. This also doesn't have any problems since it uses the volume shadow service in Windows which snapshot copies the files in use to another location before actually backing them up.

But being a wary person, I also like to copy the PST to another hard drive (I have 4) daily. To do this, I use, as I mentioned previously, the Outlook PST backup add-in from Microsoft. THIS add-in DOES have a problem with X1 locking the Outlook PST.

Regardless of the the above, it still seems to me that there is no good reason for X1 to continue to lock the Outlook PST in between the times that it is allowed to index. "Adult" [lol] programmers would know this and release resources that they are not using.

[Kenward]

What are the complaints? Which error code do you get with SyncBackSE? Do you have the paid or the freeware version?

As I said before, I'm using SE.

The error I got – again this morning – was that the file was in use.

But following your comment, I went in and ran the SyncBack profile without closing X1. It ran just fine.

I cannot explain the error message, unless there is an internal clash within SyncBack when running simultaneous profiles. I've modified the settings slightly.

I'll try to see what is happening if this crops up again.

Anyone who hasn't found SyncBack should give it a whirl. Nice piece of software, if a bit too complicated for some users. But the folks who write it are very responsive and realise that the user interface is an issue. They tell me that they are working on "wizards" and stuff to ease the process.

[Kenward]

I now find that SyncBack sometimes runs OK with X1 open, but sometimes falls over.

I confirmed that this morning when I found that my overnight backup had failed.

In the past I have just been able to run it manually to make the backup.

That too failed today. Until I shut down X1 indexing.

The SyncBack advice is that it usually manages to index locked PST fails, but not always.