Jay, I'm just trying to figure out why I suddenly needed a batch file solution to make SyncToy work when it had been working just fine up until recently. But I can see how my pursuit of this issue has been unfair to both you and Steve......you have each spent a lot of time trying to help me, especially with the new program GoodSync. And I thank you both for that.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

LOL! At least from my end no worries about time spent as I found it interesting. Unless it a curiosity type thing I just don't understand why one would continue to delve when a working solution has already been found as in your batch file solution.

As far as why it may work fine and then not it may be that it isn't really much supported anymore. If you search it on the Microsoft site it is still there but only shows Windows 7 as the latest supported operating system. Basically that means that after Windows 7 all bets are off as it is not a consideration as to operating system compatibility.

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If your batch file solution is working, then I'd stick with it. My issues with SyncToy had to do with the fact that it didn't always sync all files for unexplained reasons. It simply wasn't reliable enough.
I doubt that the problem was/is due to 32/64 bit, but anything is possible. Remember my sig line: "Life's always an adventure with computers!"

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

You mean that you never tried to find out why a program quit working, even though you devised a 'work-around'? That doesn't sound like the Jay that I've come to know over the years, lol. Happy Holidays.....

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Steve, I never used SyncToy for syncing purposes, only as a backup tool. And to this end, I always found it to be reliable; and yes, I did check a few times to make sure that all my new files got copied over.

SyncToy automated via Task Scheduler worked well for me up until a month or so ago. Since I have made no changes to my Win 10 system except for the required OS updates, I am thinking that one of these recent updates had something to do with my problem/issue. I could be wrong, but I want to explore the possibility.

As regards GoodSync, I can see why you and Jay like it so much, because you are both programmers and power users. I am not, and I found the GoodSync program manual to be rather intimidating (i.e., a programmer's guide). On the other hand, SyncToy 'how to' instructions are very user-friendly, with many screen shots showing the various steps.

Again, thanks for your help, and Happy Holidays.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

@ Jay & Steve - One last question regarding GoodSync. Does it 'check file contents' before doing a backup or synchronize, like can optionally be done in SyncToy? I can't find any mention of this in the manual.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Good question and, yes, it is not simply comparing file names and timestamps. It is quite robust.

https://www.goodsync.com/file-sync
"GoodSync's sophisticated algorithm and bit-by-bit synchronization ensures complete accuracy and protects against data loss. GoodSync is scalable enough to withstand synchronization jobs ranging from five files to five million files without fail. "
https://www.goodsync.com/block-level-delta-sync
"Block-level transfer is an optimized method of file transfer that focuses on providing high performance transfers across our GSTP protocol. With block-level transfers, only the parts of a file are transferred that differ. When GoodSync identifies a file that has been updated or changed it calculates the exact binary data within that file and sends only the changed information. This way each file transfer only passes the data required to update the destination file. A normal file transfer would send the entire file, even if only small parts of the file have changed."
(Emphasis added by me)

-steve

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Wow, the block-level transfers capability is impressive, as is the bit-by-bit synchronization. I could not find mention of either in the manual....I guess I was looking in the wrong places. IMHO, the manual is more a programmer's manual than a helpful user's guide.

I can certainly see how GoodSync would be very useful for actual synchronization across multiple computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. But I want only to back up from primary computer to external drive(s). Still, I would probably use GoodSync if automation was easier, i.e., if I could schedule a Group. I guess I need to play around more with scheduling individual jobs, especially since you & Jay are so impressed with GoodSync.

Thanks for your response.......

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

You are most welcome.
I don't even remember how I discovered GoodSync many years ago, but I do recall that I had numerous problems with SyncToy. The biggest was that it failed to recognize that some files had changed and I was left without a backup/sync. That could certainly have been a settings issue with me, but I've not experienced any problems at all with GoodSync. As I mentioned, scheduling wasn't a concern for me as I have been manually kicking off backups for years. I only recently delved into scheduling due to the database issue I ran into at the office where a lack of a current backup created a whole lot of extra recovery effort. I have to say, though, that the scheduling sure appears to be quite robust.
-steve

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

@ Jay & Steve - I hate to keep asking questions, but....

On the first page of this long post, I stated that I was finally able to run SyncToy via Task Scheduler by using the following STBatch file:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" -R
pause

And here was my resulting Task Scheduler script:
C:\Users\BB\Documents\STBatch.bat

I went on to say that after I observed a few more successful runs, I would remove the 'pause' command from my batch file so that the process could be totally unattended.

Well, I removed the 'pause' command and once again got the (0x2) error.

So bottom line, everything works fine as long as the batch file ends with a 'pause' command. Any idea why this is happening? Is there something I don't understand about using the command prompt window? Thanks.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Man, it has been years since I've really done anything with the command prompt but, just for kicks, replace the 'pause' with either 'exit' (may be 'quit') or 'echo'.

Actually this may work better. "timeout /t 30 /nobreak" instead of 'pause'. This will pause the command prompt for 30 seconds. The '30' controls the seconds to pause. Start with 30 and, if it works, decrease until it does not then go back to what worked last. It MAY be that the command prompt needs to stay active until SyncToy actually gets going.

No promises...

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That is truly bizarre, but I'll repeat what my sig line says: "Life's always an adventure with computers!"
There is no good reason why a Pause statement at the end of a batch file allows SyncToy to execute other than the speculation that Jay has put forth. Your batch file is opening a command window and that session is where SyncToy is executing. If you fire off the command and close the command window, SyncToy has lost it's privilege assigned by the batch command.
It would seem that the root of the problem is the privilege required by SyncToy to run. I don't need to remind you that SyncToy was never officially supported -- it was a side project Power Toy for Windows XP.
-steve

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Jay, I tried the 'exit' command and that didn't work. The 'echo' command serves another purpose. But in the morning I will try your 'timeout' command and play around with that. Right now I am just about brain dead.
Thanks.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Steve, you may be right about Sync Toy privilege requirement, so maybe Jay's suggestion will help me work thru that. At this point in my life, I'm getting a little confused on what 'officially supported' means in the world of Microsoft. I thought I read someplace where SyncToy was supported thru Windows 7, but maybe not. Thanks.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

"Supported" can mean two different things, of course. I mean that it was written as a free tool with no official support channels. Even that's nebulous, though, as there was a forum/community for it which still exists and is hosted by Microsoft. And the download page does indicate that the system requirements are Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7...
From the download page for 2.1: "Note: We've taken great care to ensure that this tool operates as it should, but it is not part of Windows and is not supported by Microsoft Technical Support. For this reason, Microsoft Technical Support is unable to answer questions about SyncToy. To speak to other users and contribute feedback about your experiences with SyncToy, please use the SyncToy forum at http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-U ... oy/threads. "

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Think of a game or app that worked fine in Windows 7 and XP but, even though it runs, just isn't right in Windows 10. When SyncToy states Windows XP through Windows 7 in the requirements it sort of means that SyncToy was written with thes operating systems in mind. With Windows 8-10 not being listed it means that all bets are off as these operating systems were not considered when SyncToy was written.

This is probably why SyncToy will not work directly with Task Manager and you have to use the batch file between. SyncToy is just not compatible with Task Manager in Windows 10.

BTW, Did you ever set the two Executables in the SyncToy install directory to run as Admin in the Compatability settings? Might also try setting compatability to run as Windows XP SP2. Yes, XP SP2, not SP3. If SP2 does nothing try SP3 but, for some reason, SP2 usually works batter.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Steve, I had been to this forum several times, although I did not ask a question nor share my SyncToy experience. I was a little disappointed in the fact that the majority of questions were still 'unanswered'. I guess that is consistent with the fact that Microsoft does not support SyncToy.

Maybe I am wrong, but I don't think my problems were caused by SyncToy itself. This program always ran correctly when I executed it manually. And it did so whether I opened SyncToy and 'ran all' the folder pairs, or whether I manually ran the synctoycmd.exe file. It was only when I tried to automate SyncToy using Task Scheduler that I ran into problems. I thought my batch solution was going to work until I tired to remove the 'pause' command and once again got the (0x2) error. But now automation via Task Scheduler appears to be working as I wanted, after I incorporated Jay's 'timeout' command in place of the 'pause' command within my batch file. I don't fully understand why this worked, but I am a happy camper.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

You are welcome.

My opinion as to why the timeout worked... SyncToy was not running at as high of a privilege as the Command Prompt. The hint was that that your Command Prompt batch file worked as long as you included the pause command but failed when pause was removed. This indicated that the higher privilege would carry over to SyncToy but only if the batch file Command Prompt was still open when SyncToy loaded. Obviously needing to hit a key to get past the pause command, to say the least, would be a pain.

So we now have a working system but do not want to have to press a key. Need something to replace the pause command so a key press is not needed. The timeout command is perfect for this as it is just a delay before exiting the batch file with no key press needed. In other words it keeps the batch file active in the Command Prompt long enough for SyncToy to load therefore, basically, both end up using the same Command Prompt to run. Not totally true but about the best I can come up with. Bottom line is that the higher permissions from the batch file is transfered to SyncToy since SyncToy now opens its own Command Prompt while the permissions are still at a higher level.

Ten seconds on the timeout command should be more than enough time for SyncToy to load but you may see occasional failures if your schedule starts SyncToy while you are doing something that is disk intensive causing it to take SyncToy longer to load. Probably not but possible. I hope this solution continues to work but, as always, refer to Steve's tag line

Now for the REAL question... When your issue started I did a bit of searching and found many forums including Microsoft's, that had threads with the same issue. I didn't really see any solutions that worked with Windows 10. Now, do I join all those forums to supply the answer? Naw, don't think so!

Of course none of this is proofed yet as a final solution until everything works over an extended period of time. I do sort of wonder if the solution may have been easier. I suggested just earlier today asking if you had set the two SyncToy executables to run as admin in the compatibility options. It is possible that just setting the Command Prompt to run as admin may have done it. Still, even if it worked, I don't think that I'd like such a solution as it would open a vulnerability where any infection that needed the Command Prompt to execute would automatically have advanced permissions; probably not a good thing.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Just to cover the timeout command question it may have still shown in the Command Prompt when SyncToy came up but would have actually ended (without the pause) before SyncToy took over. Even if SyncToy did load before the pause command ended that part SyncToy probably was not totally initialized.

Again only time will tell if my 'solution' is a lasting fix.

As to compatibility mode you just right click on the executable and select Properties. You then go to the Compatibility tab and all the options are there.

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Nope -- you are not wrong. It is likely a Task Scheduler issue with the way SyncToy via command line works.

I'm pleased that Jay's solution worked and I hope that it continues to work.

And, finally, yes the forum is a graveyard of unanswered questions from SyncToy users as I imagine that the developers of the program have long since moved on to other things and just don't have time to visit the forum for their ancient baby.

-steve

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Yes as to compatibility. You set the selected program to run in the specific compatibility mode. It should always then run under that condition. As I said in a previous post it may be possible that setting the Command Prompt to always run as an admin under compatibility MIGHT have fixed your issue. Still I don't think it a good idea as it would open a self made vulnerability.

Just kidding but... Dang, I'm good!

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