From: alan@invalid.com   
      
   On 2/13/26 11:29 AM, occam wrote:   
   > On 13/02/2026 15:42, Alan K wrote:   
   >> On 2/13/2026 8:14 AM, occam wrote:   
   >>> I'm currently transitioning from Windows to Linux Mint (under dual   
   >>> boot). Before I abandon Win10 for good I want to be sure I am able do   
   >>> everything in LM that I normally do under Win10.   
   >>>   
   >>> Is there an LM way of backing up /synchronising my data files onto an   
   >>> external drive? My favourite Windows program is SyncBack, which allows   
   >>> the synching of the two drives (i.e. incremental backup) without the   
   >>> need for a full backup every time. It shows me which files are to be   
   >>> deleted, which are to be updated and which are new files to be   
   >>> transferred - displayed in an easy-to-follow screen.   
   >>>   
   >>> Thanks for any pointers.   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >> I keep windows 11 and dual boot, and since I have a perpetual license   
   >> for Acronis, I use it to backup my Linux partition.   
   >   
   > That's full backup. I'm looking for a tool for just backing up specific   
   > data files /directories.   
   >   
   Not really, Acronis can do incremental, but I don't really need it for that.     
   If my   
   documents folder got messed up, I'd just open the last full backup (as Acronis   
   will auto   
   mount any backup) and then just drag and drop the document folder over.  It's   
   no worse   
   than most any other backup.  At least to me.  I've never in all the years of   
   this, never   
   done incremental.   I've done piecemeal backups, you know, cherry picking   
   specific folders.   
   >> It's worked for me   
   >> for years.  It's also only the 2020 version.   
   >> Do you question your process?  Have to verified it works?  Like blowing   
   >> out your entire docs folder and then trying to restore it?   
   >   
   > Yes. SyncBack creates an identical data structure on the external drive.   
   >   'Restore' is just a matter of copying the directories back to the   
   > desktop.   
   >   
   >> Heck if it works fine.   
   >>   
   >> I may try SyncBack and see how it works.  I currently use mint's backup   
   >> tool.  It's a bit quirky to get setup but I do now and I make daily   
   >> backups with it. But this only makes snapshot tar files.  Good for the   
   >> OOPS conditions.   
   >>   
   >> I also use rsync to do some mirroring now and then.  It's very easy to   
   >> script since it's basically 'cp'.  rsync source dest.  You just add the   
   >> needed flags.   
   >   
   > Hmm. I worry about going back to doing backups by  command line   
   > instructions.  The two geeks who convinced me to migrate to Linux Mint   
   > (my two sons) promised me that the experience would be 'no different to   
   > using Windows' . I'm going to hold them to that promise ;-) .   
   >   
   Yeah right!  They aren't the same so thus they are different.  However there   
   are a lot of   
   correlations.   I jump back and forth between win and linux since my wife uses   
   only   
   windows and I support her.   
      
   I totally understand the command line problem.  It's good to do if you're   
   given a "run   
   this" suggestion, but building something from get go isn't for everyone.  I   
   did it back in   
   the mid 70's on a Unix type system, then later on real SCO Unix and Zenix   
   systems, and   
   then once I got a PC of my own I played with trying Linux Red Hat, but never   
   found a need   
   for it.   
      
   It was Windows 8.0 that started me looking into an alternate.   
      
   Anyway, if you're looking for alternates for Windows software you might look at   
   https://alternativeto.net/   
   I don't profuse that they have the final word on replacements.   
      
   --   
   Linux Mint 22.3,  Mozilla Thunderbird 140.7.1esr,  Mozilla Firefox 147.0.3   
        Alan K.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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