MM backup partially wiping out HD - HELP!

[terrypin]

The HD issue which I mentioned in passing in this thread
http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewto ... 62#p408362
and which has preoccupied me almost fully for the last two days turns out to be down to MM - or rather the way I'm using it!

I finally isolated it a few minutes ago. What happens is that I lose a great chunk of my C: HD, including much of \My Documents, total around 300 GB, directly after MM closes. That data then takes ages to restore before I can continue. The MM exit clearly starts a backup script, but it quickly becomes clear there's something wrong with it because it consumes 90-99% of CPU resource and takes 2 or 3 minutes before reporting 'success'.

I must have screwed up my script files or their location in some way. As soon as I get a familiar working environment back, I'll go hunting for the script in question and rename it. Meanwhile any insights into which VBS file I'm seeking, its correct folder, and how my mistake could cause such a catastrophic loss would be appreciated please.

[MMFrLife]

What happens is that I lose a great chunk of my C: HD, including much of \My Documents, total around 300 GB, directly after MM closes. That data then takes ages to restore before I can continue.

So, you close MM and then look around in explorer and notice a bunch of stuff missing? How are you restoring it?

The MM exit clearly starts a backup script

Are you using Backup 6.0?

I must have screwed up my script files or their location in some way. As soon as I get a familiar working environment back, I'll go hunting for the script in question and rename it. Meanwhile any insights into which VBS file I'm seeking, its correct folder, and how my mistake could cause such a catastrophic loss would be appreciated please.

Are you looking in the scripts folder and Auto within that. Are you renaming to halt it's activity? You may even need to uninstall, if corrupt.

[terrypin]

What happens is that I lose a great chunk of my C: HD, including much of \My Documents, total around 300 GB, directly after MM closes. That data then takes ages to restore before I can continue.

So, you close MM and then look around in explorer and notice a bunch of stuff missing?

Exactly.

How are you restoring it?

From my backups. I had to use my weekly b/u, as my nightly b/u ran before I discovered the first loss.

The MM exit clearly starts a backup script

Are you using Backup 6.0?

No. I had no idea what versions of the many scripts were installed. From the illustration below you can see the current status. When I upgraded from v3 to v4, I thought I was making a smart move by copying across all the scripts I could find. Clearly not! But shouldn't the v4 install have handled the scripts too?

I must have screwed up my script files or their location in some way. As soon as I get a familiar working environment back, I'll go hunting for the script in question and rename it. Meanwhile any insights into which VBS file I'm seeking, its correct folder, and how my mistake could cause such a catastrophic loss would be appreciated please.

Are you looking in the scripts folder and Auto within that.

Yes. But also that other folder has been muddying the water.

Are you renaming to halt it's activity?

Yes. See illustration.

You may even need to uninstall, if corrupt.

OK, I'll see what happens after I've tracked down and installed Backup 6. Doesn't the installation program do any legwork on updating scripts, offering new ones, etc, or must all that be done maually later?

Many thanks for the prompt reply and the hand-holding on this topic, something of a black art to me!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/401 ... sion-1.jpg

Edit: Installed Backup v6. Maybe I'm being over picky, but wouldn't it be sensible to give scripts meaningful names, such as backup-6.vbs instead of the ambiguous backup.vbs ?

[Lowlander]

Tools > Extensions shows version.

[MMFrLife]

No. I had no idea what versions of the many scripts were installed. From the illustration below you can see the current status. When I upgraded from v3 to v4, I thought I was making a smart move by copying across all the scripts I could find. Clearly not! But shouldn't the v4 install have handled the scripts too?

I must have screwed up my script files or their location in some way.

Well, older versions (especially some whole number jumps) can turn out to not work or be unstable. Also, simply copying over stuff from one regular install to another
isn't a great idea (unless you know what you're doing, not saying you don't, but...). Copying over stuff from one to the other works better/is safer/easier with the portable install.

Meanwhile any insights into which VBS file I'm seeking, its correct folder, and how my mistake could cause such a catastrophic loss would be appreciated please.

You could try renaming that old Backup script and there are other things you could do, but honestly, I would just try to correct all the copying over of the old stuff.
In other words, open MM to see if you can uninstall any suspect scripts from the GUI first (like backup) > shutdown/restart > see if problem persists.
If it does persist > get back to me (keep it in the forum if you can, but PM me if you feel the need).

OK, I'll see what happens after I've tracked down and installed Backup 6. Doesn't the installation program do any legwork on updating scripts

Do the above suggestion first.

Many thanks for the prompt reply and the hand-holding on this topic, something of a black art to me!

No problem, I'm always learning myself!

[EDIT]Just saw this:

Edit: Installed Backup v6. Maybe I'm being over picky, but wouldn't it be sensible to give scripts meaningful names, such as backup-6.vbs instead of the ambiguous backup.vbs ?

Did it improve anything?

[terrypin]

Closed MM and the auto backup v6 ran. But, judging from the continuous HD activity it appeared to be running for about 5-10 minutes, albeit this time with only low CPU usage. Plenty of time to look at XP task mgr and note that apart from Explorer the main process was wscript.exe, which google tells me is Windows Script Host. Eventually the disk activity stopped and this obscure message appeared:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/401 ... -BU6-1.jpg

As you see from my previous illustation, that file was one of the 'helper' files for the Backup 3.8. I'll rename it to take it out of the equation, try the auto backup again and report back.

Forgot to add: so far no signs of lost files.

[terrypin]

Looks like we've sorted the disaster issue!

But still no success on the backup. This shows you what files I have in place and the message that I get (very promptly now) when I close MM.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/401 ... -BU6-3.jpg

That file seems to be in the right place. Without those two 'helper' scripts I got an error message on starting MM, so I have now replaced them (which is in line with the instructions). And I've confirmed that Scripts.ini contains the required lines. (The only edit I made was to change the order from 23 to 30.)
.
.
[BackButton]
FileName=BackButton.vbs
ProcName=BackButton
Order=025
DisplayName=Back Button
Description=Back Button
Language=VBScript
ScriptType=0

[Backup]
FileName=Auto\Backup.vbs
ProcName=Backup
Order=030
DisplayName=Backup
Description=Backup
Language=VBScript
ScriptType=0

[BackupPlaylists]
FileName=BackupPlaylists.vbs
ProcName=BackupPlaylists
Order=035
DisplayName=&Backup Playlists
Description=Backup playlists
Language=VBScript
ScriptType=0
.
.

Yet I still get that pesky error message. Presumably I should get a pop-up telling me the backup was successful?

Edit: The implicated line 66 is shown below:
'check previous
Dim fso : Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
If Not (over = 1) Then
If fso.FolderExists(bdir) Then
Dim fold : Set fold = fso.GetFolder(bdir)
If fold.Size > 0 Then
MsgBox "Backup cancelled because output folder already exists."
Exit Sub
End If
End If
End If

[MMFrLife]

I would start over (not just renaming things) with that script. Uninstall/delete all traces of files for that script (3.8, 6.0, whatever is in there) >
make sure MM is shutdown (check task manager). Now, reinstall 6.0 fresh (with MM shutdown, unless install instructions say otherwise)
and don't change the default path > restart MM > See what happens.

[terrypin]

OK, thanks. Just leaving the house and will do that when I return home later. But I'd have thought the installation would have installed any required helper files?

[MMFrLife]

But I'd have thought the installation would have installed any required helper files?

Maybe, but since we don't really know exactly what's going on, there might be something else afoot that's causing
problems with all the moving around and installing, etc. Sometimes it's just best to start over, especially if what is
suspected is a script.

[terrypin]

Did all that but no joy. I uninstalled, which removed all the files and the Script.ini entry. Then I re-installed, started MM, closed it - and got the same message.

I've posted in the dedicated thread:
http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewto ... 05#p408448

See also the warning from DakuTree a few posts up that page!

BTW, do most here use Backup 6?

[MMFrLife]

A bit of warning to those using the "delete old backups" portion of this script.
If you ever run this script somewhere other than your main backup folder (even by accident), you may want remove the row containing that location from the DB.
The script deletes "everything" from the old backup locations, regardless if it's an MM backup or not.
So for example, if you ran it on the root of an HD at some point...well, you're in for a bad time. Learned that the hard way :|

Ah, I reckon that must be what happened to cause my catastrophe! Although in my case, it was at least partly my own fault as I was apparently using an old backup, 3.8, from MM v3. Took me two days before I realised it was MM's backup that was losing my 300 GB.

What DakuTree is referring to probably didn't cause the problem, as you weren't running it outside of that one little folder and even then it didn't delete anything
from that folder, did it? I'm sure it's related to that old backup file but might be another aspect..

What do you mean when you differentiate between the old backup script and MM's script? As far as I know, MM doesn't have a native backup or pre-installed script.
What is the default path for the XP "regular install" scripts folder? I've been using the portable on 7 for a few years now and don't remember.
We should pick it up from here in the other thread.

[dtsig]

I have used it for a long time and it has not caused any issues here. Have you posted on the Backup 6 thread?

[terrypin]

I have used it for a long time and it has not caused any issues here. Have you posted on the Backup 6 thread?

Yes, as I said two posts up-thread.

[terrydsmith]

same problem, please help