Reliable File Replication with FolderClone
 

Home | Product Info | Download | Purchase | FAQs | Screen Shots | Tech Support | Products

Q. Can FolderClone write directly to a CD-R or CD-RW?
A.  FolderClone can copy files directly to a CD-R or CD-RW disk.
    Directly copying to CD-R & CD-RW disks is supported as long as the disks have been pre formatted to accept direct file writes. You will need to have some type of CD software installed on your system that makes your CD-R drive act as a standard drive. We suggest Adaptec/Roxio DirectCD. Most CD writeable devices come packaged with software of this type.

    When using "Direct CD" you MUST wait until Direct CD has control of the drive before starting the file copy. Unless specifically disabled, Direct CD will display a window to tell you that it is "Ready". Wait until you see this window.

    Windows XP Users Note: Windows XP includes built-in functionality to use CD media as a destination to write files to within Windows Explorer. This functionality is only included for Windows Explorer. This does not allow other applications such as FolderClone to write to the CD. Direct write software is still required to allow other applications to write to CD, such as the software mentioned above.

    If you do not have the direct write software, you can still copy files to the to the CD by executing the following steps:

    1. Copy the files to some temporary location on your hard drive (say c:\MyBackup ).

    2. Copy the files from the temporary location on your hard drive to the CD using the software supplied with the CD drive.

    NOTE: If you are using Windows XP, we recommend that you ensure your Roxio software is up to date. Please visit http://roxio.com for software updates.
    Q. I get an "Access to Registry is Denied" error every time I startup FolderClone.  Why am I getting this and how do I resolve it?

    A. FolderClone stores registration information in the System Registry.  Therefore, all users who will be logging into a computer and running FolderClone need to have permission to read and write to the System Registry.  A user with administrative permissions on the machine needs to do the following to correct this error message.

    1) Run the registry editor (regedt32.exe)
    2) Search HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER for all references to "FolderClone ".  References can appear in multiple locations of the Registry so be sure to continue searching until the end of each branch is reached.
    3) When the search finds a location in the registry used by FolderClone, grant all desired users Read and Write permissions to this folder.  To change permissions for a folder, go to the Security menu option of the Registry Editor and select "Permissions..."
     
     


    Q.  I've selected the appropriate Startup options in FolderClone but it still doesn't automatically startup with Windows.  Do I need to add it to the Start Menu?

    A.  No, you should not add FolderClone to your StartMenu.  We're not quite sure why this happens but we've found that it is a simple matter for you to resolve. Here are the steps:

    1) Change the Startup option to 'Do Not Launch FolderClone at Startup'.

    2) Shutdown FolderClone from the System Tray

    3) Restart FolderClone

    4) Select the Startup option that you really want to use.

    5) Shutdown FolderClone from the System Tray

    6) Restart FolderClone

    That's it. The problem should now be resolved and should no longer appear.


     



    Q. What telephone number can I call to get support?
    A. We do not offer phone support for our products.  Usually we respond very quickly to email messages. Using email allows us more time to research your problem and respond more correctly with more detail than we would be able to do by telephone. And it permits us to more efficiently answer your questions.  It also enables us to continue to sell our software at the lowest possible prices.

    Q. Can I run FolderClone on a server? 
    A FolderClone was not architected to be run on a server.  It is a workstation edition, not a server edition.  It runs as an application not as an NT Service.  That being said however, we do have users who are successfully running FolderClone on their servers.  It really depends on your particular environment and situation.  You should take advantage of our free 30 day trial and run FolderClone on your server for the full trial period.  By that time you will have a very good idea of whether FolderClone will work on your server in your environment.

    One tip which we can provide is to reboot your server every couple of days.  FolderClone performs memory cleanup operations during its shutdown so it is important to shutdown FolderClone every so often to prevent gradual memory leaks. 

    Remember that you can always sync a workstation to a server by running FolderClone on the workstation.

    UPDATE  The latest service pack of Win2003 Server has broken FolderClone.  ( As well as many other fine applications)  We are currently looking for a solution to this.  We do have a slightly older version of FolderClone Standard Edition that will run on this SP.   You may download this version via this link.
     

    Q. You indicate that FolderClone should not be installed on a server.  Should the software be installed on the machine that is the "source" for replication?  Can it be on a third machine and I create the source and destination on different machines?
    A. It does not matter where FolderClone is installed, as long as both Source and Target folders can be accessed by FolderClone.  An easy way to test if the configuration will work is to substitute Windows Explorer for FolderClone. 

    Run Windows Explorer on the machine where you plan to install FolderClone and perform these three tests:
    1) Can you see both the Source and Target folder from Explorer?
    2) Can you copy files from the Source to the Target folder using Explorer?
    3) Can you delete files from the Target folder using Explorer?

    If the answer to these three questions is "Yes", then FolderClone will work in your planned configuration.
     

    Q.What do you charge for upgrades and how will I be notified?
    A. Updates are free for life!  We will add your name to our mailing lists and we will notify you via email.  We try to be careful with email notifications.  We don't want to be accused of spamming anyone!  Our informal policy is to notify users of major defects which and when major upgrades are available.  We don't normally notify users for every minor upgrade.  We are always improving our software and so we put out many updates.  It could get a little annoying hearing from us for each and every one of these.  Your best bet is to check the site every 2-3 months for minor upgrades.


    Q. Why does FolderClone appear to lock up when running certain tasks?
    A. Are you certain that the program is locked?  It may appear to be non-responsive for a few minutes, but generally will resume if allowed to continue.  The 'Not Responding' status in Task Manager does not always indicate that the program is locked - sometimes the program's status will change.  This is especially true of programs developed using Microsoft's Visual Basic.  Visual Basic does not create multi-threaded applications.  This means that VB apps can only do one thing at a time.  If the task at hand is a large one or there is a bottleneck in the system somewhere, the program can appear to be locked.  The vast majority of the time, it is not locked and becomes responsive again if allowed to continue. Here are some questions to answer:

    1) Does this occur when you run any task, or only with certain tasks?

    2)  Are you certain that FolderClone is locking up?  What about if you allow it run for awhile.  Does program response return eventually?

    3) Do you have any other background processes running which could be slowing things down?

    4) How much available hard disk space do you have?

    5) Make sure to empty your Recycle Bin.  A full recycle bin can drastically slow down FolderClone when it tries to delete files.

    .

    Q. What do I do if FolderClone does not install on my computer? 
    A. Here are some common steps that should be tried when ANY installation program fails. 
       
    • Check the size of the fc.zip file.  Make sure that is is the same size as is reported on our download page.  If the fc.zip file which you downloaded is a different size, you have a bad download.  Delete this bad download and download the file again.  If the file is the correct size, continue with the following trouble shooting suggestions: 
    • Restart the computer 
    • Make sure that no other applications are running 
    • Don't run the Setup program from within your unzipping utility.  Extract the files from fc.zip into a folder on your hard drive, then run Setup.exe .  Note:  Some setup programs will only run properly when run from a folder on the C drive. 
    • Install application into a folder whose name is less than 8 characters in length, and which resides on the root of your C drive.  For example:  "c:\fclone" 

      •  
    Setup.exe is a program created by Microsoft.  Like any other program, sometimes it just doesn't work with certain hardware or software configurations. If the preceding suggestions fail, the only other option that we have available to us is to bypass Setup.exe by manually installing FolderClone.  It's not complicated, but it can be a little tedious. 
     
    • Unzip fc.zip.  It will contain three files, one of which is called folderclone.cab 
    • Uncompress folderclone.cab (.CAB is just another compression format like .ZIP - Your compression program might already be able to handle .CAB files.  If not, a CAB extraction program can be freely obtained on any shareware site  (We recommend Power Archiver) 
    •  Create a new folder, called FClone, on your hard drive 
    •  Place all of the files which were extracted from folderclone.cab into the folder created in the last step 
    • Attempt to run folderclone.exe 

      •  
    If we're lucky, the program will run.  If not, then one or more of the DLL or OCX files need to be manually registered in the System Registry. Here are the steps to register a file in the System Registry.  (Repeat this procedure for each of the files listed.) 
       
    • Go to Start Menu, Select the Run option 

      • Type in "Regsvr32" followed by the file's name and path. 
      (For example ~  Regsvr32 "C:\FClone\COMCAT.DLL") 
           
          COMCAT.DLL 
          STDOLE2.TLB 
          OLEPRO32.DLL 
          OLEAUT32.DLL 
          MSVBVM60.DLL 
          COMDLG32.OCX 
          MSCOMCT2.OCX 
          Mscomctl.ocx
          ccrpTmr6.dll
          MTrayX.OCX 
          MSSTDFMT.DLL
          SCRRUN.DLL 
          RICHTX32.OCX
          ccrpbds6.dll
          STAMIN32.DLL
    •  After registering the above files, run folderclone.exe
    Q. Can I use FolderClone to copy an entire hard drive? 
    A. FolderClone is not intended to backup complete systems, its primary use is to backup data files that would be irreplaceable should a disaster occur.  See this article for information about how to copy an entire hard drive:

    http://www.windows-help.net/features/copy-hd.html


    Q. Help! FolderClone has deleted some files from the Target folder which I needed.  What can I do?
    A. FolderClone is a powerful tool whose function is to make the Target Folder identical to the Source Folder.  If this means that files/folders need to be deleted from the Target, then this will be done.  Version 1.2.2 added a 'Do Not Delete Orphans' feature to the Options menu for those of you who need such a feature. In version 1.3.2  the default delete method was changed to "Send To Recycle Bin" .  Check  the recycle bin for your files and attempt to restore the files using the recycle bin's built in Restore function. 

    That having been said, if you are using an older version,  you should be able to undelete most of your files using an undelete utility.  We recommend Restorer2000.  A free demo of this program can be obtained from http://www.bitmart.net/

    Q FolderClone does not seem to be running the scheduled tasks at the exact time I programmed them to. Why the discrepancy?
     
    A.There are several factors that could cause this to occur:

    FolderClone won't run a scheduled task while the main FolderClone window is open.  It only runs when the main FolderClone window is minimized or closed.  This is done to prevent a task from being run while it is being modified.  Only manual execution of tasks is permitted while the main FolderClone window is open.

    FolderClone uses a technology called a "timer" to run scheduled tasks.  Timers are given a very low priority by the Windows operating system .  Timer events will only "fire" if  Windows allows them to.  Windows will only fire a timer event if no process of greater priority is currently running.  So, if you are executing other programs which are demanding the attention of Windows, the FolderClone scheduling timer may not run at the precise moment that you requested.

    FolderClone is not a multi-threaded application - only one clone task may be running at a given point in time.  If a clone task is running, a second scheduled task will not run until the first is finished.  If you are are working with large amounts of data which take a long time to clone, this may interrupt other scheduled tasks from running.  Try spacing out your clone tasks in such a way where they will not interfere with one another.

    Q "Error: "ActiveX component can't create object"
    A. There can be many causes for this particular error.  The bottom line though is that a file (DLL/OCX) that FolderClone needs is either not available, or is the wrong version, or is not registered in the system registry. 

    This error will almost always be resolved by uninstalling and then reinstalling FolderClone

    Q. After using it for a few weeks I need to make a decision to go with FolderMatch or FolderClone.  I just can't use both...can I?
    A.Why can't you use both? We do.  Some synchronization tasks can be automated and don't require any user feedback.  FolderClone is perfect for these. Another reason to use FolderClone is that it never forgets to sync the folders.  Your important files are always backed up to second location.  With FolderMatch you need to have the discipline to remember to sync the folders.  Some sync jobs require manual intervention and human decision making.  In those instances, FolderMatch is required.  It really depends on your situation and preferences....  Quite a few of our users do use both, therefore we have begun offering a special discount when you purchase both.
    Q How is  FolderClone different than FolderMatch?
    A. FolderClone is similar to FolderMatch in that it is a folder synchronizer. But there are important differences in features and how they handle the job...

    FolderClone arranges your synchronization needs in sets of "clone tasks".  A task is a set of specifications which tells FolderClone  what files/folders you want to be copied, where you want them copied, and how often you want this done. Once configured, FolderClone compares the "source" folder against the "target" folder at the user-defined time intervals. Changes or additions to the source folder are copied to the target folder.  Files and folders which exist on the target folder but not on the source folder are deleted. (Optionally, the deletion can be turned off) This process runs automatically in the background without any further user-interaction required. 

    FolderClone's 'set it and forget it' functioning means that after you set up a clone task the first time, it will be performed automatically at predefined intervals.  Your important files will always be backed up to another location.  Your folder trees will always remain synched.

    Some synchronization tasks can be automated and don't require any user feedback.  FolderClone is perfect for these. Another reason to use FolderClone is that it never forgets to sync the folders.  Your important files are always backed up to a second location.  With FolderMatch you need to have the discipline to remember to sync the folders.  Some sync jobs require manual intervention and human decision making.  In those instances, FolderMatch is required. 

    FolderMatch is a very "hands-on" process, while FolderClone is a very "hands-off" process.  Depending on your individual needs,  FolderClone might be a welcome utility to assist you with your synchronization needs.  Here, at Salty Brine Software, we use both  tools. 

    Q. Do you plan on making a version of FolderClone that is bi-directional? 
    A. That is not currently planned. However, other users have been asking for this feature as well so there might be a change made on this position.  We have another product called FolderMatch which does support true bi-directional synchronization.  You can find out more about it at www.foldermatch.com The big difference between the two programs is that FolderClone is an automated, hands-off process while FolderMatch is a very manual, interactive, hands-on tool. 

    Having said that, FolderClone can be manipulated to function in a bi-directional manner.  You will need to create two tasks - each one a duplicate of the other in all regards except that the Source and Target folder paths are reversed.  You must also select these two options:  'Do Not Delete', and 'Copy Only If Source Is Newer than Target'.  This configuration of two mirrored tasks will ensure that any newly added files will be copied to the other folder and also that all changed files will be copied.
     
          Q. What do the graphics next to each task represent? 
    A. 
    •  clone task This is the normal graphic used to represent a clone task
    • Next task to be run This graphic indicates that this task is the next scheduled task to be run.
    • error notification This graphic indicates that an error occurred the last time that this task was run.  The exact error which occurred will be contained in the Log File 
    • Next error This graphic is a combination of the last two.  This task is the next one which is scheduled to be run and an error occurred last time that this task was run.
       
    Q. Can FolderClone backup my Outlook personal folders (.pst) file?
    A. Your personal folders file contains all of your local Outlook folders, such as Calendar, Inbox, Tasks, Sent Items, Outbox, Deleted Items, and user-created folders. To automatically back up these folders, create a backup of your .pst files. 

    FolderClone can be used to automatically copy all  .PST files to another folder at scheduled times. Outlook must be shutdown before copying the .PST file. 

    Microsoft has also provided an add-in to Outlook which allows you to backup your .PST files from within Outlook.

    http://office.microsoft.com/Downloads/2002/pfbackup.aspx

    If you want to synchronize two .PST files we suggest that you check out SynchPST. You can save 25% by using coupon code 1Jd4kL2uHs9W when you purchase.

    Q.How do I Restore from FolderClone?
    A. You must have version 1.3.6 or higher to restore your source files using FolderClone.

    1)  On the main FolderClone window, select the Task for which you want to restore Source files.

    2) Select the 'Restore Source From Target' menu option.

    3) The Restore Window appears.  Place a checkmark next to the files/folders which you want restored, then press the Restore button
     

    Q.When I run SETUP.EXE I receive the error message "Setup cannot continue because some system files are out of date on your system."  What does this mean?
     
    A. This error message is generated by the Microsoft installation software which is used by FolderClone.  It is saying that one or more of the files required by the setup program are out of date.  There are a couple of reasons why you might receive this error:

    1) The version of a file on your machine is older than the version that the installer needs to operate correctly.
    2) Another program is running which has loaded into memory an older version of one of these files.
    To ascertain which of these conditions is the cause of the error, we recommend that you reboot Windows into Safe Mode.  Try to run FolderClone's setup program again.  If the error still occurs, a file in your system probably needs to be updated to the newer version which is provided by FolderClone.  You should allow the installer to replace the older files with the newer ones to continue with the FolderClone installation.

    Here is the list of files which are required by the installer and their version information:  (These files should be located in your Windows\System folder.)

    File1=VB6STKIT.DLL, 3/25/99 11:00:00 PM, 101888, 6.0.84.50

    File2=COMCAT.DLL, 5/30/98 11:00:00 PM, 22288, 4.71.1460.1

    File3=STDOLE2.TLB, 6/2/99 11:00:00 PM, 17920, 2.40.4275.1

    File4=ASYCFILT.DLL, 3/7/99 11:00:00 PM, 147728, 2.40.4275.1

    File5=OLEPRO32.DLL, 3/7/99 11:00:00 PM, 164112, 5.0.4275.1

    File6=OLEAUT32.DLL, 4/11/00 11:00:00 PM, 598288, 2.40.4275.1

    File7=MSVBVM60.DLL, 8/21/00 11:22:54 AM, 1388544, 6.0.89.64

    If you continue to get this error message, please consult the following articles on the Microsoft web site::

    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;174135

    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;191096

    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;279764

    Q. Setup fails with a 'vb6stkit.dll is not a valid Windows image' error
     
    A. This is a documented Microsoft bug. Here are some suggestions for addressing it:

    On the target computer, search for a copy of your application's .cab file(s) in the Windows folder (or Winnt folder on NT). 
    If found, delete the .cab file(s). Setup places the .cab file(s) in the Windows or Winnt folder and removes them at the end of a successful Setup. 
    However, if the installation program exits abnormally, the .cab files may be left on the system.   In the Windows\Temp folder (or the folder specified by the TEMP environment variable on NT), look for a subfolder named Msftqws.pdw. If found, delete the subfolder.  On the target computer, locate the following files. 
    If any of these files have a size of 0 bytes, delete the file: \Windows\System\Vb6stkit.dll (or \Winnt\System32\Vb6stkit.dll), \Windows\St6unst.exe (or \Winnt\St6unst.exe) 
    Run Setup again.
     
     

    Contact

Download and try FolderClone now!
 Salty Brine Software  ~ ©1999 - 2007  All Rights Reserved.
 
Download a Free 30-Day Trial of FolderClone and start backing up now!
Purchase FolderClone