Backing up to a network drive

On Thu 10 Mar 2005 11:57:53a, Wilhelm wrote in news:Xns961585729F19EMcGlothlin@65.24.7.50:

You have to give both read & write access for the target folder.

Mike L wrote in news:Xns961590FBFA896ml@207.115.63.158:

Thanks Mike, that partially helped. I gave full access to the target folder. Now on the 2nd computer, I can drag a file into the folder, and it'll write.

However, inputting the path to this network folder in Quicken still results in an "Unable to write ..." error.

Why can I write to the folder, except in Quicken?

Bill M.

I can successfully backup to a network location only by using a mapped drive letter. I cannot write to a UNC path. Which are you using?

Also there are two areas of permission to check. The first is the permissions on the folder that is shared. I assume you checked that one already.

The other is the share permissions themselves. Share points have their own set of permission. You should see a Permissions button in the Share dialog box when sharing the folder. Make sure that the user on the remote machine has share permissions.

I had the same problem backing up to a USB external drive. If you don't have write access to the root directory of the drive, Quicken will not backup to it. This can happen on XP if your user account does not have administrator access.

This is an incredibly stupid bug on Quicken's part, but there is a workaround. Use a subst drive.

I want to back up to V:\Quicken, so create a drive letter like this, subst s: v:\quicken

Not I tell Quicken to backup to S:\ and that works.

Doesn't any>Hi all,

I bought a Buffalo LinkStation 250 gig network drive. Then I downloaded the free version of SyncBack. I click on a profile in syncback that I set up which then copies all the quicken files from my home windows 98 machine to the linkstation network drive to my xp pro notebook and to my wifes xp home computer. It works great. Syncback is the best freeware Ive seen that does all this flawlessly. This may not address your immediate issue with regards to your zip drive but it may be an alternative.

Good luck ...... Don

Don wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

All,

Even Intuit says that 2004 "wasn't tested" for network drive backup and that it might (doesn't) work. See

But I had it working a few months back, and can't get it to work now, nor find the solution that I believe worked prior - dammit. Andrew: I believe I'm using a mapped drive letter, but I don't know what a "UNC path" is. I did check the permissions on the folder (and the drive proper). I haven't found a "permissions button" but I'll look into that more.

JamesA: How does one create a drive letter like "subst s: v:\quicken"? Where do you do that? It almost looks like an old DOS command line action.

Don: Thanks for the Syncback tip. I've downloaded it and will check it out.

Bill M.

How/Why would any software vendor need to test network drive backup?!? If implemented correctly (and there's a good chance that it's not implemented correctly) the OS should totally shield any application from even knowing that it is writing to a network location. IOW network access should be "transparent" to the applications!

The answers you seek are available here and here . Basically when you map a drive from a network share you are associating a drive letter with a UNC path (i.e. \\\). While Z: is more convenient to type than \\fileserver\sharepoint it is specific to your machine! What if you are on somebody else's machine and he already used Z:? Then you use Y:. But then what if what you're doing depends on using Z:?!? Contrastly \\fileserver\sharepoint is always correct and works where ever (well in that domain at at least).

In it's usual ploy to dumb down the interface for dumb users XP ends up complicating matters further. You cannot see the share permissions button with the default /Simple File Sharing/ concept that XP uses. Here is a good article regarding this. First turn off /Simple File Sharing/ then go back to the folder in question, right click it and select

*Sharing and Security*. There's a *Permissions* button there. Click on it and make sure /Everyone/ has *Full Control*. Then unmount/map all shares/drives from that system and remap them.

Here's another command prompt thing: Bop into a command prompt and type "net use". That'll show you all network connections. You can use "net use /delete" and/or "net use \\server\share /delete" to remove them. You must remove all network mounts because Windows hold you're credentials (i.e. your authentication keys proving you are you) until the last network connection to that server is closed. Then remount/map them. You might be able to do this with *Disconnect Network Drives* too but I"m not sure if it shows certain hidden connections like IPC$ connections...

Viola! Yes a command line prompt is what you need. Don't be afraid of a command line - it's your friend. Learn it!

It is a command line option, I open a command window and execute that command. The drive letter is then available everywhere in the system.

This is not the pain in the ass that it seems. I have the command prompt as an option in the start menu, because I use it frequently and the subst command is issued automatically when I opened it. I hit the windows key and the first letter of the shortcut name and it's open.

For me, this issue has nothing to do with network drives. I cannot backup a quicken file **anywhere** on my C: drive (or any other drive), because quicken tries to create a temporary file in the root directory of the drive you are backing up to. On Windows XP Pro, if you don't have administrator rights, you do not have the right to create a file in the root directory.

Using the subst command is a way around this. The "root" of the subst drive is not the real root of the drive, and it can be written to.

I'm using Quicken 2004, I don't know if Quicken 2005 has the same problem. Hey Intuit, ever hear of the temp directory as a place to create your temp files?

Just for grins I decided to use quicken 2005's backup option to back up to my network drive. I could click on the drive and the folder fine. Then when I clicked on back up quicken shut down the file per usual but a few moments later when the file was reopened I got a message saying "file was not backed up" from Quicken.

I'm glad I found Syncback. That is hands down the best freeware for copying or syncing files between all our computers and/or our network drive.

Don wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I am using Karen's Replicator freeware.

In what sense would Syncback be better? I haven't tried it, therefore I ask you .

Satisfied user of Replicator.

I don't know anything about Karen's software. If it works use it.

It would probably be appropriate for a software vendor who's installation software is unstable enough that they think you should copy their installation CD onto your hard drive when you have problems installing directly from the CD.

Mike

Huh? You obviously didn't understand what I said.

To paraphrase, I thought/think you were pointing out that it shouldn't be necessary to explicitly test backup over a network as the operating system should mask the differences.

What I was trying to point out that Intuit apparently thinks its software is sensitive to the difference between installing from a CD vs installing from a copy of the CD on the hard drive. (I've seen instructions on Intuit's web site to copy the installation CD to the hard drive if have problems with Quicken and Turbotax). If you write software with this level of sensitivity to the system's configuration then I believe that testing network backup is needed.

It's obviously possible to write a program that doesn't backup to a network drive. It may not be good programming practice but that doesn't stop software from being written that way. I've seen other applications that wouldn't access data across a network as the vendor thought it a valuable feature and needed an extra payment to unlock this capability.

Mike