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Yes the program searches for files every time when configuring backup. I have 80 GB disk but it took no more than 3 minutes until "searching for files" completes. I recommend you to wait untill searching for files is done, then configure your backup, and next time just use "Backup Files Now" from the main screen to prevent file searching. I've tried to reproduce your issue, you are right. Backup automatically adds not only the needed document and pictures, but all of them. This is the way the program works, the idea is to backup all imortant files, so users can be sure that their information is protected. I'm sure this is inconvenient for the advanced user and I hope this will change in version 3.0.
It's true - the software is trying to do too much :)
OK, once I get my backup configured correctly I can just use "backup files now".
But I'm not sure I can get my backup configured correctly. Are you confirming problem (1) in my original post? If so, that's not just "inconvenient for the advanced user". Rather, it makes online backup unusable.
The ability to backup all files in selected folders is a must-have if you're going to use online backup. What I'm trying to do is the same as the user in this thread and I suppose it's the typical use case for N360 online backup. I want to backup only some financial and legal documents that I can't afford to lose. They are sitting in 5 folders totalling a few 100 MB. It's mostly word and excel documents, plus jpg files (scanned documents). If problem (1) of my original post is real, then I can't backup just my 5 folders without also backing up all documents and jpg files on the entire system - i.e. forget online backup because in my case, we're talking at least 100 GB.
Remember that online backup worked perfectly for me in N360 V1. It's only V2 that broke it. Am I really going to have to wait until V3 maybe fixes a flaw introduced by V2? Online backup is the only reason I bought N360. Can't V2 be fixed so it works again the way V1 did? It doesn't seem like a big change. Consider again how V1 worked: I unchecked all the categories (documents, pictures, music etc). Then I used "add a folder" to specify my 5 folders. Result: backup all files in my 5 folders. V2 works the same, with one crucial difference: "add a folder" has the curious side effect that it checks the documents and pictures checkboxes again, presumably because the folder just added includes some documents and pictures. Is this meant to be a feature? Or is it a bug? I cannot think what good it does to man or beast, geek or dummy. Remove this side-effect and the world makes sense again. If the idea is to "backup all important files", as you say, I fail to see how this feature/side-effect/bug helps. If you want all picture and document files backed up, you just leave the picture and document categories checked
Or am I missing something? If problem (1) of my original post is real, I find it hard to see how anybody out there can be using online backup. Who else is using online backup, what do they use it for and how does it work for them?
I confirm your problem (1), I did the same thing on my PC, backup selects all pictures and documents. This is not a bug, this is the way the program works. I've already complained about this but I was adviced to ucheck unneeded files manually (or use "Exclude from backup" option), as I can remember. There is still a way to backup only the folders you want. Select them, right click, then use Send To: Compressed (Zipped) folder. Now you have a single archive, you can add it to backup and Norton 360 won't add additional files.
Aren't we playing with words here? Here we have something that worked in V1, V2 breaks it and it's not a bug? There would be room for discussion if there was a use case for the change that was made between V1 and V2. But I can't think of a use case, nor can you. In other words, a change was made that serves no known purpose and that breaks one of the headline features of the product. If that's not a bug, I don't know what is.
Have a look at http://www.symantec.com/norton360. There you'll find a 10 line product description. It includes these words: "... making it easy to automatically back up and restore files locally or to a secured online storage service". If these are the words used in a 10 line product description, you'll agree with me that I have a right to expect automated on-line backup to work.
Am I exaggerating when I say that automated on-line backup is broken in V2? My assertion is based on two assumptions: -1- if you're doing online backup, you're not going to backup all documents & pictures because that would take you beyond your online storage capacity. You're going to backup essential financial, legal, medical documents -2- those essential documents are sitting in a few folders. If these 2 assumptions are true for you, you'll find that online backup is broken in V2 because you can't backup selected folders without also backing up all documents & pictures.
Looking at the workarounds that you suggest:
(1) Exclude files manually? I'd have to exclude tens of thousands of files. And next time I backup, won't I need to exclude the new files that weren't there last time?
(2) Zip the files? But what about the automation that features so prominently in the product description? Instead of an automated process, I would need to run regular manual backups and remember to update my zip files first.
Why should I accept to lose functionality that worked when I first bought the product and that is advertised as one of its main features?
Yes you are right. Unfortunatly, I don’t have a workaround for this issue. However, you can temporarily downgrade to v 1.0, until there is a solution. You won’t lose your subscription.
More fun & games. Come full circle now. As you suggested, I went back to V1. Guess what... my original problem - the one that caused me to upgrade to V2 in the first place - came back...
Remember, I upgraded to V2 for a reason. Somehow my Norton 360 V1 had got itself in a state whereby, every time it completes some background activity, ccSvcHst goes into an endless loop, using up one whole CPU and slowly leaking memory until, many hours later, the system runs out of virtual memory, ccSvcHst crashes, gets restarted by the OS and things go back to normal until the next background activity. When I reported this problem, I was told to uninstall and reinstall the product. That's how I ended up with V2, which thankfully resolves the issue.
So where do I go from here? I can't use V1 because of the problem I just described. V2 "generally works" but its online backup is broken.
PS - I can reconfirm everything I said in my original post. V1 has none of the problems that I mentioned. With V1, configuring backup on my system takes 3 minutes and the result is correct. With V2, it takes 3 hours, leaves a 1 GB memory leak and the result is wrong.
I flat will not use 360's Backup. I use Norton Save and Restore.
360's backup is one of the klunkier backups I've seen.
The absolutely worst thing about it is, as you noted, that it INSISTS upon scanning the computer for files to back up even if one just wants to change the settings. Many of us complained about this in beta testing, but it didn't do any good.
Glad to see I'm not the only one. I was upgraded by support when V1 killed my PC, and since then haven't been able to do a backup because:
a. the Explorer right click option isn't available in x64
b. I don't have 4 days to manually unclick every file it selects for me. Please tell me anyone in the world who really wants to backup the picture C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Help Viewer\1.0\help.jpg. Something tells me the developers don't eat their own dogfood
So apart from wasting my subscription, my 25GB of online space that I pay money for, and a old copy of Save and Restore that wouldn't work with Vista, WHY AM I giving Symantec over £100 a year????
This isn't even basic functionality. Without it it's questionable whether you can even use the word "Backup" in the product description.