Mismatch issue with new version of BC

[ChrystinP]

I do not use BC in any advanced, sophisticated way. I do very simple comparison of files on one drive compared to another, and either copying them to back up my documents, or deleting them if they no longer are needed.

Since I downloaded the new version I do not see any difference between using "Show All" and "Mismatches Only" other than in "Show all" I can expand all the files and in "Mismatches Only" can not.

Now what used to be a simple process is unbelievably time consuming as I have to scroll through thousands of files manually looking for mismatches. And frequently miss them, as it is very easy to miss the blue color if one file is buried among hundreds. In the prior version only a definite mismatch was displayed and I could toggle between "Show All" and "Mismatches Only" looking for name changes to identify why I had a mismatch.

Also, I have files that display in red that are matches on each side, or sometimes red on one side and grey on the other but no discernible difference between the files.

Am I doing something wrong?

I saw another user requested a way to go back a version, and that wasn't addressed, but I'd love to have my BC as it was and not as it is now. Since this has occurred, I am not backing up my documents as I need to, as I simply don't have that kind of time to devote to backups.

Any help would be most appreciated.

[Chris]

Re: Mismatch issue with new version of BC

Unless the older version was version 1.x, there shouldn't be a significant difference in comparison results between version 2.x releases on local disks.

If you only want to see blue files (orphans - files that exist on only one side), select View|Display Filters|Only Orphans.

If files are red on both sides, it means they have a content difference. If files are gray on one side and red on the other side, it means they have a timestamp difference. If you select View|Legend in BC it will explain what the colors mean.

This sounds like your comparison criteria might have changed. BC's default settings are to compare timestamps and size. You can change the comparison settings in Session|Comparison Control.

It might also help to View|Expand All after setting your filter, and it might also help to toggle View|Always Show Folders.

If you still can't get the comparison results you want, please send a screen shot of the problem comparison, along with a zip of your BC settings (using Help|Support and the Export button) to [email protected] and I will look into this further.

[Guest]

Re: Mismatch issue with new version of BC

The files that are coming up red have not had any changes made since the last comparison. They are red on both sides and display all the same information in terms of file size, date, time, etc. This is something that has been happening across several different versions of BC, I thought it was just some quirk.

I do understand how to manipulate view settings and display what I want to see. The mismatch setting has worked wonderfully in the past and does not work at all now. Tonight I deleted one hard drive's files (all 30000 of them and 3000 folders) and recopied them all, which was the simplest way to ensure that all the files were backed up.

I've forwarded the screenshot and settings to the e-mail box. Thanks for any help you can provide. (And really, if we can't fix this, is there any way to go back to the prior version of BC?)

[Zoë]

Re: Mismatch issue with new version of BC

Chrystin,

From your settings it looks like you're doing a binary comparison. With a binary comparison, if the files have the same size and date but a byte is different inside them they'll show up as red on both sides. If you haven't yet, download and install the hex viewer plugin. Next time you see one of those red pairs right click on them and select Open With->Hex Viewer and see if it finds a difference.