ARQ wp-content folder backup – total number of backup files difference

[alexb]

Hello,

I’m getting a strange problem on one of my sites. When I installed BPS pro and running the setup wizard, it automatically turns on ARQ and does the backups. At that point, my wp-content folder had around 360 or so files, according to the ARQ dashboard. I then did the following:

1. turn off ARQ
2. upload 3 images via FTP
3. delete old ARQ backup
4. create new backup
5. turn on ARQ

However, when I wanted to turn on ARQ again, it gave me a warning that files in wp-content needed to be backed up. I refreshed the page to see the file count and was surprised to see it at 158 (instead of what should be 363)? I pressed the delete/create backup buttons a few more times but that number just didn’t want to go up.

Any idea what is going on here?

[AITpro Admin]

There is no automation in ARQ that would automatically change the total number of wp-content backup files.  If you add a wp-content folder exclude rule on the Exclude wp-content Folders tab page, delete wp-content backup files and then backup wp-content files again then you would have less wp-content backup files for the wp-content folder.  You can click the wp-content Show Backup Files and Show Website Files buttons to see what is in wp-content backup and your Live website files.  You can physically check and compare the total number of wp-content backup files to your Live website files by using FTP or your web host control panel file manager and counting the total number of Live wp-content files minus your wp-content folder exclude rules.

[alexb]

I have not added any exclude rules, so not sure why the file count would drop so dramatically.

I’m not sure, am I supposed to

1. turn off ARQ
2. upload files
3. delete backup
4. create backup
5. turn on ARQ

or

1. turn off ARQ
2. upload files
3. create backup
4. turn on ARQ

Because if I do the latter, then the timestamp of the backup changes, but the file count stays the same. If I first delete the backup and then create a new one, then the file count drops by at least 100 files.

I briefly displayed the backup files in ARQ for the “full” backup and one of those “100 files missing” and couldn’t spot any differences (seemed to be mostly just files from the wp-content/themes folder) but I didn’t compare the files one by one so not sure where those 100+ files went…

[AITpro Admin]

Ok what you need to find out is how many files you actually have and compare that.  The only logical explanations I can think of for why you saw a difference in total number of files is because you were looking at something else and thought that was the previous total number of files (most likely).  Or since the file count checking code is literal there is something blocking counting some other files (very unlikely).  So physically check and compare total number of Live files to backup files by using FTP or your web host control panel file manager to see if there is actually a difference in total number of files.  Note:  the /plugins/ folder is excluded from being checked by AutoRestore by default since the Plugin Firewall protects all plugin folders and files.

If you would like for me to check to see if there is an actual problem and check and compare the total number of files then send a WordPress Administrator login and FTP login to this website to email address:  edward at ait-pro dot com.

[alexb]

Duh, I figured out the mystery…

The reason was the wp-clone archive, which would transfer-over all the ARQ backup files. I adhered to your tutorial and turned off PF and ARQ before creating the archive (I even turned off BPS on top of that), yet for some reason those backup files were still all there.

And the reason the file count was larger was because it still had a theme in there that was not existent anymore in the current wp-clone archive. So basically

1. old theme present, ARQ-backup being created
2. old theme deinstalled, ARQ deactivated – backup still existent
3. wp-clone archive created and transferred to new site
4. restored on new domain but old ARQ backup still existing (360 files)
5. in ARQ dashboard deleting backup and creating new backup (where that old theme is not existing anymore) = 260 files.

Tada!

I guess I have to create a new wpclone archive with the bps backup folder completely deleted, as well as the plugin and I just install the plugin from scratch on all new sites. I find no benefit of cloning it to new sites because it needs to be deactivated, deinstalled and re-installed anyway, deleting all settings etc. and thus making it pointless to clone it over to new sites.

[AITpro Admin]

Yep, it is usually something simple.  😉  This forum topic covers migrations, moves and clones:  http://forum.ait-pro.com/forums/topic/migrating-moving-or-cloning-websites/#post-20407

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