[AccessD] Microsoft Volume Copy Service

Mon Jun 2 16:26:57 CDT 2025

Ne very careful that the copy on Google Drive has fully updated itself for
what you have worked on in the meantime locally or you will overwrite newer
information with older as happened to me when I was keeping backups in both
places. In fact I stopped copying from Google Drive to anywhere for exactly
that reason. I intend to look into this issue in more depth at some point
but lately been feeling too stupid to even understand how google folders
are synced and GhatGPT was spewing out nonsense making sh*t up as it goes
along, per usual.

On Thu, May 29, 2025 at 3:26 PM Rocky Smolin <rockysmolin2 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I found that for my purposes running a google drive that syncs
> automatically with the designated folders. When I finish working on a
> database or a document, in addition to GD uploading the updated file for
> me, I drag and drop it to an EHD.
>
> But all that stuff is increasingly in the rear view mirror. 😀
>
> r
>
> On Thu, May 29, 2025 at 12:03 PM James Button via AccessD <
> accessd at databaseadvisors.com> wrote:
>
> > AFAIK -
> >
> > I suspect the shadow copy is the OS having been set to take (internally
> > set) copies of the files, or parts of the partitions that were in the
> base
> > backup set you took, and have since changed ( maybe by different hash
> > value, or maybe by reference to a list of what was in the full backup (
> > plus any incremental backup sets you have created since.
> >
> > When you next run a full backup  the shadow copy may (should) be
> > forgotten, wit any space returned to unallocated.
> > When you run an incremental backup, the incremental set would be of the
> > previously noted changed files (or blocks).
> > So there may not be much storage space used for those shadow copy sets -
> > As they would basically be the current contents of the files on, or
> blocks
> > of the storage.
> > And when put onto the incremental set - they are the active saved set,
> and
> > no longer need to be isolated as a "Shadow" set.
> >
> > However - in some setups the "Shadow set"  could be temporarily
> maintained
> > until a file that was being updated is closed, and - if set to be
> verified
> > -  either by the App and/or OS setting, or is on a partition set to be
> > verified.
> > Note - setting verify means that every write is followed by a read - so
> > doubling the data transfer to the device - see Seagate drive warrantee
> > terms on maximum throughput)
> > And the writing App will have to wait foe every write to be read  - not
> > just to the drive cache, but actually written to the ( rotating) surface,
> > and then for that bit of the surface to come round to be read -
> >
> > As in 7200rpm = 120 rps =  more than 8½ milliseconds wait in every write
> > action
> >
> > But - I digress -
> >  So the Shadow copy - that will no longer need to be identifying the
> > changed parts of the storage when you perform the incremental backup, as
> > there won't be any, but there will still need to be the index of what
> needs
> > to be in the next incremental set - so basically a space-map type setup
> for
> > the storage area being backed-up.
> >  -
> > And that process probably won't be active if you do not have any backup
> > "jobs" setup that include incremental sets.
> >
> >
> > Also - for checking and managing storage I use Treesize Free - even lets
> > you see what is actually in the Recycle bin - some of which the OS
> doesn't
> > let you see or manage
> > And Resource monitor
> > ( an option on the task manager performance tab)
> > or shortcut to "%windir%\system32\perfmon.exe /res"
> > to see what parts of the storage are being accessed,
> > and even for SSD's - hammered to death!
> >
> > Also re the high usage -
> > Consider that windoze regards the updating of the MFT as a do that later
> > task -
> > Relying on the filesystem action log
> > So doing a bulk change to the MFT entries
> > May delay the actual shutdown of the system, including the releasing of
> > locks or "external" storage devices
> > Note the still active throb from a 5TB external drive for many minutes
> > after explorer indicates the move has been done, if you have deleted
> loads
> > of files, or "moved" them from 1 folder to another
> >
> >
> > So the "service" may be showing as active when it is actually adjusting
> > the "changed" items tables to match what the OS is doing to the MFT
> entries.
> >
> > And ... The OneDrive App - when installed on my I7 laptop kept the screen
> > black - as in powered off look for over 30 minutes while it was building
> > the OneDrive folder in my user area -
> > And then @ over 30% CPU as it "Sync'd" and linked the entries in that
> > folder to the several TB of data on the OneDrive storage I managed for
> the
> > "family".
> >
> > Note - when it has finished doing the Linking and Sync- then you can
> > access the option NOT to setup the links -
> > Those meaning that deleting the new "/user/name/OneDrive folder  deletes
> > all the files from the Onedrive storage, and then Sync's all the PC's
> set
> > to Sync to that storage - to match it's empty state !
> >
> >
> > Regards - from another still trying to become a retire not being called
> by
> > old - but still hopeful legacy clients.
> >
> > Usually asking what the "gggggeee U cocked it up text" message
> >  means they have done wrong and
> > please - tell us what's the 10 minute process to get it working again !
> >
> > Well - I tend to remember what they did last time to get the particular
> > error message that they are telling me about.
> >
> > As in saved to personal OneDrive - not the designated server folder !
> >
> > JimB
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: AccessD <accessd-bounces+jamesbutton=
> > blueyonder.co.uk at databaseadvisors.com> On Behalf Of Rocky Smolin
> > Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2025 5:02 PM
> > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving <
> > accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Microsoft Volume Copy Service
> >
> > Jamess:
> >
> > Thanks for your reply.
> >
> > Since I'm retired now (except for the occasional quickie job from a
> legacy
> > client), my computing life is very simple. The backup thing I always had
> > covered, being an indie developer, so redundant backup was always my
> rule.
> > Even going so far as to store a copy off site (my home). Everything
> that's
> > on my Google Drive I also have on an EHD. So I feel pretty secure with
> > that.
> >
> > From what I was able to determine from the web (not much) I don't really
> > need this shadow backup. First of all I can't see how to set the
> properties
> > for the target of the backup, define which files or folders or volumes
> are
> > to be backed up, or any other property.  And the shadow copy service is
> > still taking 35% of the CPU this morning. But what it's doing and where
> it
> > is doing that is a mystery. And it is (apparently, not sure) making
> > incremental backups which I 've always been wary of since a
> > restore requires a lot of backup files.
> >
> > If I turn it off I would like to delete all the files it has created, but
> > I'm at a loss to know where they are and what they're named.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, May 29, 2025 at 3:58 AM James Button via AccessD <
> > accessd at databaseadvisors.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Not used that facility -
> > > But the earlier "image" facility had the major flaws -
> > > Starting with the automatic update of the image with modified files
> > > during your
> > > working day -
> > > So any files that had lost needed data, been corrupted, or encrypted
> > would
> > > replace the "recovery ones".
> > > Also the file history facility did not create entries of files with
> > > fullnames of
> > > over 230 characters  - or, depending on your login id and the system
> > name,
> > > a lot
> > > less characters.
> > >
> > > There is also the 400 character fullname limit within OneDrive, as well
> > as
> > > the
> > > "not doing that file" and "not telling you"
> > > About files with set character strings in the fullname.
> > >
> > > What I found was needed was a volume restore facility to create the
> > needed
> > > partition sizes on a replacement drive ( storage device) so you could
> > > recover
> > > the partition setup in order to recover data  if the partition tables
> > were
> > > corrupted, and to restore from a backup created by such as Easeus
> ToDo  -
> > > 4gb
> > > parts maybe encrypted as a set, or using a BitLocker type facility  -
> and
> > > upload
> > > them to cloud as a safe store in case of losing all the IT @ home !
> > >
> > > And - re Google Drive - nice facility - but what if the account gets
> > lost,
> > > or
> > > hacked with a new password set, or you lose comms access !
> > >
> > > Also - if storing stuff from the phone onto a cloud store,
> > > Does access to the phone give access to all on the cloud storage -
> > > e.g. the phone remembers the access to all your cloud storage .
> > >
> > > JimB
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: AccessD
> > > <accessd-bounces+jamesbutton=blueyonder.co.uk at databaseadvisors.com> On
> > > Behalf Of
> > > Rocky Smolin
> > > Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2025 1:08 AM
> > > To: List <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>; Off Topic
> > > <dba-ot at databaseadvisors.com>; Access Developers discussion and
> problem
> > > solving
> > > <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> > > Subject: [AccessD] Microsoft Volume Copy Service
> > >
> > > Dear Lists:
> > >
> > > Microsoft Volume Copy Service is running (W11) taking about 35% of CPU
> > > cycles. Do I need this?
> > >
> > > My personal data files (Client stuff, photos, docs, etc) are all backed
> > up
> > > to my Google drive.
> > >
> > > MTIA
> > >
> > > r
> > > --
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