This option is effective for Windows and Linux operating systems and bootable media.
This option is effective for disk-level backup of NTFS and FAT file systems only. This option is effective for file-level backup of all supported file systems.
The option defines which files and folders to skip during the backup process and thus exclude from the list of backed-up items.
Note: Exclusions override selection of data items to back up. For example, if you select to back up file MyFile.tmp and to exclude all .tmp files, file MyFile.tmp will not be backed up.
To specify which files and folders to exclude, set up any of the following parameters.
Exclude all hidden files and folders
Select this check box to skip files and folders that have the Hidden attribute (for file systems that are supported by Windows) or that start with a period (.) (for file systems in Linux such as Ext2 and Ext3). If a folder is hidden, all of its contents (including files that are not hidden) will be excluded.
Exclude all system files and folders
This option is effective only for file systems that are supported by Windows. Select this check box to skip files and folders with the System attribute. If a folder has the System attribute, all of its contents (including files that do not have the System attribute) will be excluded.
Tip: You can view file or folder attributes in the file/folder properties or by using the attrib command. For more information, refer to the Help and Support Center in Windows.
Exclude files matching the following criteria
Select this check box to skip files and folders matching any of the criteria. Use the Add, Edit, Remove and Remove All buttons to create the list of criteria.
The criteria are not case-sensitive in Windows and Linux. For example, if you choose to exclude all .tmp files and the C:\Temp folder, also excluded will be all .Tmp files, all .TMP files, and the C:\TEMP folder.
Criteria: full path
Specify the full path to the file or folder, starting with the drive letter (when backing up Windows) or the root directory (when backing up Linux).
Both in Windows and Linux, you can use a forward slash in the file or folder path (as in C:/Temp and C:/Temp/File.tmp). In Windows, you can also use the traditional backslash (as in C:\Temp and C:\Temp\File.tmp).
Under a Windows-style bootable media, a volume might have a different drive letter than in Windows. For more information, see "Working under bootable media".
Criteria: name
Specify the name of the file or folder, such as Document.txt. All files and folders with that name will be excluded.
Wildcard characters
You can use one or more wildcard characters * and ? in the criterion. These characters can be used both within the full path and in the file or folder name.
The asterisk (*) substitutes for zero or more characters in a file name. For example, the criterion Doc*.txt covers files such as Doc.txt and Document.txt
The question mark (?) substitutes for exactly one character in a file name. For example, the criterion Doc?.txt covers files such as Doc1.txt and Docs.txt, but not the files Doc.txt or Doc11.txt
Exclusion examples
Criterion |
Example |
Description |
Windows and Linux |
||
By name |
F.log F |
Excludes all files named "F.log" Excludes all folders named "F" |
By mask (*) |
*.log F* |
Excludes all files with the .log extension Excludes all files and folders with names starting with "F" (such as folders F, F1 and files F.log, F1.log) |
By mask (?) |
F???.log
|
Excludes all .log files with names consisting of four symbols and starting with "F" |
Windows |
||
By file path |
C:\Finance\F.log
|
Excludes the file named "F.log" located in the folder C:\Finance |
By folder path |
C:\Finance\F |
Excludes the folder C:\Finance\F |
Linux |
||
By file path |
/home/user/Finance/F.log |
Excludes the file named "F.log" located in the folder (directory) /home/user/Finance |
By folder path |
/home/user/Finance |
Excludes the folder (directory) /home/user/Finance |