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Q&A: Why Can’t OneDrive Find my Folder?

Why Can't OneDrive Find my Folder?
  We are currently testing AlwaysUp to manage OneDrive from two Windows 2022 STD 21H2 servers and sharing the data externally.

Installation was very easy but it looks like the sync is not working as expected.

Your FAQ says to try starting OneDrive in the current session. When I did, the attached dialogue popped up behind the AlwaysUp app:

OneDrive folder error

Can you tell me how to troubleshoot this further or how I might resolve the issue?

— Marcus

Hi Marcus, thanks for trying AlwaysUp. Fortunately, we have lots of experience running OneDrive as a Windows Service. We’ll get you going soon!

In fact, we’ve seen this specific issue before. Let’s dig into the problem and show you how to fix it.

Your Windows account doesn’t have explicit rights to the OneDrive folder

OneDrive is complaining because the user account you specified on the AlwaysUp Logon tab can’t access the folder. That Windows account needs to be granted permission to the folder for OneDrive to work.

But that’s strange because OneDrive has no problem reading and writing files in the folder when you start it normally on your desktop!

The issue comes up because:

  1. Your rights to the OneDrive folder are granted because you are a member of the Administrators group

  2. AlwaysUp strips away administrative rights in order to run OneDrive as a Windows Service

Fortunately, the problem is easy to fix.

How to grant your Windows account its own rights to the OneDrive folder

Instead of relying on your membership in an administrative group to give you permission to access the OneDrive folder, you should give your account its own rights. Here’s how to do that, step-by-step:

  1. Open Windows File Explorer.

  2. Navigate to your OneDrive folder.

    Normally that’s in “C:\Users\[Your User Account]\OneDrive”, but it will be elsewhere if someone changed where OneDrive stores its files.

  3. Right-click your OneDrive folder and choose Properties:

    Choose Folder Properties
  4. In the OneDrive Properties window, move to the Security tab.

  5. Click Edit:

    Edit OneDrive Security
  6. In the Permissions for OneDrive window, click Add:

    Add permissions for OneDrive
  7. In the Select Users or Groups window, enter your Windows username. This must be the same account you specified on the Logon tab in AlwaysUp. For us that’s “Mike Jones” — a OneDrive user on our Windows 11 QA machine:

    Enter the Windows user account

    Click OK.

  8. Your account will now be listed in the Select Users or Groups window. Make sure that it has full control:

    Grant full control to the folder

    Click OK.

  9. And back in the OneDrive Properties window, click OK to save all your changes:

    OneDrive folder security updated

That’s it. You should be good to go.

To confirm, please start OneDrive in your current session from AlwaysUp. The error window shouldn’t pop up — and the OneDrive icon should appear in your task tray.

Happy syncing!

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AlwaysUp 14.5: Smarter Starts for OneDrive, Dropbox and More

AlwaysUp 14.5: Smarter Starts for OneDrive, Dropbox and More

We released AlwaysUp version 14.5 on May 12.

This significant update makes life easier for customers managing servers that run multiple copies of Dropbox, OneDrive and other applications. It also revises the shutdown logic for Dropbox, which now runs 7 or more instances of itself to implement file synchronization.

Let’s review the enhancements in detail.

On startup, AlwaysUp can now close your program in the Session or Account only

Some applications fail when you try to run multiple instances of them. For example, if you’re running a web server on a specific network port, starting a second copy will fail because the port is already in use.

For “single-instance” programs like that, you can instruct AlwaysUp to stop all running copies before it starts a new instance of your application. Clearing out those old processes will ensure that your application starts properly under AlwaysUp — automatically and without your intervention.

But while that capability is useful, we found it a bit overzealous in some circumstances. That’s because some applications (like OneDrive) allow you to run several instances in different accounts without issue. For those apps, AlwaysUp can start its own copy without any interference from the other copies already running. That is, AlwaysUp does not need to stop all the other running copies.

To accommodate those applications, AlwaysUp 14.5 introduces a new option to only stop the processes running in the same Windows session or account. It’s available under the “stop copies” setting on the Startup tab when adding or editing your application:

Only stop copies in the same Windows session or account

When to stop your application in the session or account only

Let’s illustrate the power of the new option with an example.

Suppose you manage a Windows Server machine. You’ve installed OneDrive as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp and it’s using Bob’s Windows account (on the Logon tab). It’s not yet running though.

Alice logs in to the server via remote desktop. As she does so, Windows launches OneDrive automatically on her desktop.

Next, you log in to the server to start the OneDrive entry in AlwaysUp. Here’s where the new option makes a difference.

In previous versions of AlwaysUp, Alice’s copy of OneDrive would be terminated when you start the OneDrive service. Indeed, AlwaysUp would stop all copies of OneDrive running on the server, regardless of where they’re running.

However, with the new option that only stops copies of OneDrive in the same session or account, Alice’s OneDrive will not be terminated. That’s because AlwaysUp runs OneDrive in a different user account (Bob’s) and in a different session (Session 0). As a result, Alice’s OneDrive will not be affected by the instance of OneDrive started by AlwaysUp.

Note that the new option only makes sense for applications that support running multiple instances in different sessions. If only a single instance of your application must run across all sessions and accounts, you should not check the box.

Updates for OneDrive and Dropbox Windows Services

Going forward, the Application Advisor will install Dropbox and OneDrive with the stop-copies setting restricted to the session or account.

And if you’ve already installed Dropbox or OneDrive and would like to take advantage of the new setting, simply edit your application in AlwaysUp and check the box on the Startup tab.

Smoother termination of 7+ Dropbox processes

These days, a single run of Dropbox can spawn many copies of Dropbox.exe. You can see the plethora of processes in Microsoft’s Process Explorer:

Dropbox runs 7 instances of itself

Earlier versions of AlwaysUp were optimized for the good old days — when Dropbox launched only 3 copies of itself. Now AlwaysUp 14.5 works with the latest 7-process arrangement — and goes beyond that to prepare for a world where Dropbox launches to 9, 13 or even more executables.

Other fixes & improvements

  • Fixed a handful of long-running issues with non-ASCII service names throughout the program. Even though few customers noticed the problems, they were very annoying (the problems not the customers).

  • Added the ability to remove the registration code, to return AlwaysUp to the unregistered state. This is helpful when you’ve upgraded and want to apply your new license.

  • Fixed an issue where the registration window could be “cut off” on high-resolution, 4K screens. Another annoyance resolved!

As usual, please check out the release notes for the full list of features, fixes and improvements included in AlwaysUp version 14.5.

Upgrading to AlwaysUp 14.5

If you purchased AlwaysUp version 13 (after October 2021), you can upgrade to version 14.5 for free. Simply download and install “over the top” to preserve your existing applications and all settings. Your registration code will continue to work as well.

If you bought AlwaysUp version 12 or earlier (before October 2021), you will need to upgrade to use version 14.5. Consequently, please buy upgrades here — at a 50% discount.

See the complete upgrade policy for more details.

Thank you for reading!

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Q&A: Can AlwaysUp Trigger a Daily Import into my WooCommerce Site?

Can AlwaysUp Trigger a Daily Import into my WooCommerce Site?
  We’re using WP All Import to import a CSV file into a WooCommerce site.

Can I use AlwaysUp to set up a nightly task that triggers WP All Import to perform the import, as described in this article?

Our site is running on Linux but our VPS provider doesn’t allow us to add a “cron job” to the machine and I’m hoping that AlwaysUp can help. We already use it for a couple of older Windows programs.

— Patrick S.

Hi Patrick, thanks for reaching out. And thanks for being a customer!

Yes, AlwaysUp can help definitely run your nightly task.

Basically, you should create batch files that import the data and then instruct AlwaysUp to kick off the batch files at scheduled times.

Let’s go through the process, step by step.

1. Create the “trigger” and “processing” batch files

Follow the instructions in the article you sent to create a couple of batch files.

The first batch file imports the data. It will run nightly, at a time of your choosing. Let’s call it the “trigger batch file”.

The second ensures that all data previously imported is fully processed, so we call it the “processing batch file”. It will run every couple of minutes.

Both scripts work by calling a special URL on your WooCommerce site. We recommend using the free cURL command line utility to help with that.

For example, the trigger batch file should contain a single line:

C:\apps\curl\curl.exe http://YOUR-WEBSITE.com/wp-load.php?import_key=[YOUR_SECRET_KEY]&import_id=[YOUR_IMPORT_ID]&action=trigger

And the processing batch file will be very similar (notice the small variation in the URL parameter):

C:\apps\curl\curl.exe http://YOUR-WEBSITE.com/wp-load.php?import_key=[YOUR_SECRET_KEY]&import_id=[YOUR_IMPORT_ID]&action=processing

Note that the path to curl.exe will be different on your system. Be sure to specify the correct path in your files and save them to a well-known location.

Our next job is to plug those files into AlwaysUp. Let’s start with the trigger batch file.

2. Add the trigger batch file to AlwaysUp

To have AlwaysUp run the trigger batch file every night:

  1. Start AlwaysUp

  2. Select Application > Add to open the Add Application window

  3. In the Application field, enter the full path to the trigger batch file

  4. In the Name field, enter a suitable name (we called ours “Trigger Import”)

    Trigger Import: General tab
  5. Switch to the Logon tab. Check the box at the top and enter your Windows username and password:

    Trigger Import: Logon tab
  6. Switch to the Restart tab. Here’s where you will set the batch file to run nightly.

  7. Specify the time to run, ensure that the first run happens at the set time and minimize logging, as pictured:

    Trigger Import: Restart tab
  8. Click the Save button to record your new task.

  9. And finally, select Application > Start to launch the nightly process.

2. Add the processing batch file to AlwaysUp

To install the processing batch file, follow the same steps you took to setup the trigger batch file. Other than the obvious variations — such as the name and the path to the batch file — specify a two minute interval as pictured here:

Process Data: Restart tab

AlwaysUp will run both batch files on your WooCommerce site as specified

With your two periodic tasks installed and managed by AlwaysUp, WP All Import will download your CSV file and update, delete, and create posts on your site according to your settings — every night.

Best of luck with your WooCommerce site!

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Q&A: Does AlwaysUp Support Dropbox Selective Sync?

Does AlwaysUp Support Dropbox Selective Sync?
  I’m considering using your AlwaysUp app to start Dropbox automatically.

I understand that AlwaysUp doesn’t work with Smart Sync but does it work with Selective Sync? How does that function?

We only want to have half of our Dropbox folders syncing.

— Adam

Hi Adam.

To answer your question, AlwaysUp works well with Dropbox Selective Sync.

Indeed, we have many customers using that feature. And our test installations on Windows 11, 10 and Server 2022 all rely on Selective Sync to block out huge files.

Note that when you use Selective Sync, your PC won’t have access to the files and folders you’ve excluded. But that’s exactly what you want, right?

Anyway, let’s dig into the details.

What is Dropbox Selective Sync?

Selective Sync allows Dropbox a user to avoid downloading all files from Dropbox.com onto their PC.

You can find Selective Sync in the Preferences window (available from the Dropbox tray icon):

Dropbox Selective Sync: Preferences

Click the Select folders button and choose the directories to be downloaded from the cloud:

Dropbox Selective Sync: Choose Folders

And once you’ve made your selection, Dropbox will respect it. Any folder you un-checked will not show up on your PC.

It’s easy to see that you can use Selective Sync to moderate how much hard drive space Dropbox consumes. For example, if you have a huge folder of videos that you never intend to play on your computer, simply un-check the folder in Selective Sync to avoid the videos wasting precious gigabytes on your hard drive.

Very straightforward.

So that’s Selective Sync. To avoid confusion, let’s briefly touch on the other space-saving feature with a similar name.

How is Selective Sync different from Smart Sync?

Dropbox Plus and Professional customers who don’t want to download every file from the cloud can also use Smart Sync.

With Smart Sync active, Dropbox delays downloading each file to your computer until you need it. The effect is that a file takes up practically no space at all until you first access it.

The effect is very similar to Selective Sync: some files are not downloaded to your computer, thereby saving hard drive space. However, there is one key difference:

  • With Selective Sync, only nominated folders and files appear on your hard drive.

  • With Smart Sync, all folders and files show up on your hard drive.

So Smart Sync seems like an easy way to minimize space while keeping all files accessible. But unfortunately that’s not the end of the story…

Why Selective Sync works with AlwaysUp (while Smart Sync does not)

As you pointed out, Dropbox Smart Sync doesn’t work with AlwaysUp. Unfortunately the magic that supports the delayed downloading of files on your hard drive doesn’t function when it’s run in the context of a Windows Service.

However, because Selective Sync simply omits the file you explicitly ruled out, it doesn’t fall victim to the same problem. Without delayed downloading, Dropbox works perfectly fine as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp.

You shouldn’t have any problems at all using Selective Sync.

Enjoy!

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Service Protector 9.0: Easily Import Many Windows Services

Service Protector 8.5: New Sanity Check, Windows 10, 11 22H2 Compatibility

Service Protector 9.0 is now available for download. Here’s what’s new in this version:

Moving to another computer? Easily import protectors “in bulk” — instead of one at a time

The best way to copy (or move) a Service Protector configuration to a different computer is to:

  1. Export the protector to an XML file from the existing installation, and then

  2. Import the XML file to create a new protector in your new installation.

This works fine if you’re protecting one or two services, but importing files one by one creates significant overhead if you have 20+ services to restore!

The new “bulk import” capability aims to reduce that overhead. With the new feature, you simply select the files you wish to import and walk through the step-by step wizard to protect the same services on your new computer.

Here’s a brief overview of the new import process:

  1. Choose Import from the Protector menu:

    Select Protector Import
  2. Select the files that you exported from your other installation of Service Protector.

  3. Service Protector will start processing your files:

    Import Protectors: Validating
  4. From there, follow the self-explanatory prompts to create protectors for all the files you selected.

Note that as part of the import process, Service Protector may ask you to resolve conflicts.

For example, you may have to choose a new service if the one in the XML file is already protected:

Import Protectors: Duplicate name error

Click Edit & Fix and select a different Windows Service from the list.

Or if a protector is configured to send email but the XML file doesn’t contain the password for your email account, you will be prompted to add it:

Import Protectors: No email password error

Click Edit & Fix and move to the Email tab to enter your password.

As you can see, the new feature is very easy to use. We hope that it will be a time-saver for our customers working with many Windows Services.

Other improvements

  • Improved the handling of non-English text throughout the application, including when sending email and reporting activity.

  • Service Protector will now log an entry to the Event Viewer whenever Windows starts a protector at boot. That makes it easy to identify when protection was started manually (by a person or process) versus automatically after a reboot.

  • To help customers who buy upgrades, we added the ability to remove the software’s registration code. Doing so will return Service Protector to the unregistered state and give you the opportunity to enter a new registration code.

  • Fixed an issue with the registration window being “cut off” on high-resolution, 4K screens.

  • The “About” window now mentions the major version number licensed.

As usual, please review the release notes for the full list of features, fixes and improvements included in Service Protector version 9.0.

Upgrading to Service Protector 9.0

If you purchased Service Protector version 8 (after November 2021), you can upgrade to version 9 for free. Simply download and install over your existing installation to preserve your existing services and all settings. That way, your registration code will continue to work.

If you bought Service Protector 7 or earlier (before November 2021), you will need to upgrade to use version 9.

Please buy upgrades here — at a 50% discount.

See the complete upgrade policy for more details.

Enjoy!

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