Please open the command prompt, navigate to the user profile folder and run command "attrib". If the folder in question has "S" attribute, it means that the folder is considered a system one and it will not be copied unless you remove that attribute, or change backup plan to include system files.

Most likely the attribute was either applied manually or via inherited permissions.

I wasn't familiar with the Windows term "user profile" but just now learned a little about profiles.

The values of %userprofile% for each Windows account confirm that the root of each account is in c:\users\<user_name>. Here's what the attrib command shows for c:\users and the directories contained in it:


I'm not sure I fully understand how attributes are created or inherited, but I'm assuming that attrib shows the current, effective set of attributes for each folder. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

I created a simple CloudBerry backup plan to back up everything in C:\Users (and only C:\Users), with "Do not backup system and hidden files" selected. I expect all C:\Users folders except the ones with H or S attribute to be backed up.

When executed, the plan backed up *no* folders and only one file: TESTFILE.TXT. The CloudBerry log file shows:

2018-03-26 10:10:05,854 [PL] [1] INFO - Include system and hidden: False
2018-03-26 10:10:05,860 [PL] [1] INFO - Searching files with path: C:\Users
2018-03-26 10:10:05,903 [PL] [1] INFO - Directory 'C:\Users\Admin' was skipped as system and hidden files are not included in backup
2018-03-26 10:10:05,910 [PL] [1] INFO - Directory 'C:\Users\BackupOperator' was skipped as system and hidden files are not included in backup
2018-03-26 10:10:05,914 [PL] [1] INFO - Directory 'C:\Users\Beebes' was skipped as system and hidden files are not included in backup
2018-03-26 10:10:05,919 [PL] [1] INFO - Directory 'C:\Users\Beebes_Local_1' was skipped as system and hidden files are not included in backup
2018-03-26 10:10:05,924 [PL] [1] INFO - Directory 'C:\Users\Default' was skipped as system and hidden files are not included in backup
2018-03-26 10:10:05,929 [PL] [1] INFO - Directory 'C:\Users\micro.DESKTOP-DL221HI' was skipped as system and hidden files are not included in backup
2018-03-26 10:10:05,934 [PL] [1] INFO - Directory 'C:\Users\Public' was skipped as system and hidden files are not included in backup

Do I need to learn more about attributes to make this work like I want it to?

I do not see anything in the ATTRIB output that would lead me to think those folders will not be backed up. However, this could be related to the service account you are using for CloudBerry Backup. The account you use to create the backup plans from the client is not the same account that the CloudBerry Service runs under. You can change the CB Service from the Tools | Change Service Account toolbar option. If you are using the Local System account, it's possible it does not have access to those folders. Consider changing to an account with access.

If that does not work, Support is probably the best option (if this is a paid version). You can open a support ticket using the link on this page? https://www.cloudberrylab.com/support.aspx

Thanks for your observations, which confirm my understanding of the System and Hidden attributes.

Matt recently helped me understand the importance of running the CloudBerry service under a user with appropriate permissions for backup and restore operations. I now run the CB service under the user "BackupOperator", which I created and added to the Windows Backup Operators group and Administrators group. The Backup Operators group seems to have the correct authority to back up all files, but not to restore all files. The Administrators group seems to be the best one to use for restore.

Before I learned how to set up the CB service, I saw "access to path denied" errors resulting from running the service with insufficient permissions. Now, with the service running under the appropriate user account, my "Do not backup system and hidden files" test case produces messages in the log file that appear to be unrelated to CB service setup (directories are "skipped as system and hidden files are not included in backup").

I won't rule out the possibility of user error, but I'll probably open a support ticket (I'm using a paid version of CB).

Thanks for your help, and thanks to Matt for his assistance also.

I agree that you should open a support ticket. I'd like to have the QA team take a closer look.