Unable to exclude criteria in "Smart" Folders

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Unable to exclude criteria in "Smart" Folders

I hope y'all can help me.

What I'm trying to do: Back up my files. I don't like Time Machine, Carbon Copy Cloner, etcetera, because I can't just go in, grab the file I'm looking for and go. I have to use the proprietary software to restore and go through this whole nonsense. I just want to hit my backup drive, find the file I'm looking for, and run.

My solution: Using Smart folders, I simply do a search, look for all files modified since my last backup, and drag them to my backup drive. Yay!

My problem: Using Smart folders, I am shockingly unable to find any way to EXCLUDE criteria... for instance, the drive I'm backing up to. So as I'm backing up, it finds the same file on my backup drive, then includes THAT file in my modified files drive, freaks out, and stops backing up.

How do I exclude my backup drive from being included in that so-called "Smart" search? I have found no exclusion criteria - i.e., "file is not, does not contain" etc. Only inclusion, file name "is, contains" etc.

I can't conduct a search in Mountain Lion that excludes certain results? I find this hard to believe, and am desperately hoping that I'm just not seeing it. Any help?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Sep 4, 2012 7:12 AM

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Answer 1

ldschwalbe Author

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Sep 4, 2012 7:55 AM in response to ldschwalbe

Okay, I used the option key (grrrrr... something this simple shouldn't be obfuscated) and found the "none" and "Document container" criteria... but when I put in the folder name I want excluded, those files are still included in the search. Screenshot attached... any idea what I'm doing wrong?

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Answer 2

Sep 4, 2012 9:21 AM in response to ldschwalbe

What I'm trying to do: Back up my files. I don't like Time Machine, Carbon Copy Cloner, etcetera, because I can't just go in, grab the file I'm looking for and go. I have to use the proprietary software to restore and go through this whole nonsense. I just want to hit my backup drive, find the file I'm looking for, and run.

Huh? Carbon Copy Cloner (and Super Duper!) just makes a copy of your disk. There is no proprietary software involved in restoring a file. If you could see the file on the original, then you can find it on the clone.

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Answer 3

ldschwalbe Author

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Sep 4, 2012 10:50 AM in response to Jeffrey Jones2

First of all, thanks for coming by! Second, my experience with all the backup software is that they put everything into this big bundle file and then you have to use that software in order to restore any files. I just want my files backed up as they are, so I can go and access them. Every few days, just take any new/modified files, and copy them straight over to the backup drive. I thought I tried CCC (as a matter of fact, I'm sure I did) and if it did this, somehow I missed it. I used Crashplan and Time Machine, and they both back everything up to one big file you can't deal without outside of the software. I want my new/modified files just backed up every week or so, so I tried to do it manually, and that's what led me to this very frustrating Smart Folder debacle.

I'll check out CCC again and see if I missed it somehow. Thank you! I appreciate your time.

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