How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

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Varjak

How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Varjak »

How do I use the BT_backup file to restore my Qbittorrent?

Last night, I was using QB as usual, when a torrent errored out.  I tried to pause it but nothing happened, so I exited QB, waited, and then restarted it and when I did, a bunch of torrents disappeared.  So I quit again and restarted it and even more went away, so I left it until today.  Again, when I started it, about the same number of torrents were there as last night.  There did not seem to be a pattern as to which torrents disappeared.  Some were completed and seeding, some not started yet, some partially completed, etc.    How do I proceed?  I looked at the BT_backup and it seems like the proper number of torrents are in that folder (about twice what displays currently).   

I'm using QBittorrent 3.3.11 on Windows 10.  I have not updated, because I've had problems in the past with updates and until now, this one seemed stable.  In fact, I'm wondering if it updated unintentionally, because I actually think I was using an even earlier version that 3.3.11. 

Edit:  I also had a prior problem on another computer and I never got around to restoring THOSE torrents to this installation of QB.  Is it possible to perhaps combine those old torrent files with the ones currently on my laptop?  I figure if I'm reconstructing my QBittorrent, I might as well consolidate everything.  The information seems a bit confusing as to whether I must restore the whole folder or if restoring the individual torrent and fastresume files would also work. 

Thanks in advance. 
Last edited by Varjak on Mon Aug 21, 2017 12:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Switeck

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Switeck »

There's some severe bugs in qBT that makes it forget it started random torrents. I don't know the cause of that nor do I have a workaround for it.

Maybe just maybe if you had qBT's settings ALL backed up from a moment when it was working, you could restore it to that point.

You have to restore qBT's resume.dat file if I recall...and that puts the torrent list back to how it was at that point...assuming it doesn't silently start eating torrents again.
Varjak

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Varjak »

How do I go about doing that?

If I update QB, will it look at my torrents file list again and reinstate them? 
Switeck

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Switeck »

Stop qBT, dump the settings and resume backup files over top their usual locations, restart qBT.
You will lose EVERYTHING previously loaded into qBT, so that probably won't help you any.

There may be a watched folder in qBT that looks for new .torrent files to start, but I've NEVER found or experimented with that.
I have to manually add torrents, as .torrent files and magnet links are associated with another program (uTorrent 2.2.1).
Varjak

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Varjak »

Sorry, but I'm not sure what that first paragraph means.  I get stopping QB, but I don't know how to dump the settings and resume backup files 'over top their usual locations'?  And by losing everything, does that mean the already downloaded, completed files? 

What's the point of the bt_backup folder if you can't use it? 
Switeck

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Switeck »

If you already backed up working settings for qBT, just putting them back where you found them is what I meant by "dumping" them 'over top their usual locations'.
And yes, this would cause qBT to forget/lose any already downloaded/completed torrents that were added after the settings/resume backup was made.

As you noticed, settings/resume backup isn't very useful...doubly so because the .torrent files are garbage-named in the resume folder.
Varjak

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Varjak »

The only thing I saved was was the BT_backup folder, so it wouldn't be replaced by a newer, corrupted version.  It seems to have the correct number (pre-errors) of torrents. 

How can that 'forget' the already downloaded torrents (actual files) in the target folder?  I don't think I added many torrents for a while before the errors occurred, and the ones I did shouldn't be a problem, I can re-add them if they're missing.  I need the 'mechanics' of how to go about it.  What puzzles me the most is that the torrent files actually still seem to be there, it's just that the program doesn't 'see' them or access them properly. 

A while back, I had a previous laptop fail, and someone here told me I could just transfer the torrent files from the hard drive (they were accessible when I removed the hard drive) and copy them to  the folder on the new laptop. 
Switeck

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Switeck »

The backup folder is a snapshot of how things were at that time. Any torrents added after that was made won't be seen in qBT and will need to be re-added.
Varjak

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Varjak »

Okay, I get that.  As I said, it probably shows everything as I hadn't added many if any torrents.  So HOW do I use the data in the backup folder.  I need the simple steps, because I'm not that adept at this.  Thansk. 
Switeck

Re: How do I use BT_backup to restore missing torrents?

Post by Switeck »

The saved backup you made of BT_backup must be copied back to its original location while qBT is stopped. That's all there is to restoring your torrent list.
Any missing torrents have to be added again, the same way you normally add torrents.

After you've added back all the torrents, you might want to stop qBT again and copy BT_backup again in case you need to restore to that point.
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