How to set default folder for Bak file (AutoCad 2010)?

[Sengna]

Anyone knows how to set default folder for Bak files for better organization? I was not able to figure it out yet, sometime i got many Bak files in folder and it would be nice if it is defaulted automaticly to one folder when i save dwg, something like attach.

 

 

[ReMark]

Why don't you just clean out the BAK files on a daily or weekly basis?

[ReMark]

From the AutoDESK website:

 

Included in the AutoCAD Express Tools is the MOVEBAK command which allows you to specify an alternative folder for your bak files when created. If you want to keep all your bak files in a single location—as opposed to keeping them in the same folder as the associated drawings—you can use MOVEBAK to specify another folder and all bak files will be automatically moved there when created. Enter "." as a value to reset AutoCAD to the default behavior.

[Sengna]

Why don't you just clean out the BAK files on a daily or weekly basis?

That's true, the most important is the latest Bak that was last saved, but i don't really delete them just in case something unexpected i can go back to certain point of time and recover them, how do you usally do? clean out daily?

[Sengna]

From the AutoDESK website:

 

Included in the AutoCAD Express Tools is the MOVEBAK command which allows you to specify an alternative folder for your bak files when created. If you want to keep all your bak files in a single location—as opposed to keeping them in the same folder as the associated drawings—you can use MOVEBAK to specify another folder and all bak files will be automatically moved there when created. Enter "." as a value to reset AutoCAD to the default behavior.

 

Autocad Express tools? where can i find that? I don't think i have this tool on my CAD. If i don't have how can i download them? I don't think i have the original 2010 autocad disc.

[ReMark]

Look at the top of your screen. If they were installed you would see it listed on your Menu Bar.

[ReMark]

That's true, the most important is the latest Bak that was last saved, but i don't really delete them just in case something unexpected i can go back to certain point of time and recover them, how do you usally do? clean out daily?

I clean out BAK files on a weekly basis just before I back up all my DWG files. What do you do?

[Sengna]

As i looked closely across from left to right and down across Autocad screen, i don't have the express tool. Does my idol Lee Mac offer this tool on his site? I guess it's time to move to Autocad. 2015.

 

[Sengna]

I clean out BAK files on a weekly basis just before I back up all my DWG files. What do you do?

 

I created Bak file folder and drag them manually.

[ReMark]

I created Bak file folder and drag them manually.

This does not sound very efficient.

[ReMark]

As i looked closely across from left to right and down across Autocad screen, i don't have the express tool. Does my idol Lee Mac offer this tool on his site? I guess it's time to move to Autocad. 2015.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]47757[/ATTACH]

Express Tools comes standard with full AutoCAD. The option to install it would have come up during the initial installation process. It's possible to add it after the fact but you need the installation DVD to do so.

[Dana W]

Faster than manually looking them up...

 

Windows search c:\ *.bak

 

Select all.

 

Cut.

 

find folder.

 

Paste.

[Sengna]

Faster than manually looking them up...

 

Windows search c:\ *.bak

 

Select all.

find folder.

 

Paste.

 

 

sounds like by search key word ".bak" anything start with word bak will show up

But i don't want to mix all the Bak files from different project into one folder though, i want to organize by project.

[Dana W]

sounds like by search key word ".bak" anything start with word bak will show up

But i don't want to mix all the Bak files from different project into one folder though, i want to organize by project.

 

That's a wildcard search, STAR(*) DOT BAK.

 

That would be any file that ends with .bak.

 

Then sort the search by name, and copy what you want. Save the search and go back to it.

[ReMark]

As long as you back up your DWG files there is no need to go through all that just to retain the BAK files. So make a back up on another hard drive, a network drive, a flash drive, CD or DVD and start cleaning out your computer.

[Dana W]

Yeah, saving more than the most recent bak file is a waste of disk space, and saving them somewhere other than the same folder with the drawing is just over complicating things since AutoCad already does that, and overwrites with each hard save.

 

I have a backup program that runs every morning at 3:00 AM, and copies my entire user account folder tree to an external disk. I also copy my current drawing folder to a USB drive every time I close the drawing for more than a few minutes.

[lamensterms]

I have a backup/save LISP routine which creates a duplicate of the current file at each QSAVE...

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?t=78260

 

It serves my purposes well. The only issues you may have are; it essentially saves twice during the QSAVE, so your saves will take twice as long; also, it does save an alternative copy of the file for EVERY QSAVE, so HDD storage can be consumed pretty quickly.

 

It is perfect if you accidentally and unknowingly make an error (eg erase an important element) and then save a few times. It makes it possible to go back to an earlier version of the file and retrieve past elements.

 

Let me know if you need a hand getting the LISP going.

[ReMark]

That really does sound like overkill. There shouldn't be any need for more than one DWG and one BAK file for each drawing you're working on.

[lamensterms]

It may be overkill in some circumstances, but it has saved our backsides a few times in the last couple of months.

 

Another benefit I forgot to mention, if you're working on drawings on a server, and somehow the drawings (or directory) are deleted (accidents happen), you can always have a reasonably up-to-date version of the file backed up to your local HDD. Not sure if it is the case for all servers, but ours has no recycle bin.. so if files are deleted, the only other way to retrieve them would be from the overnight backup.

 

I am a structural/mechanical shop detailer (using ProSteel), and we usually work in models with 5000+ elements. Occasionally there can be modelling (human) errors, and sometimes ProSteel produces errors with corrupt elements (often removed after a crash>recover), so for us, it is great to have a history of the model .DWGs. We can't always rely on the latest version of the models containing all correct elements.

[ReMark]

If that's the case I'd stop what you are doing and call a departmental meeting. Ask someone from management and IT to attend as well. Something is seriously wrong if you are losing or corrupting that many drawings in a couple of months.