My_Backup System

1. Overview

This is a “World Class” backup solution using Kopia, a modern, enterprise-grade tool wrapped in a custom automation script. It is superior in every way to my previous cycling of ZIP files, for efficiency, risk management, and speed.

Key Benefits:

Split-Brain Architecture: It intelligently separates “Critical/Active” data (Documents, Code, Databases) from “Bulk/Static” data (Photos, Videos, PDFs) that don’t change much.
Free Cloud Backup: By isolating critical data, we can fit the most important business files (~5GB) onto free cloud storage (Google Drive), while keeping massive files (~1TB) on local drives (NAS/USB).
Encrypted & Deduplicated: All data is military-grade encrypted.

2. The Strategy: Efficient Folder Structure

The secret to a fast, free, and robust backup system is how you organize your files. We separate data into two categories:

Active (Critical): Small files, text documents, code, financial data. Things that change often and are vital to life/business.
Static (Bulk): Large files, photos, videos, software installers, finished project archives. Things that rarely change and take up massive space.

The Recommended Structure

To make this automation work, create a folder named Static inside any main category. The system is trained to automatically treat that folder differently.

D:\ (Data Drive)
├── FSS (Business)
│   ├── Accounting           [ACTIVE] -> Goes to Cloud + Local
│   ├── Documents            [ACTIVE] -> Goes to Cloud + Local
│   └── Static               [STATIC] -> Local Only (NAS/USB)
│       ├── Software_ISOs        (Huge files)
│       └── Old_Project_Archives
│
└── Ta (Personal)
    ├── Financials           [ACTIVE] -> Goes to Cloud + Local
    ├── Writings             [ACTIVE] -> Goes to Cloud + Local
    └── Static               [STATIC] -> Local Only (NAS/USB)
        ├── Photos               (200GB+)
        └── Videos               (500GB+)

The Rule: If a folder grows larger than 500MB and contains content that doesn’t change (like vacation photos), move it into Static.

If you don’t have lots of static content (photos, videos, PDFs, etc.), you can implement a simpler single repo solution, for Active/Critical data.

3. Quick Start: Setup Guide

Follow these steps to set up the backup system on a new computer.

Step 1: Install Software

Install Python (Version 3.14 or newer):
- Download: python.org/downloads
- IMPORTANT: Check the box “Add Python to PATH” during install.
Install ‘uv’ (Script Runner):
- Open Command Prompt (cmd) and type: pip install uv
Install Kopia CLI (The Engine):
- Download Windows 64-bit CLI (zip) from: github.com/kopia/kopia/releases
- Extract and move kopia.exe to: C:\Program Files\KopiaCLI\kopia.exe
- Add to System PATH: Search Windows for “Environment Variables” -> Path -> New -> Paste C:\Program Files\KopiaCLI\.

Step 2: Prepare the Script Folder

Create a folder (e.g., D:\Backups\Scripts).
Place my_backup.py and my_backup.yaml here.
Create a file named .env and add your password/paths:
```
KOPIA_PASSWORD=MySecretPassword123!
GDRIVE_PATH=G:/My Drive
```
Warning: If you lose this password, your data is lost forever.

Step 3: Initialize Repositories (One Time Only)

Because we use the “Split-Brain” strategy, we initialize two separate databases. Run these commands in Command Prompt:

1. Create the Critical (Cloud) Repo:

kopia repository create filesystem --path=D:\bak\Kopia_Active --config-file=D:\bak\Kopia_Active\kopia.config

2. Create the Static (Local) Repo:

kopia repository create filesystem --path=D:\bak\Kopia_Static --config-file=D:\bak\Kopia_Static\kopia.config

Step 4: Set Retention Policies

Tell Kopia how long to keep history.

Active Data (Keep 10 years):

kopia policy set --global --keep-daily 10 --keep-weekly 10 --keep-monthly 12 --keep-annual 10 --config-file=D:\bak\Kopia_Active\kopia.config

Static Data (Keep 3 years - saves space):

kopia policy set --global --keep-daily 10 --keep-weekly 4 --keep-monthly 12 --keep-annual 3 --config-file=D:\bak\Kopia_Static\kopia.config

Step 5: Automate (Task Scheduler)

Open Task Scheduler -> Create Task.
General: Name: “Daily Backup”. Check “Run whether user is logged on or not”.
Triggers: Daily at 2:00 AM.
Actions: Start a program.
- Program: uv
- Arguments: run "D:\Path\To\Scripts\my_backup.py"

4. User Responsibilities

Daily

Nothing. Runs automatically.
Monitor: If the script detects missing critical files (e.g., QuickBooks hasn’t been saved in 7 days), the script will alert you.

Periodic

External Drives: Ensure your backup drives (NAS/USB) are connected. The script automatically mirrors data to them when found.
Housekeeping: If you dump a large amount of new media (photos/videos) onto your computer, ensure you put them inside a Static folder so they don’t clog up the Cloud backup.

5. How to Restore Files (KopiaUI)

Use the visual interface to browse and restore files.

Open KopiaUI (Download from Kopia.io).
Connect:
- Choose Filesystem.
- Path: Browse to either D:\bak\Kopia_Active (Docs) or D:\bak\Kopia_Static (Media).
- Config File: You must point to the specific config file inside that folder (e.g., D:\bak\Kopia_Active\kopia.config).
- Enter Password.
Mount: Click “Mount” next to a snapshot. It appears as a drive letter (Z:).
Restore: Copy files out using Windows Explorer.

6. Troubleshooting

KopiaUI Won’t Open: Check the System Tray (near the clock). It starts minimized. Kill “KopiaUI” in Task Manager if stuck.
Backup “Stalled” or “Huge”: If the Active backup is taking hours or is larger than 10GB, you likely put large video/photo files in a folder not named Static. Move them to Static or update the .kopiaignore file in that directory.
File Locked Errors: If Kopia complains about open files (like .eco files), ensure the .kopiaignore file in the source folder includes **/*.eco or similar exclusions for temp files.Here is the fully updated Knowledge Base Note.
“System cannot find the file specified” error was caused by broken symbolic links for .kopiaignore files in source directories. Robust self-repair steps were added to my_backup.py that automatically detects and fixes these links by replacing them with the correct files.

I have integrated the “Split-Repo” architecture we just built into the instructions. This is critical because the single-repo instructions would no longer work with your new Python script.

I also added the “Data Strategy” section early on, which explains the “Active vs. Static” philosophy and includes the visual structure.

my_backup System