Joshua Unlimited

Author: Joshua Lim

  • Run Cobian Backup when PC is in sleep mode

    Run Cobian Backup when PC is in sleep mode

    How do you run Cobian Backup when your PC is in sleep mode? ItΓÇÖs actually not that difficult.

    The TL;DR version is that we will be using Windows’ Task Scheduler to start the Cobian Backup task from the command line. For reference I am using Cobian Backup version 11.2.0.582 (the latest and possibly last available version) on Windows 10.

    Cobian Backup has been my desktop backup application of choice for years now. It lets me create scheduled backups of my PC files and saves it to two different external hard disks. And that’s really all I need.

    So letΓÇÖs get started: here are the steps to run Cobian Backup when your PC is asleep.

    0) (Windows 8 & 10) Install Cobian Backup

    This is an additional step for Windows 8 & 10 users. If your experience mirrored my own you tried installing Cobian Backup when you moved to Windows 8 or 10 and got an error. Well the good news is that Cobian Backup works just fine on Windows 8 and 10 though you may need to activate/install the .NET 3.5 framework in order to be able to use Volume Shadow Copies. Follow the previous link for further instructions.

    1) Create your backup tasks in the Cobian Backup interface as per usual

    Cobian Backup with 3 scheduled tasks

    This step is self-explanatory. Launch the Cobian Backup interface (cbInterface.exe) and create your backup tasks as you normally would.

    Make sure the tasks are enabled. After going through all these steps I made the mistake of disabling the tasks in the Cobian Backup interface thinking that I no longer needed them enabled. I was wrong.

    As an added step, make sure you set each task to Manual. This will prevent the task from automatically running.

    2) Open MainList.lst in your favourite text editor (Notepad is fine too)

    Locate the MainList.lst file. Assuming you installed Cobian Backup in the default directory of Program Files then the complete path to the file would be C:\Program Files (x86)\Cobian Backup 11\DB\MainList.lst. Open the file up in any text editor.

    For those wondering, MainList.lst contains all the settings for each task created in the Cobian Backup interface earlier.

    3) Record the Id for each task

    Here’s where you’ll need pen-and-paper handy (or your favourite text editor since it’s already open) because we’re going to record the Id of each task you want to run. The easiest way is to do a search for the task name. The Id is right above it.

    Cobian Backup MainList.lst file showing the Task Id

    In the image above you can see I created a task called “Semi Daily” and it was assigned a task Id of {B65A8D50-8CDF-471C-8718-2C2A612E75AB}. Record this down (yes, including the curly braces).

    Record the Id for every task you want to run.

    4) Launch Windows Task Scheduler

    Windows Task Scheduler

    The Windows Task Scheduler is located in Control Panel > Administrative Tools. Or you can search for ΓÇ£Task SchedulerΓÇ¥ in Windows Search.

    Either way, launch the application.

    5) Create a Windows task

    OK, here is the meat and potatoes of everything. Follow these steps:

    1. In the left-most column of the Task Scheduler, click ΓÇ£Task Scheduler LibraryΓÇ¥.
      Task Scheduler Library
    2. In the Actions panel (usually the right-most column of the Task Scheduler), click “Create Task…”. Note: do not click “Create Basic Task…”
      The Actions Panel
    3. When the Create Task dialog appears, give your task a name (Something like “Cobian Backup Monthly”).
    4. Click the ΓÇ£TriggersΓÇ¥ tab.
    5. Click ΓÇ£NewΓÇ¥ to create a new Trigger.
    6. In the Edit Trigger dialog, click the menu next to “Begin the task:” and select “On a schedule”.
    7. Now go through the Settings. This is where you will set the schedule for the task. Set the schedule you need.
    8. Now go through the Advanced settings. Make sure Enabled is ticked. For the other options you can choose to tick them depending on your situation.
    9. Click OK to close the Edit Trigger dialog. You should see your new Trigger added to the list of Triggers.
      A new trigger has been added
    10. We’re now back in the Create Task dialog. Click the “Actions” tab.
    11. Click ΓÇ£NewΓÇ¥ to create a new Action.
    12. In the New Action dialog, click the menu next to “Action:” and select “Start a program”.
    13. Under Settings, click the “Browse” button.
    14. Locate the program cobian.exe. If you installed Cobain Backup in the default directory it would be located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Cobian Backup 11\cobian.exe.
    15. Click OK to confirm you want to launch cobian.exe.
    16. For the field “Add arguments (optional):”, you will need to enter -tasks:TASK_ID -nogui but replace TASK_ID with your actual task Id. For example, I would type enter this: -tasks:{B65A8D50-8CDF-471C-8718-2C2A612E75AB} -nogui
    17. Click OK to close the Edit Action dialog. You should now see your new Action added to the list of Actions.
    18. Click the ΓÇ£ConditionsΓÇ¥ Tab.
    19. Now this is important: Under “Power” tick the box “Wake the computer to run this task”.
    20. Go through the other options in the ΓÇ£ConditionsΓÇ¥ Tab. Set any of them according to your needs. Usually I tick ΓÇ£Start the task only if the computer is on AC powerΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£Stop if the computer switches to battery powerΓÇ¥.
    21. Click the ΓÇ£SettingsΓÇ¥ Tab.
    22. Again, go through the options in this tab and set any of them according to your needs.
    23. Click OK.

    6) Prevent the Cobian Backup Interface from auto-starting with Windows

    Now we need to stop the Cobian Backup Interface from auto-starting every time you log into Windows. We need to do this because, at least from my experience, the Windows tasks we created will not run if the Cobian Backup Interface is running.

    Hold Ctrl + Shift and press Esc. ThisΓö¼├íwill bring up the Task Manager. Look for ╬ô├ç┬úCobian backup 11 Gravity – Interface╬ô├ç┬Ñ. IfΓö¼├íit╬ô├ç├ûs not there, you don╬ô├ç├ût have to do anything. If it is there, check the Status column to see if it has already been disabled. If it hasn╬ô├ç├ût, right-click it and select ╬ô├ç┬úDisable╬ô├ç┬Ñ.

    If you have the Cobian Backup Interface currently running, you should also close it.

    7) Stop and Disable the Cobian Backup 11 Gravity service

    Cobian Backup usually also installs a Windows Service that auto-starts every time you log into Windows. WeΓÇÖre going to need to disable this fella too or it will prevent the Windows tasks from running.

    Hold down the Windows key on your keyboard and press R. This will launch the Run dialog. Type in services.msc and click OK. This will launch the Services dialog.

    Windows Services Dialog

    Double-click the service named ΓÇ£Cobian Backup 11 GravityΓÇ¥. In the dialog that appears, click ΓÇ£StopΓÇ¥ to stop the service. Next to ΓÇ£Startup type:ΓÇ¥, select Disable. Click OK to confirm the changes.

    Note that you may also have another service called “Cobian Backup 11 Volume Shadow Copy Requester”. It is probably running and auto-starts by default. Do not touch this service.

    8) (Windows 10) Enable All Wake Timers

    Depending on your installation of Windows 10, your Scheduled Task may not run unless you manually enable all wake timers.

    1. Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
    2. Click ΓÇ£Change plan settingsΓÇ¥ for your selected power plan.
    3. Click ΓÇ£Change advanced power settingsΓÇ¥.
    4. In the Power Options dialog, expand the tree menu for ΓÇ£SleepΓÇ¥.
    5. Now expand the tree menu for ΓÇ£Allow wake timersΓÇ¥.
    6. Expand the menu next to “Plugged in” and select Enable.
      power-options-dialog

    Finishing up

    That’s it! A few things to remember:

    • If you ever manually open up the Cobian Backup Interface, remember to close it or it will prevent your backups from running.
    • Cobian Backup will not keep logs of the backups run (I haven╬ô├ç├ût been able to get this to work) but the History tab will list the most recent times the backup tasks have taken place. However, logs are (kind of) kept by the Task Scheduler: open the task in question and check the History tab.
    • If you want to read up on Cobian Backup╬ô├ç├ûs command line arguments, check the Help directory in your local installation. There╬ô├ç├ûs some information online but it╬ô├ç├ûs missing the (rather crucial) tasks argument.

     

  • Featured Podcast: Hidden Brain

    Featured Podcast: Hidden Brain

    I have rediscovered podcasts which in turn has helped rebirth my love for the spoken word. It’s radio but better because I get to choose who and what I listen to. One man should not have such power…

    Anyway, I want to feature a few of the podcasts I’m currently listening to one at a time. It’s going to take a while because I currently have about 27 of them!

    Hidden Brain

    This was the podcast that reignited my interest in the medium. Yeah yeah, it’s by NPR (ohmygodhowhipster) but I get a huge kick from learning about the brain and its effects human behaviour. In 30 minutes this podcast manages to inform and entertain doing so in a way that’s accessible to lay people.

    Hosted by Shankar Vedantam, each episode puts one social behaviour phenomenon under the microscope and explains the science behind it leaving you with just enough to ponder how your life could benefit from these findings. Hidden Brain is constantly experimenting with new ways to deliver the material; you have your usual segments involving interviews and a summary of research but the crew gets creative. The segment Stopwatch Science for example has Shanker and Daniel Pink deliver scientific findings in one minute. Musically-inclined guests are invited to summarize all the scientific findings in song. There was an on-going experiment involving one of the crew member’s journey to stop smoking.

    If you want to get started give Episode 3 on Annie Duke & stereotype threat a shot. This one got me thinking about how to use stereotype threats to my advantage. Another one, Episode 15 with Maya Shankar, was simply inspiring.

  • Spring Cleaning for the New Year

    Spring Cleaning for the New Year

    With the inevitable end of 2015 I spent much of the 30th and 31st cleaning out my stuff. I ended up throwing out a lot of stuff, so much that I started feeling a tad guilty for my consumption.

    The benefit has of course been a clean and tidy room with much more space than I imagined possible. Take my work table — I now actually have space to write on it! It had been so cluttered with junk for the past few months that any time I needed a surface to write on I’d shove enough of the mess into a pile until I had enough space to do my writing. I like to think I was adapting to my environment.

    One Small Step Can Change Your Life. By Robert Maurer, PhD

    But is that always a good idea, to change in response to my environment? What if the environment is nudging me to change in a way I’d later regret? For example, continuing to put up with a messy room could lead to all sorts of nastiness. Back in university I once left a bag of grapes on the floor until they had liquified! And when I was doing graduate research, I’d left my cooking scraps in the trash for so long that little white organism started crawling about in it. Ick.

    I recently finished reading One Small Step Can Change Your Life by Robert Maurer, PhD. Without going into an entire book review, I will say the approach this book takes to making changes involves (you guessed it) taking steps so small they appear deceptively simple, almost useless. It wasn’t the first time I’d encountered this paradigm that runs counter to the “Bigger, Better Faster” concept of change; I’d gone through the Tiny Habits course before.

    One part of the book explains the benefits of solving small problems. I think the chapter’s opening does a bang-up job of introducing the concept:

    We are so accustomed to living with minor annoyances that it’s not always easy to identify them, let alone make corrections. But these annoyances have a way of acquiring mass and eventually blocking your path to change. By training yourself to spot and solve small problems, you can avoid undergoing much more painful remedies later.

    Sure I was able to adapt to the mess but I can’t help but feel how much less agonized I would have been had I taken small steps when the mess first started piling up. Fortunately I was able to enjoy the cleaning, it’s still time, energy and resources that could have been directed elsewhere.

  • The Joy of Depression – a presentation/workshop by Dr. David Bush

    The Joy of Depression – a presentation/workshop by Dr. David Bush

    If you’ve got an hour Dr. David Bush leads a workshop which looks at what depression can actually teach us. It also includes a set of questions to challenge irrational beliefs that are often the cause of a depressive episode.

  • Building Habits: Noticing Tension

    Building Habits: Noticing Tension

    I’ve noticed that I can be rather uptight and this expresses itself as tension in my physical body. And since I feel that tight muscles and shallow breathing don’t really help me much, I decided to do something about it.

    It wasn’t anything fancy, I set the alarm on my phone to ring 4 times a day. That signaled me to do a quick check for muscle tension in my body and to simply relax. In fact, my alarm literally just rang again so if you’ll excuse me…

    4 times a day for 7 days. If I can still do math that╬ô├ç├ûs 28 checksΓö¼├íthis week. I╬ô├ç├ûve learned that consistency of action is probably the biggest factor in building new habits for me, and I have noticed myself doing random spot-checks even without my alarm. So yay for me 🙂

    IΓÇÖm going to let the alarms run for another week. 56 checks by next Sunday. Besides, who likes a tight ass?

  • Where does it all start?

    Where does it all start?

    We all want to live a richer, fuller life. But where does it all start for you?

    For me, it starts from getting goodΓö¼├ísleep. Getting enough of it. After a bout of insomnia that kept me awake until past 1am I committed to sleep by 11pm for 2 months. I didn’t always succeed but there was a noticeable difference: I felt more rested (duh!), more alert, more energetic, I got more done in the morning and it even felt I had more time in the morningΓö¼├í(I’d finish a few things and then realise it was only 10:30am).

    It actually starts even before I put my head on the pillow at 11pm. I discovered I needed a pre-bedtime routine ofΓö¼├ípure “Me” time: no phones, no running errands for people, no social media. If you snuck a peek at me you╬ô├ç├ûd see me lying on my bed watching silly YouTube videos on my iPad. Some people have a ╬ô├ç┬úno electronics╬ô├ç┬Ñ policy before bed and I think that╬ô├ç├ûs a good idea but in this case my iPad isn╬ô├ç├ût getting in the way of my sleep.

    Where does your New, Amazing Life start for you?

    Photo of sleeping tiger is from Pandiyan licenced under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic

  • Discover your Core Values

    Discover your Core Values

    Aligning with your Core ValuesEarly lastΓö¼├ímonth I feltΓö¼├íI’d lost some direction in life and decided to get back in touch with my Values. That’s when I remembered I’d bought Tim Brownson’s Aligning with your Core Values some time back when it was on sale.

    Tim writes with an open frankness that never feels over-bearing or arrogant. He peppers his book with case studies and examples from his own experience as a Life Coach which makes what he presents relate-able and real.

    By reading this book (and doing the exercises in it) you will walk away with an ordered list of your unique Values. And what do you do with said list? Well, it could help explain some of the frustrations you have in life particularly those that recur again and again. It could also help clarify your next step in life or a bigger picture of what you want to ultimately be up to in life.

    Keep in mind that yourΓö¼├íValues can change over time. In fact, this was the second time I’d gone through these exercises to elicit my list of values. Here is my list as of May 2014:

    1. Trust
    2. Fun (tie with Harmony)
    3. Harmony (tie with Fun)
    4. Caring
    5. Integrity
    6. Conviction
    7. Dedication
    8. Prosperity

    And here’s the list when I did it in September 2011:

    1. Trust
    2. Integrity
    3. Honesty
    4. Commitment
    5. Freedom
    6. Nurturing
    7. Authenticity
    8. Camaraderie

    You will no doubt notice some parallels between both lists: Trust tops both, Integrity appears on each list and some words were changed but have the same underlying meaning (for example Commitment became Dedication while Nurturing became Caring). I am not so sure about Fun coming in at #2 because it coincided with the time I was consciously making sure I had more fun in life.

    Remember how I said that Values can help explain some of the frustrations one encounters in life?Γö¼├íTrustΓö¼├íseems to be a particularly important value and recently some “friends” of mine did something that broke the Trust. Needless to say I was very upset and even lost sleep over it.

    I wonder though, if Values can be used to explain experiences, could they also be used to justify them? One the one hand I can say that what my “friends” did hurt me because Trust is important to me (i.e. an Explanation). On the other hand I could easily use Trust as an excuse toΓö¼├íkeep myself a victim and continue being upset at my “friends” (i.e. a Justification). Just something to be wary of, I suppose.

    Photo of heart is from epSos.de licenced under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic