Windows Backup, Thunderbird and Malware

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around issues related to backing up a Windows 10 system using a utility compatible with Windows 7, specifically focusing on problems arising from malware-infected files in Thunderbird email attachments. Participants explore potential solutions for managing backups while dealing with malware and email data.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a recurring issue where Windows fails to back up due to the presence of a malware-infected file in Thunderbird, complicating the backup process.
  • Another participant suggests that Thunderbird should have a setting to delete messages from the server when they are deleted locally, proposing this as a potential solution.
  • A different participant expresses reluctance to delete messages immediately, citing concerns about accidental deletions due to application focus issues in Windows.
  • One participant reports a successful reboot that allowed them to deselect certain items in AppData, noting a significant amount of unnecessary data present.
  • There is a discussion about the term "cruf," with participants questioning its validity and exploring similar terms like "cruft" and "crud."

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the management of email deletions and the implications for backups. There is no consensus on the best approach to handle the malware issue or the terminology used in the discussion.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the complexity of managing backups in the presence of malware and the challenges of navigating large volumes of email data. Limitations include the inability to easily identify and delete infected files from the server and the constraints of the backup utility.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for users dealing with similar backup issues on Windows systems, particularly those using Thunderbird for email and facing challenges with malware management.

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TL;DR
Looking for help in creating a successful, automatic backup under Windows 10, with some complications from malware.
Every week, my Windows 10 system backs everything up unto my Linux file server (from where it is backed up again). This is with the Win7-compatible utility. It worked without any issues for years, all automated.

Around the new year, it started failing. With some detective work, it appears that the problem is:
  1. Windows won't backup a malware-infected file. Fair enough.
  2. At some point, someone sent me malware in an attachment. Happens.
  3. If I clean the malware from the Windows PC, Thunderbird notices a missing message and dutifully redownloads it. This re-blocks the backup.
The obvious solution is to find the infected file on the mail server, and delete it there, The problem is to find it, I get maybe 100 messages per day and a window of maybe a month, so there are thousands of messages I would need to sift through.

The next most obvious option is not to backup the local Thunderbrid data directory. The problem with that is that the granularity only goes down to c:/users/vanadium. I presently can backup successfully excluding that, but that's not much of a backup, is it?

What is my next step?
 
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I think there ought to be a setting in Thunderbird whereby deleting a message locally also deletes it off the server. That should fix it.
 
In principle, yes. But I don't want messages deleted, at least not right away. This is especially true in Windows, where applications steal the focus and its easy to delete something you don't want to.
 
As usual, posting fixed things...

So. upon a reboot, I am now able to select items in AppData. Holy smokes is there a lot of cruf there. With Mozilla and Thunderbird deselected (plus some long-since uninstalled software also gone) it runs just fine.
 
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Is cruf a word? I like it....
 
Do you suspect a possible name/name range or file extension, so you can use your email programs internal search engine?
 
I think he mean crud but I guess it could be cruft. They are somewhat synonymous.
 

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