Compare Windows Folder with Android Folder

[[email protected]]

Using BCP3 and trying to compare a windows (xp and 7) folder with an android phone attached via USB.

is this possible? If so can anyone help please.

Thanks
Graham

[Aaron]

MTP is not currently supported as a protocol for BC3, but is something we're looking into. Otherwise, the device needs to be bound to a drive letter, a samba share, or as an FTP server.

There are some FTP servers on the Google Play marketplace that should allow BC to access your files.

[david_p]

As recommended, I have installed an FTP server on my Andoid device.
To verify proper operation on the windows 8.1 PC, I have installed FileZilla as FTP client.
Results:
FTP communication between FileZilla and the FTP server on my Andoid device is OK.
FTP communication between Beyond Compare 3.3.10 and the FTP server on my Andoid device is FAIL. The Error Message states that the required folder is not available, even if the folder path is copied from FileZilla.
I have the impression that on Beyond Compare 3.3.10 the FTP client is not working properly.
I will appreciate either MTP or FTP properly supported on Beyond Compare. Than you.

[chrroe]

Hello David,

which app did you use as FTP-Server on your Android device?
Which Android version is installed on it?


BTW: The current beta version of BC4 (4.0.0.17905) seems to support MTP, but I haven't tried on my own, yet.


Bye
Christoph

[Aaron]

In addition to Christoph's comments, Filezilla is often very good at trying different things, even if the configuration for the server is set up differently. BC3 would need you to change the configuration in the FTP Profiles dialog to the correct settings before connection. If you can email a pair of logs (Filezilla vs. BC3) we should be able to figure out if there is a bug, or if there is a configuration value set in Filezilla that needs to be turned on in BC3.

You can email the logs to [email protected] along with a link to this forum thread for our reference, or give the BC4 beta a try to help us test MTP support.

[david_p]

Works OK with BC4 beta

Based on Aaron's hint to use BC4 with MTP rather than FTP wit BC3, I have installed BC4 4.0.017905 beta on my PC that is running on Windows 8.1.
The physical connection of the Android device is by USB cable to the PC, as in Graham's configuration.
Open BC4 to compare folders.
First Try
Open Windows explorer, pick a folder from PC and drag it to BC4, left side: OK
In Windows explorer, pick a folder from Android device and drag it to BC4, right side: FAIL, not allowed.
Second Try
As abobe, in Windows explorer, pick a folder from PC and drag it to BC4, left side: OK
In BC4, right side, locate icon Browse for Folder - right of this icon, locate and click down arrow - select: Browse using Profile... -> Windows opens - open this PC - open Android device (your actual name may be different) - open folder -> Folder is displayed on right side, ready for your comparison: SUCCESS.

Summary
Grahams request Compare Windows Folder with Android Folder is working on BC4.
I will abandon the approach with BC3 with FTP, because BC4 with MTP is simpler to use.

Thanks to Aaron for your usefull comments,
David

[Fabiomalf]

BC4 work perfectly with win 8.1 and GT-I9100 android 4.1.2. Perfect foto and video backup FINALLY I find an application to easly compare folders win/android! Thanks :-)

[RichH]

Can date & time be set over mtp?

When I finally get to the point where I copy a file over mtp from Windows to Android, the date of the file is the current date. Is there any way that the time stamp of a file can be set over the mtp protocol to match the source file?

[Zoë]

Unfortunately no. MTP has a way to set metadata about a file, and the time stamp is one of the things that metadata includes, but setting the time stamp didn't work when I tested it. If that's a requirement you'll need to use one of the old workaround like an FTP or SMB server.

[david_p]

Problem : When copying files from Windows to Android by means of BC4, date&time are not preserved.
BC4 works nearly perfectly with Windows 8.1 as a source and Android 4.2.2 as a destination, when copying files or folders.
I have observed that the original file date&time is preserved and displayed on the destination side as expected, however only at first.
After closing BC4 and disconnecting and reconnecting and reopening BC4, the file date&time is no more the original date&time but the copy date&time. BC4 reports this problem as date&time differences between copied source and destination files. These are otherwise identical.

Questions :
Can the above problem be corrected by the BC4 team ?
Or needs it to be reported either to Android, to MTP, or to Samsung?

[Aaron]

MTP implementation varies between device, and sometimes software version running on that device. We try to preserve timestamps when we can, but if the destination does not support setting the timestamp, it will be updated to the time of the transfer. This generally mirrors the behavior in Windows Explorer as well. If you perform the same copy using Windows Explorer, how are the timestamps treated?

[david_p]

My observations
On Windows (8.1), files are two timestamps: created timestamp and modified timestamp.
In case of video files (*.mpg in my case), the created timestamp mirrors the recording date, while the modified timestamp mirrors the date when the file was modified by a video editor. Beyond Compare uses the modified timestamp to compare files.

I have used Windows Explorer to copy a video file from my Windows PC to my Android (Samsung V4.2.2 and V4.4.2) devices.
The Android’s created timestamp immediately mirrors the transfer date, while the modified timestamp mirrors the date when the file was modified by a video editor. The recording date is lost already.
Worse, after disconnection and reconnection of the android device to the PC, the created timestamp now mirrors the transfer date, while the modified timestamp mirrors also the transfer date.
This results in Beyond Compare indicating that the modified timestamps between PC and Android devices are different.

The above observations, combined with the remarks of Aaron P, indicate that MFP (Movie File Protocol) needs to be enhanced to avoid the loss of modified timestamps of PC .

[Aaron]

One possible workaround (that, I'm not sure will work for your workflow): if you archive the files first, into a .zip, rar, 7z or other format, does this help preserve that information?

The archive would still be updated, but this might help preserve the information within. Just be sure that BC4 is set to Treat Archives as Files (in the Session Settings, Handling tab), to prevent expanding them, which, would then copy the files within and we would be in the same boat as before.