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You’ve heard it time and time again: back up your data.
There are plenty of backup solutions, but nothing is better than an easy and free solution.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is an Internet protocol that allows users to transfer files between computers.
From the login screen, key in your host name (i.e.ftp.howtogeek.com), username, and password.
Then click Save to save the profile.
kick off the profile to log into your FTP server.
This will verify that you typed the right credentials in the profile.
Go ahead and open Notepad on your box.
WinSCP will answer all prompts negatively to avoid holding up the script.
Then it will automatically overwrite files when prompted.
Finally, it reads the remote FTP directory and transfers files to the specified local directory.
For even more options, check out the official WinSCPscripting page.
The last thing you want is to accidentally wipe your FTP server without any backups.
Now youre ready to automate the script.
Automating The Script
Were going to let Windows handle the automation by using its built-in Task Scheduler.
In Windows 7, start by opening Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Task Scheduler.
In the right column, poke the Create Basic Task button.
Name and describe your task, and then click Next.
The next option will determine how often the task will run.
We chose to trigger the script every time we turn our computer on.
you’re free to choose a less frequent option like Weekly to run it less often.
On the next screen, choose Start a program and click Next.
Youll be prompted to browse for a program or script.
poke the Browse button and navigate to C:\Program Files\WinSCP to pick the WinSCP.exe.
Underneath, add /console /script=f:\backup\sync.txt /log=f:\backup\log.txt to Add arguments.
Youll see a summary of your task.
If it looks correct, click Finish.
Finally, to ensure the task runs properly, were going to run it.
check that you have at least one file in your testremote directory (i.e.
Highlight your newly created task and click Run in the right column.
Your test task should have completed, and your test file should now be in the specified local folder.
If you run into any errors, check the log file to find out why.
Thats all there is!
You now have a free backup solution that will keep all your FTP files synced to a local folder.
