Karen's Replicator

the Backup Utility for Windows

** Version 3.7.6 Released May 25, 2020 **


Automatically backup files, directories, even entire drives!

Karen's Replicator v3.7.6 screenshot

Karen's Replicator copies selected files from one drive/folder to another.  Source and Destination folders can reside anywhere on your network.

Options include:

  • Repeated copies at intervals as short as a few minutes, or as long as several months
  • Copying only the files that have changed
  • Removing folders and files from the destination if they have been deleted from the source
  • Ability to exclude files, specifying which files should not be copied
  • Ability to exclude days, specifying which days a job should be skipped

I apologize that there is not a formal manual available describing the use of Karen's Replicator. There is a help file that can be viewed by clicking the Help button after the application is installed. Also available are Karen's own words describing Replicator available by reading her newsletter (links below). Plus, several people have made helpful YouTube videos (links below).

For more information, read these back issues of Karen's Power Tools newsletter:

Helpful YouTube videos made by Replicator users:
Thank you!

Download

File Version Released Size Hash
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.6-Setup.exe New!
Download and run to install Replicator v3.7.6
3.7.6May 25th, 20202183216 bytesMD5
536055da1a162735889daf7fd02bc97b
SHA-1
0f98d93b19ce03d3e1aa7906c28340bfa33a9384
SHA-256
5e184321148bb2c6f46f9934403f42a347f5cddd7a34a0c4518df09992a846dc
VirusTotal Scan Results
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.6-Src.exe New!
(programmers only) Install Source Code for Replicator v3.7.6
3.7.6May 25th, 2020358616 bytesMD5
e143b8f25b10561fd0fa5e95502989ef
SHA-1
18a458d8a96aa0964de51b32e3946d246d21052d
SHA-256
ab1555c00e9542dec0220d955d0ff20626c5af863f5bf9a20ed073a96993d972
VirusTotal Scan Results

File Version Released Size Hash
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.5-Setup.exe
Download and run to install Replicator v3.7.5
3.7.5November 2nd, 20192180952 bytesMD5
599cbfb9bd7ccb0bb804bebba651565f
SHA-1
4ff99f1e5cdd0f5ae38bc299085a77b80194845c
SHA-256
382fc6bc81834d9c5e18c6f87198779c4109c179725c20094e411bde23623011
VirusTotal Scan Results
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.5-Src.exe
(programmers only) Install Source Code for Replicator v3.7.5
3.7.5November 1st, 2019351696 bytesMD5
c38ae549022c1d5d3aab8bac2fa40e52
SHA-1
3699b9620b6296e7f2477c188ed0757e5ee25da1
SHA-256
59fb6457ff7a9a33afd3712f364f9790a696a7dcaec3b053e4b5beaed70a2a60
VirusTotal Scan Results
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.4-Setup.exe
Download and run to install Replicator v3.7.4
3.7.4February 18th, 20192169576 bytesMD5
bf8961e490828d56c78cb53673b352f2
SHA-1
19674b3a49f82560e97fdae22e82ddc776e20d59
SHA-256
703c3cf86ec1d72d5c683dbe251cb4ab74aad60faf97f4992429eacb14295671
VirusTotal Scan Results
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.4-Src.exe
(programmers only) Install Source Code for Replicator v3.7.4
3.7.4February 18th, 2019347984 bytesMD5
1d701540dfb17425fc71ccf9b61987d7
SHA-1
611091a5abae3d3ab31e4736f65510a0a0e273b8
SHA-256
3ef08d5b0431315c224a69cb42d6bc29a3601523f2b728ed80322e0d08ca9a76
VirusTotal Scan Results
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.3-Setup.exe
Download and run to install Replicator v3.7.3
3.7.3January 14th, 20192162592 bytesMD5
3b14c0d1ef3f0a0c475f90306207fd91
SHA-1
935a5b401c544580a6d3d2dd3ae4b655e261cc80
SHA-256
4a6c978f12fa14abcfcb64c9c15efa74826b299797428caeb5d1f167e756a0a9
VirusTotal Scan Results
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.2-Setup.exe
Download and run to install Replicator v3.7.2
3.7.2January 9th, 20192166944 bytesMD5
1395b949ca8d417f161e9f274f7550f1
SHA-1
07cc8e92c1c24f593644245cf8de4825b4616c8a
SHA-256
42fd857913935e65c896ba7aed83be08a0f34ee5d46f3300ba5c7d42739f0ebd
VirusTotal Scan Results
Karens-Replicator-v3.7.1-Setup.exe
Download and run to install Replicator v3.7.1
3.7.1December 6th, 20182161792 bytesMD5
1769f0d8af60ce85fe244a1fc40e0e1f
SHA-1
c884c3d459555e7dd7e4205b405711496d135626
SHA-256
e037c23dce7acb32d113fca60d7820faca8e0e4ac0f429fdaf617e2cd9ae4857
VirusTotal Scan Results
Karens-Replicator-v3.7-Setup.exe
Download and run to install Replicator v3.7
3.7October 3rd, 20182152824 bytesMD5
2be6e0dc3abf50810c0a374db8cccf89
SHA-1
2907bbde26b29723bef64de5f70b5697c6fc84c4
SHA-256
3985857dd36c3ab3224078c7f68258b9050c7ee8c37bca0dc8188d1c27d97ee8
VirusTotal Scan Results
ptreplicator-setup.exe Legacy Version
Download and run to install Replicator v3.6.9
3.6.9February 7th, 20092025464 bytesMD5
7fefd07eeb33cd1558286589ab2b3c80
SHA-1
5adc93374d80cd1e2cef655c46d2abf2efd2e3c7
SHA-256
fd5641db591f025259fa3be7c827e0ebdb300ed258b73170e821301004cd9260
ptreplicator-src.exe Legacy Version
(programmers only) Install Source Code for Replicator v3.6.9
3.6.9February 7th, 2009310608 bytesMD5
bdcebe4bce19dc290dbf97ecbaa76c32
SHA-1
fb53ab96dec5ad9c989de3b4edf7c202be59eb60
SHA-256
f5568adc00c15ad0d2900cf7a779e4bce2e80061233a223f5d2047aa15c1e356
vbrun60-setup.exe
Download Visual Basic Runtime v6.0
You probably do not need to download this: Karen's Replicator installer will automatically download and run the Visual Basic Runtime installer, if necessary.
1028368 bytesMD5
899185daa1572ec47ddaefa1b9766136
SHA-1
644ee1472aee863d5dbea4914dd79ff1d2e062e0
SHA-256
7f7bc59f453539194c2d38fd68fb2b4beb3c1b5b5273cec1b7dd1150b0ea929d
VirusTotal Scan Results

Knowledge Base (FAQ)

  • Click here for commonly asked and answered questions.

I can't find Replicator!

You've installed Replicator, but when you run it, or after you restart your computer and it's supposed to be running, it can't be found?

Replicator is probably running minimized with only a System Tray icon indicating it is running, but that little icon is hidden in the Windows 10 "I don't wanna see this every day" system tray area.

Please see this knowledge base article: I installed Replicator and set it to minimize to system tray, but now I can't see it's running.

Known Problems

Enhancements/Bugs Fixed

Version 3.7.6 2020-05-25 [View Workboard]

  1. Fixed logic error in ApiFolderExists(): On some machines reports a missing folder as exists, so the destination folder isn't created. Literally: Error 3 - The system cannot find the path specified
  2. Now able save Unicode characters to the log file
  3. Delay removed from most progress strings while running

Version 3.7.5 2019-11-02 [View Workboard]

  1. T14 Free Space progress bar and Global Exclusions now work for drives accessed using the direct UNC \\?\ prefix on Source and Destination Folder path names.
  2. T139 Pause Job button added. Also added warning dialog when pausing or aborting a job when a file copy is still in progress.
  3. T176 Job index # column added so you can sort back to how it was after accidentally sorting by another column.
  4. T177 Warning dialog when minimizing to System Tray because Windows 10 hides those icons by default and that confuses everyone eventually.
  5. T178 Added FAQ button to main window which will ask the user if they want to open the frequently asked and answered questions page on our website.

Version 3.7.4 2019-02-18 [View Workboard]

  1. T127 Replicator window falls behind others after Browse for Folder

Version 3.7.3 2019-01-14 [View Workboard]

  1. T119 Removed debug keystrokes like F8 because was causing problem for user.
  2. T121 All Replicator windows now include version number in the caption.
  3. T120 Installer now makes a (optional) backup copy of Replicator settings before installation.
  4. T122 Installer now checks for running Replicator process and requires it to be closed before installation.

Version 3.7.2 2019-01-09 [View Workboard]

  1. T29 Verified can copy really long pathnames.
  2. T36 Setting destination subfolders' timestamps to match source folders.
  3. T75 Improved progress indication when running job:
    • Updating display only once per second improves performance
    • Abbreviating byte counts to traditional KB/MB/GB/TB based on 1024 bytes per KB, etc.
    • Added file copy throughput in bytes/second (abbreviated based on 1024 bytes per KB, too)
  4. T108 Greatly improved performance by offloading file copy to operating system.
  5. T113 Fixed bug where settings were not saved if the system was rebooted without first exiting Replicator.
  6. T116 Replicating source folder attributes so custom icons will work on destination folders when Desktop.ini is replicated.

Version 3.7.1 2018-12-06 [View Workboard]

  1. T61 Fixed Reset Grand Totals button function on Other Settings.
  2. T102 Added /QUIT switch to command line start options to force Replicator to close after completed jobs specified on the command line, or when Exit clicked, without regard to the Warn User configuration option.
  3. T107 Forcing Replicator to close without Warn User dialog when system is shutting down, user is logging off, or application being closed by Task Manager. Added Other Settings option: Minimize Window Instead of Closing, which will minimize the window if user clicks upper-right X to close the window. Can be combined with Minimize to System Tray option.

Version 3.7 2018-10-03

  1. T1 Explicitly creates Settings, Log File, and Job Destination directories to avoid Path Not Found errors on Windows 10 v.1703, Windows 8.1, some versions of Windows Server, and similarly on machines where destination directory structure access control lists disallow reading directories farther up the tree.
  2. Windows version reported in log file correct for Windows 7 and Windows 8. When running Replicator on Windows 10, the Win32 API reports the manifest version as Windows 8 -- because that was the last version of Windows on which the API GetVersionEx wasn't deprecated. The version reported is actual the version of the Windows for which the executable was prepared. Windows 10 uses a modern manifest system for which Replicator hasn't yet been specifically prepared.

Previous Versions

  • Version 3.6.9: Not exactly sure... (FB post about it)
  • Version 3.6.8: Fixed bug that prevented you from editing a job immediately after changing the order jobs are displayed in the Settings Window. Also made change that might help prevent a "race" condition that rarely kept the "Run Highlighted Jobs Now" button from being enabled after more than one job was selected using the <Click>-<Shift>+<Click> technique.
  • Version 3.6.7: Fixed bug I recently introduced, that caused only the first wildcard to be processed, when a filter contains more than one wildcard.
  • Version 3.6.6: Allowed program to browse unlimited number of network providers, domains, servers and shares. Previously this had been limited to approximately 16 of each type of object.
  • Version 3.6.5: Fixed bug (that I introduced in version 3.6.2) that cause log entries describing errors to mysteriously end with the extraneous characters "\par".
  • Version 3.6.4: Changes the way the programs creates shortcuts. Hopefully it will cause the shortcuts to display their icons more reliably.
  • Version 3.6.3: Program now detects source files whose contents are locked (as opposed to the file being locked) before attempting to copy the file. This prevents zero-length destination files in those cases where the source file is accessible, but its contents are not.
  • Version 3.6.2: Fixed bug that caused the program to write incorrect log entries when the text contained a curly bracket ("{" or "}"). Note: This fixes the way new log entries containing curly brackets are written. If you already have such an entry in your log file, created by an older version of the Replicator, you'll need to erase your old log file in order to see the new entries.
  • Version 3.5.12: Fixed two typos, and added workaround that should help certain buggy visual themes display correctly.
  • Version 3.5.10: Added two options to make the program cooperate better with screen readers. Now, there's an option on the "Other Settings" dialog that allows you to disable the "Past Due" warning dialog. Another new options allows the user to disable the program's Beep sound, and substitute a window "flash" instead, if desired.
  • Version 3.5.9: Made another change to try to fix Weekday Name tag bug. Note: This bug only affects those are using tags in their Destination Folder names, and whose country starts counting weekdays from some day other than Sunday.
  • Version 3.5.8: Made changes to Weekday Name tags, hoping to make it work correctly with non-U.S. versions of Windows where first day of week is not Sunday. May have fixed the problem, or may have made it worse.
  • Version 3.5.7: Made Global Exclusions case-insensitive.
  • Version 3.5.5: Program now updates progress bar, showing 100% copied, when finished copying small files. Also added additional code to ensure program sets Windows' current directory to the program's own installation folder, when a job has finished (this may prevent drives appearing to be in use after a Replicator job has finished).
  • Version 3.5.3: Added restriction on form of Destination folder. It can no longer end, or begin, with a space character.
  • Version 3.5.2: Fixed (recently introduced) bug that prevented settings from remembering value of checkmark "Copy Files Only if Changed or Added".
  • Version 3.5.1: Fixed bug that sometimes caused file copy and disk free space progress bars to not be displayed.
  • Version 3.5.0: Added job option (which is on by default) that causes destination files to be temporarily renamed, while a new copy is created. If the new copy is successful, the old version of the destination file is deleted. Otherwise, the old copy is restored to its original name.
  • Version 3.4.11: Fixed bug that prevented some source files from being opened when run under Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE and Windows ME. Also made some improvements to the logging code.
  • Version 3.4.10: Fixed bug that prevented program from displaying the settings folder, in the About window, when running under Windows 95, Windows 95 SE and Windows ME.
  • Version 3.4.9: Increased the space, on the View Log window, where the name of the log file is displayed. This should help prevent the truncation of the name when the path is long.
  • Version 3.4.8: Added a help file to the Replicator. Now, you can press the <F1> key while viewing most of the program's windows, or click any of the many "Help" buttons, to view the help file's contents.
  • Version 3.4.7: Fixed long-time bug that prevented the Replicator from copying files that were being written to by another program. It's still possible for another program to prevent the Replicator from accessing an open file. But if the other program cooperates, the Replicator will now take what it can get.
  • Version 3.4.6: \$Recycle.bin\ (Vista's Recycle Bin folder) is now added to existing Global Exclusions. Earlier releases only added this entry to newly created Global Exclusions (created when the program is run for the first time).
  • Version 3.4.5: Fixed very serious bug in version 3.4.4, that could cause some files to be left open, and some files to fail to be copied. Please upgrade immediately to version 3.4.5 (or later), if you are currently using version 3.4.4.
  • Version 3.4.4: Re-enabled progress bar updates of bytes copied, free space remaining.
  • Version 3.4.3: Worked around Windows bug (misunderstanding?) that prevented program from sending folders to the recycle bin when run on versions of Windows that support the NTFS file system. Also reinstated support for sub-folders and file names containing Unicode characters, on a trial basis.
  • Version 3.4.2: Made another attempt to fix log file bug. Hopefully, log entries will no longer run together from time to time. Note: This fix only effects log entries made after this version is installed. It doesn't "repair" older entries.
  • Version 3.4.1: Fixed a bug that corrupted the log file when a user erased the file.
  • Version 3.4: Made several changes to allow program to run as normal user under Windows Vista. These include the location where settings are stored, and the default location of the program's log file.
  • Version 3.3.5: Added additional sections to the program's manifest, to make it explicit that the program should run under the security identify of the program launching the program.
  • Version 3.3.4: Fixed bug that prevented users from deleting Global Exclusion rules. Also fixed cosmetic problem that prevented the Add/Edit/Delete jobs tab from being visible, when no jobs have been defined, until you clicked the "Other Settings" tab first.
  • Version 3.3.3: Worked around Windows bug that prevented some files from being moved to Recycle Bin on disks that support Unicode file names.
  • Version 3.3.2: Fixed bug that prevented some custom file filters from working correctly. Also tidied up the log entry describing the file selection method.
  • Version 3.3.1: Improved ability to test Global Exclusions, including ones that have been entered but not yet saved.
  • Version 3.3: Activated "Global Exclusions" feature, which allows you to specify folders and files that will be skipped by all jobs. Also fixed display bug that obscured the progress bars when a job was run via a command line parameter (including those in shortcuts).
  • Version 3.2.6: More changes to fixed remaining "Error 5 - Access Denied" problems. Also fixed problem that prevented update of one of two progress bars while job is running.
  • Version 3.2.5: I think I've finally fixed an elusive bug that caused some jobs to fail with "Error 5 - Access Denied" when the job copied from a folder on a local disk, to a folder on a network disk specified using a UNC-style file name (\\Server\Share\...). Also added option in Other Settings to automatically start the Replicator when any user logs on, or only when a particular user logs on (previously, the auto-start feature only worked for a particular user).
  • Version 3.2.4: Fixed bug that could cause a system to run out of "Paged Pool Memory" (Windows error 1450) if tens of thousands of folders were copied.
  • Version 3.2.3: Fixed bug that caused file copies on some systems running Windows 9x or Windows ME to fail with "error 13 invalid data".
  • Version 3.2.2: Fixed bug that caused program to hang if a job was scheduled to run automatically, but the schedule options excluded all seven days in a week.
  • Version 3.2.1: Fixed bug that prevented program from deleting folders, when "Replicate File and Folder Deletions" option was selected.
  • Version 3.2: Added option (under "Other Settings") to automatically launch the program each time Windows starts.
  • Version 3.1: Worked around a Windows limitation that was preventing the program from copying more than 32,767 files from any single folder.
  • Version 3.0: Added several new features. You can now specify the amount of information added to the log file.
  • Version 2.2.3: Suppresses a lot of unnecessary log entries, when creating a new file.
  • Version 2.2.2: Caused program to update on-screen "Last Run" and "Next Run" display automatically after a scheduled job is run (previously, this occurred only after a manual job was run). Also fixed the tab order of controls on the Settings window, making it easier to use with keyboard alone (no mouse).
  • Version 2.2.1: Fixed bug that caused program to ignore excluded days of week.
  • Version 2.2: Caused program to check for the accessibility of top-level source folder several times while running a job (previously, this check was only made at the beginning of a job). This allows the job to be aborted if the source drive is disconnected or becomes unavailable after the job has started.
  • Version 2.1.3: Fixed bug that prevented "Run All Enabled Jobs Now" button from being enabled when the program started.
  • Version 2.1.2: Fixed bug that broke the Replicator's ability to be run the first job in the job list, from a shortcut or command line.
  • Version 2.1.1: Fixed bug that could cause program to fail when adding your first job.
  • Version 2.1: Can now Duplicate jobs. Also added Next Run and Last Run to main window's job display, allow user to sort and resize the columns.
  • Version 2.0.7: Fixed bug that caused program to display warning message (Settings File Could Not Be Opened) the first time the program is run. Also added two new command line switches: /view (display Replicator log) and /erase (Erase/Purge Replicator log).
  • Version 2.0.6: Fixed cosmetic problem that sometimes caused on-screen progress information to appear jumbled.
  • Version 2.0.5: If new version is installed into a new folder (not the same folder as previous version) program will now offer to migrate settings (jobs and filers). Also fixed problem that caused program to sometimes display wrong job name when deleting a job (selected job was deleted, but wrong name might be displayed in confirmation dialog).
  • Version 2.0.4: Major new release, now supports "exclusion" file filters, filters that specify which files to skip. Also lets you determine which days of the week a file, or group of files, should be copied. Additional features include a color-coded log file, the ability to run the program from the command line, and the creation of desktop shortcuts that instantly run particular job(s).
  • Version 1.8.10: Fixed bug that could cause program to crash when launched minimized.
  • Version 1.8.9: When minimized, and icon displayed in System Tray, single-clicking System Tray icon with left mouse button now restores main window.
  • Version 1.8.8: Fixed bug that could cause Replicator to overlook new files when only one job has been defined, and that job does not include subdirectories.
  • Version 1.8.7: Fixed problem that occasionally caused runtime error 75, when attempting to delete a read-only or non-existent folder.
  • Version 1.8.6: Fixed bug that caused <dow> tag (day of week) to always be replaced by "2" instead of actual day of week (1 - 7).
  • Version 1.8: Now logs Windows error messages when copy fails. Also warns user if "Replicate Folder and File Deletions" option is selected.
  • Version 1.7.2: Fixed bug that caused "Copy only if newer" option to misbehave. Also added "Day of Week" option to new variable destination feature.
  • Version 1.7.1: Fixed bug that caused error message to appear when trying to view empty log file. Thanks to reader Dave Bourassa for spotting this.
  • Version 1.7: Added default choices for Past Due dialog. Further improved root folder detection, improving support for empty CD-RW drives as Destination Folder.
  • Version 1.6: Fixed bug that prevented versions 1.4 and 1.5 from creating a new folder in the root directory of a drive. Program will now delete subfolders in destination, if corresponding folder has been deleted in source, and "Replicate Folder and File Deletions" option is selected. Previously, only file deletions were replicated, and option was named "Replicate File Deletions".
  • Version 1.5.1: Changed Past Due Job dialog so that it only displays once (no matter how many jobs are past due) if the 20-second time expires before a user responds.
  • Version 1.5: Program now skips job immediately, if source directory doesn't exist or is offline.
  • Version 1.4.1: Program now loads large log files (several hundred KB) much faster.
  • Version 1.4: Added warning message if program exited while jobs are still scheduled.
  • Version 1.3: Enabled program to see and copy hidden folders.
  • Version 1.2: Past Due dialog now times out after 20 seconds, allowing program to start and run unattended.
  • Version 1.1: Fixed bug that prevented File Filters from filtering out unwanted files. Also, improved support for disabled jobs.
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