HM2 full backup size 10x smaller than used to be since upgrading to Windows 10.

[simonbg]

I recently upgraded my OS from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10.
Prior to the upgrade, a full backup of both database and HUD settings would take about 1 GB for a 220,000 hand database.
Now, it only takes 100 MB for the same number of hands. Is that a normal backup size for 220,000 hands? As far as I can tell by using HM2, my database still has all the hands it had before, though in a new database. I did have to reinstall HM2 and restore my previous backup. See details below.

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A bit of background: I'm using HM2 2.00.8443
I did have to completely uninstall and reinstall HM2. Here's what happened. At first, I did a reset of my license and everything was ok except for LeakBuster which caused HM2 to crash upon running it (LeakBuster would start in the trial version and immediately cause HM2 to crash. However, I found out that by deleting my settings and restoring default settings (using this procedure: Hold'Em Manager 2 FAQs - Poker Software :: Create a Backup and restore default settings.), LeakBuster worked fine. But as soon as I tried to restore my old settings, the problem came back.
I tried numerous things. After numerous trials and error, I ended up uninstalling HM2, personally removing any folder related to HM2 and postgreSQL and reinstalling it. I restored my previous full backup to a new database. Since LeakBuster was still causing problems, I restored default settings and imported my HUD settings independently from a separate file I had made just in case. It worked. Then it crashed again. But now it's working fine. I'm still not sure if the LeakBuster issue settled but for now I'm just worried about the backup size as stated above.

[udbrky]

Are the number of hands correct?

Please try to vacuum/analyze and reindex your database - Hold'Em Manager 2 FAQs - Poker Software :: Database Manager (Ribbon)

If you continue to have problems, try the following:

Try creating a new DataBase and import a small portion of your \HM2Archive so you can see if the problem exists in the new DB - Hold'Em Manager 2 FAQs - Poker Software :: How to create a new database and import previously played hands

If the new database seems to work properly, it sounds like your database might be corrupt. Please continue to use the new database and import the rest of your hands using the steps above. This is why regular backups are a good idea. If your database becomes corrupt you can restore a backup and only have to import the most recent hands (that were played after the backup was created) and edit any tournament results if necessary. I recommend keeping at least the most recent 2 or 3 backups in case the most recent one does not restore properly you can try the previous backup.

Here is a FAQ explaining how to backup your database and all settings in one easy step - Hold'Em Manager 2 FAQs - Poker Software :: How does Backup and Restore Database, Settings and HUD configs work?

If you continue to have problems, please reproduce the problem and zip/attach your HM2Logs folder with a detailed description of what you were doing and what problems you were experiencing - Hold'Em Manager 2 FAQs - Poker Software :: How Do I Send a Log File to Holdem Manager Support?

[simonbg]

Yes, the number of hands is correct :220,000. When I'm using HM2, they're all there, and the database is working fine, no issues at all. It's just that the full back-up only takes up 100 mb (it used to be 1 GB) ever since I reinstalled HM2 and restored my database after upgrading to Windows 10 (that was because of an issue that is now resolved, where hm2 would crash upon starting up LeakBuster, but now that issue isn't bothering me, and it wasn't related to the database because the crashes used to happen even right after a new install, without using any database.)

Anyway, I just tested that new 100 mb backup by restoring it to a new database and to my surprise, it restored all 220,000 hands. Even more bizarre is the fact that when I compare the 2 databases, it says the new one has anout 400 mb of data whereas the one I have been using has 4000 mb of data, but both have all 220,000 hands.

Any thougths on that? Prior to doing that test, I had a feeling that the new backups only contained hands created after the system upgrade+reinstall, but now I'm not sure what to think. Could it be that the new set-up takes up less data for databases?

Also, I noticed that the HM2archive folder only contains hands from after the system upgrade/reinstall. I have no idea where all the previous hands are actually stored.

Thanks,

[fozzy71]

Backups bloat over time and should be regularly vacuumed to keep the size down. It is common/expected behavior for a restored database to be smaller than the original database was.

As to your previously archived hands check the C:\Windows.old folder that Windows created when you updated the OS.

[simonbg]

Thank you very much, that's good to know.