Missed runs: what happens when the PC was off
The PC was off, asleep or on battery at 02:00. How the agent catches up, when a run counts as missed, and how you find out.
On this page
Schedules assume the PC is on, and real PCs are not. When a run could not start on time, the agent catches it up as soon as it can, within a window you choose. Only a run that falls outside that window is missed.
Catch-up#
The condition Run a missed backup as soon as possible, but not more than n hours late is on for new jobs, with 12 hours.
When the PC comes back on, the agent checks each job:
- If a run fell due while the PC was off or asleep, and it is less than n hours late, it runs now.
- If several runs fell due, only the latest one runs, once.
- If it is later than n hours, the run is missed and the job waits for its next scheduled time.
So a 02:00 backup on a PC that is switched on at 09:00 runs at 09:00. On a PC first switched on at 17:00 it is missed, which keeps a nightly backup from starting in the middle of your working day. Raise n (up to 72) if you would rather it ran late.
With the condition off, a run may start at most 10 minutes late.
Waiting is not missing#
A due run can also wait for a reason on the PC. It is checked again every 30 seconds and starts as soon as the reason goes, as long as it is still inside the catch-up window:
- On battery, with Skip if the computer is on battery on: it starts when the laptop is plugged in.
- Quiet hours: it starts when they end.
- The backup drive is not connected (a local or USB destination): it starts the moment the drive is plugged in, under any letter.
- Scheduled backups are paused from the notification-area icon: it runs once when the pause ends, and is never counted as missed.
Two cases work differently:
- A network share gets about 20 seconds to answer when a run starts. If it does not, the run fails with
E-DEST-001. - A destination that goes away during a run is waited for up to 15 minutes. After that the run fails with
E-DEST-001. See Destination not connected.
What you are told#
What reaches you depends on whether the GBM AI window is open.
| What happened | With the window closed | With the window open |
|---|---|---|
| A run waits for its drive | a Windows notification, Documents & Desktop: destination not reachable, and a line in Activity | a message in the window, A scheduled backup is waiting, and a line in Activity |
| A run waits for battery power or quiet hours | a line in Activity | a message in the window, A scheduled backup is waiting, and a line in Activity |
| A run was missed | a Windows notification, A scheduled backup was missed, and a line in Activity | a message in the window and a Windows notification, A scheduled backup was missed, and a line in Activity |
| A job has not completed for longer than 1.5 times its interval | the notification-area icon says the job needs attention | Home shows Requires attention and names the job |
Requires attention is the signal that always reaches you. It stays on Home, and on the icon, until the job completes again. With email alerts, the weekly summary email also lists every job's runs of the past week. See Email alerts.
If a job keeps missing its runs#
Usually the PC is off or asleep at the same time every day. Any one of these fixes it:
- Move the run to a time the PC is on: Daily at 13:00 instead of 02:00.
- Leave Wake the computer to run on, and allow wake timers in Windows. See Keeping the PC awake for a backup.
- Raise the catch-up window, so a morning start still catches last night's run.
- Turn on service mode, so runs do not need anyone signed in. See Running backups with nobody signed in.
When the trial has ended#
While backups are paused at the end of the trial, scheduled runs do not start. When you buy or choose Free, a run that fell due starts at once if it is still inside its catch-up window. See When the trial ends.