Why did SD delete my folders?

[Rebel]

Two nights ago my main directory got damaged up and couldn't be repaired, so I needed to restore from a recent clone on an external hard drive.
Before doing so, I wanted to backup all my user files that had changed since the last clone was done a few days before. I only wanted to backup the user files, because I didn't want to backup any corrupted system files.

I opened SD and set it to Smart Update using Backup - user files.

When SD had finished, I was shocked to find that SD had deleted ALL files on the destination except the Users folder. Everything else at at the root level was gone - Documents, Library, System, SystemConfiguration etc. ALL GONE!!

I had no choice at that point except to re-clone my entire drive (corrupted files and all) to the external drive. After 3 more hours, SD finished.
As a test, to see if I somehow did something wrong, I again attempted to copy just the user files to the just-cloned external HD. I again set SD to Backup - user files with the Smart Update function (which I've always used). Within seconds of starting SD, the root folders started disappearing again, so I stopped SD. I then had had to re-clone my system again, but it was much faster since only 2 folders had been deleted.

When Backing up user files, I sure wouldn't expect SD to delete everything except the user files!


WHAT HAPPENED?


When trying to clone my drive today, SD keeps hanging and I must Force Quit.
I had just reformatted and partitioned my external drive, and SD hangs around 75%. When I restart SD, it hangs again at the same place - doesn't make any progress.

Console shows this:
8/22/11 8:41:57 AM SuperDuper![570] kCGErrorFailure: _CGSBindWindowBacking: cannot map backing data shmem
8/22/11 8:41:57 AM SuperDuper![570] kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.
8/22/11 8:41:57 AM SuperDuper![570] kCGErrorFailure: _CGSLockWindow: Unable to lock window
8/22/11 8:41:57 AM SuperDuper![570] kCGErrorFailure: CGSLockWindowVisibleRegion
8/22/11 8:41:57 AM SuperDuper![570] kCGErrorInvalidOperation: CGSClearWindowDirtyRegion: not locked
8/22/11 8:41:57 AM SuperDuper![570] kCGErrorFailure: _CGSUnlockWindow: Unable to unlock window
8/22/11 8:41:57 AM SuperDuper![570] kCGErrorFailure: CGSUnlockWindowVisibleRegion
8/22/11 8:41:58 AM [0x0-0x3c03c].com.blacey.SuperDuper![570] Mon Aug 22 08:41:57 Macbook-Pro.local SuperDuper![570] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: _CGSBindWindowBacking: cannot map backing data shmem
8/22/11 8:41:58 AM [0x0-0x3c03c].com.blacey.SuperDuper![570] Mon Aug 22 08:41:57 Macbook-Pro.local SuperDuper![570] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.
8/22/11 8:41:58 AM [0x0-0x3c03c].com.blacey.SuperDuper![570] Mon Aug 22 08:41:57 Macbook-Pro.local SuperDuper![570] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: _CGSLockWindow: Unable to lock window
8/22/11 8:41:58 AM [0x0-0x3c03c].com.blacey.SuperDuper![570] Mon Aug 22 08:41:57 Macbook-Pro.local SuperDuper![570] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: CGSLockWindowVisibleRegion
8/22/11 8:41:58 AM [0x0-0x3c03c].com.blacey.SuperDuper![570] Mon Aug 22 08:41:57 Macbook-Pro.local SuperDuper![570] <Error>: kCGErrorInvalidOperation: CGSClearWindowDirtyRegion: not locked
8/22/11 8:41:58 AM [0x0-0x3c03c].com.blacey.SuperDuper![570] Mon Aug 22 08:41:57 Macbook-Pro.local SuperDuper![570] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: _CGSUnlockWindow: Unable to unlock window
8/22/11 8:41:58 AM [0x0-0x3c03c].com.blacey.SuperDuper![570] Mon Aug 22 08:41:57 Macbook-Pro.local SuperDuper![570] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: CGSUnlockWindowVisibleRegion
8/22/11 10:04:01 AM [0x0-0x9b09b].com.blacey.SuperDuper![1925] crontab: no crontab for MyName
8/22/11 10:04:07 AM [0x0-0x9b09b].com.blacey.SuperDuper![1925] crontab: no crontab for MyName


I just ran Applejack, and now I'm running SD again. SD started to continue the backup, but now it's stuck again. No SBB, but the Log shows nothing has been copied in over 15 minutes.
Perhaps those corrupted files I was forced to copy are causing problems?


SD 2.6.4
OS X 10.6.8 Intel 64-bit

[dnanian]

What happened? Exactly what is supposed to happen, and what it specifically says will happen. I even documented this exact case in the User's Guide.

Smart Update is, as it says, just like Erase, then copy. So, imagine it erases the drive, then copies what you said. You said copy the User files. So, conceptually, erase the drive, then copy the user files. What is left on the drive - just the user files.

[Rebel]

Well that's f'n stupid!

I doubt this is what most people would expect, and obviously you knew this would happen since you put it in the manual. Why then, isn't there a popup warning saying that everything except the User folder will be deleted?

Yes, I've read the manual, but I can't possibly remember every subject in all the manuals for the many apps I use.

I think one would expect this script to Smart Update the files in the Users folder...PERIOD. Yes it should delete files IN the folder as necessary, but it shouldn't touch anything OUTSIDE the chosen folder.

[dnanian]

You may have assumed it worked differently, but it's clearly expressed in the UI as well as the documentation. I'm sorry you were confused or expecting something different, but it wasn't because of what SuperDuper! said it was going to do...