Background

When a project backup file (.PRJ) is created using Project Manager, the entire contents of the project's folder are included, along with data from the project database.  This means that some files that are not needed may be included and increase the size of the backup file unnecessarily.

These files may include

• .BAK files created by AutoCAD
•  _RECOVER.DWG files created by AutoCAD
• Any files placed there by the user.

The .bak files may prove useful if a project page becomes corrupt and is unrecoverable, but they take up unnecessary space when a project is complete or when it is necessary to transmit the backup.  If there is a .bak file for every .dwg, the project size can almost double.

There is nothing wrong with storing other types of files in the project's folder, especially if they are related to the project.  Just make sure it makes sense to do so and that large or numerous temporary files are removed before backing up the project.

Steps to Accomplish

To reduce the size of the resulting project backup file, remove or delete unnecessary files from the project's folder before creating the backup using Windows Explorer.

Notes:

• Do not delete required files that the software creates in the project folder, including the ect.fid and ProjectOptions.xml files.  If the source or purpose of a file is uncertain, do not delete it.
• Do not use the project's folder as the destination folder for backups of the project.  In addition to increasing the size of subsequent backups, backups should be stored in another location, preferably on a different device, to best safeguard data.

See Also

Backup Project

Backup Your Data

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