Game Backup Monitor v1.02

July 1, 2017

New in 1.02

• (Windows) Upgraded SQLite to 3.19.3.
• (All) The SQLite version is displayed on the "About" screen.
• (All) Added the ability to detect command parameters.
  • Use parameter detection for better detection of games running in emulators or interpreters like DOSBox.
  • This is an advanced optional feature and is not available in the "Add Game Wizard", please read the manual (http://mikemaximus.github.io/gbm-web/manual.html) for more details.
  • (Linux) Please note that Wine detection is still handled automatically by GBM and only requires a Windows process name. But this feature does work with Wine if you need to detect parameters!
• (All) Added the ability to resize and maximize the main program window.
  • The log is now displayed by default and resizes with the window.
  • The "Show/Hide Log" button has been removed due to technical issues with this change.
  • The minimum window size will let you easily hide the log as in past versions.
• (All) The last browse location in various dialogs is now saved, such as when using the Import/Export feature.
• (All) Available disk space is checked before attempting a backup. The log now displays available disk space and save folder size.
• (Linux) Using the keyboard to navigate the game list in the Game Manager now works correctly.
• (All) Tags can now be added to a new game configuration before saving on the Game Manager.
• (All) Fixed various issues when adding new game configurations while using filters on the Game Manager.
• (All) Added better handling of 7-Zip warnings and errors.
• (Linux) GBM now requires the "readlink" utility to properly handle Wine games. However bash, ls and grep are no longer required.

Known Issues

• (Linux) When performing a backup, GBM only checks the free space on / (root), which may not be the drive the backups are being stored on. This will be fixed next release.

• (Windows) If Alt-Tab is used to restore GBM while it's in the system tray, it's possible that it will no longer properly minimize back to the system tray. As a temporary work-around, right-click the GBM tray icon and use the "Show / Hide" option when this issue occurs. GBM should not be shown in the Alt-Tab menu while minimized, this issue will be fixed next release.

Installer Note

The installers are not signed and may show a Windows "Smart Screen" warning.

Game Backup Monitor v1.01

March 31, 2017

This release primarily adds new features and enhancements for people that use GBM to keep saved games in sync across multiple computers.

I highly recommend reading the "Settings" and "The Game Manager" sections of the manual for more details on how the new features work and their limitations.

New in 1.01

• (All) Added features to automatically handle new backup files.
  • Automatically restore new backup files when they are detected.
  • Automatically mark new backup files as restored if the game isn't installed on the current PC.
  • These new features are available in the "Backup and Restore" section of the Settings. They are optional and disabled by default.
• (All) Added new configuration option to delete saved game folder on restore
  • This option is used for games that change the file names of their saves, which results in a mix of old and new saved games if the old saves aren't deleted first.
  • This option has limitations and is not part of official configurations or import/export features.
• (All) The "Verify backup files with a checksum" option has been removed. This feature is now baked into GBM and cannot be disabled.
• (All) GBM will now behave consistently across different configurations (such as LAN) when performing sync operations.
• (Windows) Fixed rare issue related to DPI display scaling.

Installer Note

The installers are not signed and may show a Windows "Smart Screen" warning.

Game Backup Monitor v1.0

December 15, 2016

Game Backup Monitor has reached 1.0!

This is a maintenance release with bug fixes only. The next version will have some handy new features.

New in 1.0

• (Windows) Resolved issues related to DPI display scaling. GBM looks best with scaling disabled via the Compatability tab.
• (All) Very minor bug fixes and tweaks.

The entire version history of GBM releases is available here.

Installer Note

The installers are not signed and may show a Windows "Smart Screen" warning.

Game Backup Monitor v0.98

September 1, 2016

The manual has been updated for v0.98.

New in 0.98

• (All) Redesigned GBM's ability to manage multiple backups per game.
  • The "Timestamp each backup" option has been renamed "Save multiple backups".
  • You can limit the amount of backups you keep for each game by setting a limit (2 to 100).
  • GBM will keep your backup folder clean by automatically deleting old backups as limits are reached or modified.
  • The Game Manager now allows you to browse and manage ALL backups for each game, not just the latest backup.
• (All) Using "Monitor Only" no longer puts any limitations on the game configuration or available features.
• (Windows Installer) The installer will now properly go into upgrade mode if a prior version of GBM is installed. Note: 32-bit and 64-bit qualify as different versions.
• (Windows Installer) The installer will now create an uninstall entry in Add/Remove Programs (Apps & Features).
• (Linux) 64-bit games running in Wine will now be properly detected.
• (Linux) Add Game Wizard will no longer remove all extensions when selecting an executable.
• (Linux) GBM now prefers to use an absolute path when creating Linux game configurations.

Important Upgrade Information

• The Game Manager will not detect old backup files made using the "Timestamp each backup" setting in prior versions.
• Configurations using the "Timestamp each backup" option will have "Save multiple backups" automatically enabled with a backup limit of 5.
• If "Timestamp each backup" is currently set to sync, then "Save multiple backups" will also be set to sync after upgrading.

For information regarding Linux, please read the FAQ.

Known Issues

• GBM has minor display issues on the main form when DPI scaling is disabled. It's recommended to leave DPI scaling on. See Issue #64.

Game Backup Monitor v0.97

June 30, 2016

The manual has been updated for v0.97.

New in 0.97

• (All) Re-designed the Settings screen as a standard preference panel interface.
• (Windows) Updated GBM's version of 7-Zip to 16.02 (2016-05-21)
• (All) Custom arguments and switches can now be added to GBM's 7-Zip commands.
• (All) Custom versions of 7-Zip Console (7za) can now be used as a supported feature.
• (Windows) GBM's packaged version(s) of 7-Zip Console (7za) are now verified as a simple security feature.
• (All) A "Set Defaults" button is now available on the Settings screen.
• (All) Optional data fields such as "Company" and "Version" can now be included in the sync.
• (All) Reduced the maximum length of the session log to improve performance and added a setting to control log autosaves.
• (All) A "Quick Filter" has been added to the Game Manager. You can now quickly find a game by typing the name as soon as you open the window.
• (Linux) An official game list is now available for Linux, GBM will choose the official list based on your operating system.

For more information regarding Linux support read the FAQ.

Known Issues

• (Linux) 64-bit games running in Wine are not detected. See Issue #55.

Game Backup Monitor v0.96

March 24, 2016

The manual has been updated to include new features and changes made in this release.

New in 0.96

For more information regarding Linux support read the FAQ.

• (All) Modified backup and restore logic for better usability when doing batch operations and to fix Mono related issues.
• (All) Overhauled the Search screen for better usability and to fix Mono related issues.
• (All) Overhauled the Import screen for better usability. Added game tags, simple filtering, sorting and general fixes.
• (Linux) Fixed some bad code causing the "Official Import" connection to time out when making multiple connections in the same session.
• (Linux) Fixed cross-platform issues with opening backup files and restore locations from the Game Manager.
• (All) Backup files opened from the Game Manager will now open directly in the app they are associated with, like 7-Zip GUI or File Roller.
• (Linux) Fixed cross-platform issues with automatic file/folder searching. It's now enabled on Linux.
• (All) GBM now restores saved games to the currently configured saved game path by default. The stored manfiest location is only used when there's no configuration for the game.
• (Linux) Added Linux support via Mono!
• (All) Replaced System.Data.SQLite with the Mono.Data.Sqlite for cross-platform support.
• (Windows) Updated GBM's version of 7-Zip to 15.14 (2015-12-31)
• (All) Added the ability to set the 7-Zip compression level on the Settings screen.
• (Windows) GBM now deletes all user files to the Windows recycle bin by default.
• (All) Added the ability to clear and save the session log from the Tools menu.
• (All) GBM now auto-saves and clears the session log to %localappdata%\gbm if it reaches it's limit (2 MB).
• (All) The file size will be displayed in the session log after each backup.

If you have any issues after upgrading to this version please view the readme.txt file.

Game Backup Monitor v0.95

January 1, 2016

New in 0.95

• Fixed a regression that caused non-critical fields (Game Path, Company, Version, Icon, Enabled, Monitor Only) to be wiped or reset on sync.
• The "Check for new backups" feature has been renamed and redesigned. Instead of an annoying pop-up, it now shows a simple notification in the main menu or tray menu.
• Added the ability to trigger backups only after a certain session time has elapsed (Global Setting), this setting will be disabled by default.
• You can now cancel out of the "Choose Game" window when GBM detects multiple games may be running.
• Added the ability to filter by game information such as name, process and company.
• Many UI improvements and fixes with filtering. The "Tag" filter is now called "Custom" filter, due to the new options available.
• Added a new, more intuitive way of including and excluding items in a backup. See the Game Manager section of the GBM manual for details.
• Updated the "Add Game Wizard" to use the new include / exclude and tagging features.
• Removed the special handling of DOSBox games for future proofing, DOSBox games will now be handled like all other games. The readme.txt file includes important information regarding this DOSBox change.
• Moved the import and export game list features from the Tools menu into the Game Manager.
• Made some visual improvements to the main app window.
• Made changes that will allow GBM to be easily translated to other languages.
• Many minor UI improvements and bug fixes.

Known Issues

• Multi-select editing is broken in v0.95 and causes an error message. This does not affect multi-select tagging.

Game Backup Monitor v0.94

December 1, 2015

v0.94 has been updated to a stable release, a few minor bugs from the pre-release have been fixed.

New in 0.94

• Added the ability to organize your games with Tags. Users can create and customize their own list of Tags.
• Added the ability to filter by Tag in the Game Manager.
• Added the ability to filter by Tag when doing an XML export.
• Added the ability to disable Time Tracking. Enabling or disabling this setting has no effect on data already recorded.
• Added the ability to restart GBM as Administrator from the status bar.
• Redesigned notifications, GBM is now silent unless a problem occurs.
• Enhanced the sync logic and performance.
• The backup "Timestamp" setting is no longer included in XML imports or exports.
• Redesigned the XML import and export core. Sorry, this invalidates all prior XML export files, but it will ensure future backwards compatibility.
• Various bug fixes.

Known Issues

• A regression occured that causes non-critical fields (Game Path, Company, Version, Icon, Enabled, Monitor Only) to be wiped or reset upon sync. If you don't use GBM to sync game information across multiple computers you won't be affected by this issue. This is fixed for the upcoming v0.95 pre-release.

Game Backup Monitor v0.93

November 8, 2015

This is beta release software. You may still encounter some bugs.

New in 0.93

• GBM now handles date/time fields in an efficient manner, this will solve all issues with regional date formats.
• GBM will now gracefully exit with an error message if it detects a database version is newer than the program version itself.
• "Access Denied" errors should no longer occur when dragging shortcuts into the Add Game Wizard.
• Redesigned how the backup includes and excludes files. The changes allow for more complex backup configurations.
• Added an "Open Restore Path" button to the Game Manager, this will automatically open the current backup's restore location in Windows Explorer.
• Game names are now cropped in many places to prevent errors when messages and/or notifications exceed control limits.