Automate backup file maintenance with Python

I automated my disk backups, but I kept having to delete the extra backup files manually so I wouldn't run out of space.  I decided I needed to automate that task as well.

Add the following Python script to a task so it will run automatically.

Python script:
import os
import datetime
import fnmatch

dir_to_search = "[full path to backup directory]"
for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(dir_to_search):
   intCountOfTotalBackups = len(fnmatch.filter(filenames, '[Backup name, same as the Macrium XML file]*-00-00.mrimg'))
   print "Total Backups: " + str(intCountOfTotalBackups)
   intCountOfBackupsToDelete = 0
 
   for file in fnmatch.filter(filenames, '[Backup name, same as the Macrium XML file]*-00-00.mrimg'):
      curpath = os.path.join(dirpath, file)
      file_modified = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getmtime(curpath))
      #keep a weeks worth of backups
      if datetime.datetime.now() - file_modified > datetime.timedelta(hours=168):
          intCountOfBackupsToDelete += 1

   print intCountOfBackupsToDelete
   #always keep at least a few backups, even if they are old.
   if intCountOfBackupsToDelete < (intCountOfTotalBackups - 4):
      print str(intCountOfBackupsToDelete) + ' < ' + str(intCountOfTotalBackups - 4)
      for file in fnmatch.filter(filenames, 'Atom_Nightly*-00-00.mrimg'):
         curpath = os.path.join(dirpath, file)
         file_modified = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getmtime(curpath))
         if datetime.datetime.now() - file_modified > datetime.timedelta(hours=168):
             os.remove(curpath)
             print "remove " + curpath
#input("Press Enter to continue...")

Automate disk backups with Macrium Reflect (free)

I've had really good luck with Macrium Reflect Free.  It is a free disk imaging program, and has most of the features of the major corporate players, but there is a free version.

With a little looking around I figured out how to automate backups with the Windows Task Scheduler.

You have to run an initial backup, and save it so you can run it again later, it saves as an XML file.

Now you just have Task Scheduler run a batch file containing the following:
call "C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect\Reflect.exe" -e -w "[path to Macrium saved backup document]\[backup name].xml"

This will run the backup on whatever schedule you have set.