Could not find backup file when restoring RadStudio project

Could not find backup file when restoring RadStudio project

The goal is to determine whether the automatic backup created by RadStudio’s Project Options captures the full project state, including all source files, or merely the project metadata. When a user attempts to restore a project via File ► Restore Project, the IDE displays the error message "Could not find backup file" if the corresponding .dproj.bak file is missing or corrupted. This situation raises uncertainty about the completeness of the backup and the reliability of the restore operation.

Key constraints include:

• The documented backup process only copies .dproj, .dpk, and .dproj.local files.
• Unit source files (.pas, .dfm) are not part of the backup.
• Restoration recreates project files but does not automatically recover deleted or modified source files.

Unresolved decision: Should future releases extend the backup to include all source files, providing a true snapshot of the project?

To address this, consider the following questions:

• Does the current .dproj.bak contain only metadata, or are any source files included?
• If the backup is incomplete, what manual steps are required to recover lost or altered source files after a restore?
• What verification steps can ensure that a restored project reflects the exact state of the original at backup time?