[ubuntu] Please help me get Rsync to successfully use my exclude list

Hi all,

I would appreciate it if someone could tell me what I am doing wrong with my Rsync exclusion list?

Recently I discovered through another of my threads Rsync may not have been excluding anything in my exclusion list. Yesterday I cleaned up an old HDD to back up my machine and confirm whether or not Rsync is using the exclusions list. As suspected Rsync didn't exclude anything.

I did plenty of reading of other threads about creating and using exclusion lists with Rsync, then edited my back up script and exclusion list repeatedly to no avail and at this very moment in time Rsync is now saying there's no such file or directory. Below is a copy of my backup script, my exclusions list and the various alteatives I tried in order to make it work. Please point out and correct my error(s) because clearly I can't work it out for myself and I'm just about at my wits end.

Original back up script = no error messages

rsync -avrPS --exclude-from=backup_excludes.lst ~/ /media/mno/ADATA/Backup.HP

rsync -avrPS --exclude-from='backup_excludes.lst' ~/ /media/mno/ADATA/Backup.HP

rsync -avrPS –exclude-from 'backup_excludes.lst' ~/ /media/mno/ADATA/Backup.HP

rsync -avrPS –exclude-from=/home/bin/backup_excludes.lst ~/ /media/mno/ADATA/Backup.HP

rsync -avrPS –exclude-from='/home/bin/backup_excludes.lst' ~/ /media/mno/ADATA/Backup.HP

 ~/home/*/.cache** 
 ~/home/*/.dbus 
 ~/home/*/.dropbox 
 ~/home/*/.mozilla/firefox/f0siflo0.default/Cache/** 
 ~/home/*/.mozilla/firefox/f0siflo0.default/Cache.Trash 
 ~/home/*/.mozilla/firefox/1ccnqwzj.default/Cache/** 
 ~/home/*/.mozilla/firefox/1ccnqwzj.default/Cache.Trash 
 ~/home/*/.local/share/Trash/** 
 ~/home/*/.cache/thumbnails 
 ~/home/*/.cache/mozilla 
 ~/home/*/.cache/thunderbird