Location to set up BackUp and Restore


  1. FLMEGram
    Posts : 6
    Windows 7 Home Premium, 64 bit
       New #1

    Location to set up BackUp and Restore


    Hi,

    I set up Backup and Restore in the Wrong place, I believe. I set it up on my G Drive which is called HP Tools. The drive capacity is 3.95G. I began getting messages that there was no more room on the G Drive. It had only saved to the drive once.

    So I went out and purchased a 8G flash drive and set it up to use that drive. Now I am getting similar notices saying there is no more space on that drive. It has only saved one restore point.

    How much space do I need? In the past, with other computers, I have saved it on my C drive I believe.

    Thanks so much for your help! Barb
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  3. fireberd
    Posts : 8,135
    Windows 10 64 bit
       New #2

    Windows, alone, is 20GB in my Win 7 installation. What are you backing up?

    The best option is to have a separate hard drive that you can make full hard drive backups to, not just selected data as the Windows backup program does. I use Acronis True Image (not a free program) and do full backups - all partitions on my hard drive to a separate hard drive (internal or USB connected). Then if/when its needed its a fairly easy task to rebuild the drive to how it was when the last backup was done. I use the bootable rescue CD that I can create from Acronis, boot with that and restore or build the hard drive from my backup. The only user data that is lost is what user data was created since the backup, and if you do regular backups very little is lost.

    The extra cost of a hard drive (or USB connected hard drive) and the backup software is worth it, if (when) it is ever used.

    NEVER backup to the same physical drive (or partition on the drive). If the drive would fail and have to be completely rebuilt or replaced all data is lost.
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  4. FLMEGram
    Posts : 6
    Windows 7 Home Premium, 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    How to set up backup and restore


    Hi,
    I do back up my documents to Dropbox and backup my photos to a flash drive.

    I'm a senior citizen and not interested in backing up the whole system to an external drive. Past computers let me go back to a restore point. That way if something I recently looked at or downloaded started to make my computer act quirky, I could just look up the latest restore points and pick one that was before the problem started.

    When I set up Backup and Restore I am not seeing options on what to back up. I am completely lost as to what to do. Even if I saw choices, I wouldn't know which ones to choose.

    I recently removed Skype from my computer and then I noticed several game shortcuts had been removed from my desktop. I don't know what other funny things happened at the same time. I was wishing then I could go back to a restore point a few weeks before.

    Thanks,
    Barb
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  6. fireberd
    Posts : 8,135
    Windows 10 64 bit
       New #4

    I too am a "senior citizen" - Florida Retiree.

    The plus side of what I mentioned is you backup everything, not just user data/pictures/music, etc. If something happens, such as you have now with the Skype removal, you can completely restore. Basically a "one click" reinstall (actually about 3 clicks).

    Keep in mind if/when the hard drive fails you will wish you had a full hard drive (all partitions) backup. Backups are not for IF they will ever be needed, they are for WHEN they are needed.
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  7. FLMEGram
    Posts : 6
    Windows 7 Home Premium, 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       New #5

    Size of External Backup


    How do I determine the size of an external backup in order to buy the correct one?
    Thanks!
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