Windows 7 - Backup User and System Files

Hello Pat,

It's possible to do so, but it has been reported to usually end with a failure to find or restore the backup after moving it.

Hello there, I have some questions that I hope you guys can help me out.

I have never use a backup program before, what I did is manually copy to external hdd, and since I gotten the Win 7, it is better to make full use of it.

Question goes:

1. Does all the files/folders been compressed after backing up?

2. After backing up the files/folders, what format is it in? I don't think it is copying and pasting type, right? Please enlighten me.

3. Only Win 7 backup program can restore the backup?

4. If I want to back up to 2 external hdd location, I must backup 2 times or I can just copy and paste to 2nd external hdd?

5. Each time it back up, be it manually or schedule, will it overwrite the back up that I did before? Say, this week backup will overwrite last week backup.

This is the part I am quite confuse on when you are talking about incremental.
Incremental means the size will get larger. Does it mean I back up my E drive at 50Gb and after a week, I back up and obtain 60Gb due to files saved? It will continuously add on by overwriting?

Hello Pboong,

Answers in-line:


The backup is saved into a VHD file with very little compression.


Same as above.


Correct, you can only restore the backup using the same backup feature.

Restore Backup User and System Files


Correct, you can only backup to one location at a time. You would have to change the backup settings after the first backup to select the 2nd location to backup for the second time.


A backup is saved incrementally. The first time at a new location it will be a full backup increment, each next backup made at the same location will only include what has been changed since the last backup in the next saved increment. Each backup will be a separate increment in the total backup. All increments will be required to do a restore from the backup though.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Thanks for all answers, Shawn!

To further understand the last part, (which I hope I am correct) ..

Last week back up is full back up.
Subsequent back up will be a separate increment in total backup.

Does that mean the subsequent back up is partial only?
For example, I have 1000 photos as full back up for last week.
This week, I have extra 500 photos. So the subsequent backup detect the new photos and back up separately? Is that what you mean? So, it will not be 1500 photos as Full Backup again, right?

If this is so, what if I wanna do the 3rd back up after few days of my 2nd back up. For e.g. I had deleted 150 photos. So, will the 3rd back up detect the deleted photos and change from there? Or.. what can it do?

Sorry for the confusing but I need to understand this fully badly.

No problem.

You are correct and got it, but the ones that you delete will not be removed from the previous backup increments. Instead, the 3rd backup increment will only backup the non-deleted files that have changed from the 1st and 2nd backup.

Alright! Bingo for me!
So, since the 3rd back up only back up the non-deleted files, is it full backup since there are missing items already.

When I restore the backup, will the deleted files will also be deleted as well?

Almost there.

The 3rd backup will still be made incrementally as well. Anything backed up to the same location will be in increments no matter what was changed to the files. It depends on what backup increment date you select to restore to in step 5 of the tutorial below for what gets restored though.

Restore Backup User and System Files

OIC. I should try it out first! =)

So, when I back up the files to my external drive, must the HDD be empty and mainly for backup usage only?
After clicking restore all user's file, it means it will extract ALL the files that had been back up before, right? (Provided I select ALL under version) If it is under certain date, it will restore that particular date that I just backup?

I'm gonna try for 3 days of backing up small files to get the idea.

Finally managed to get to the 'settings'
I read:
Backup Files Schedule - Turn On or Off

BUT
It seems to me in order to change the default settings I am oblidged to run the backup FIRST.
I do not want to run any backups.

Any suggestions, please?

Hello Korben, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm not sure that I understand. You say you do not want to run any backups, so why would you want to change the backup schedule settings? Could you please give more details on what you are wanting to do?