Windows 7 - Backup User and System Files - Delete Backups

   Information

Windows Backup provides you with the flexibility of managing the disk space that is used by your backups. After you set up Windows Backup, you can view how much disk space is being used by the backup and how much free space you have on the disk that your backups are being saved on. To control how much disk space is being used, you can choose how many file backups and how many system images Windows keeps.

This will show you how to manage and delete user data file backups and system image backups in Windows 7

   Note

New backups are saved in this format:

drive letter:\computer name\Backup Set YYYY-MM-DD HHMMSS

For example: If your computer name is Brink-PC, your backup location is on hard drive (network or local) F: , and you backed up on July 9th 2011 at 3:10:38 PM (it will use 24 hour time), then your backup would be located at:

F:\BRINK-PC\Backup Set 2011-07-09 151038

There will be a incremental Backup Files YYYY-MM-DD HHMMSS folder in the Backup Set... folder location above that contains ZIP folders each under 200MB in size. These ZIP folders contain the selected backed up files. If a file that you included to be backed up is larger 200MB then it will be automatically broken up into several pieces each under 200 MB to fit into multiple ZIP files. The pieces are combined back automatically when restored from the backup though.

Backups are created in sets known as backup periods. To help maximize your disk space, Windows Backup backs up all selected folders the first time it's run and then it only backs up files that are new or have been changed since the last scheduled backup was made. Periodically, Windows creates a new, full backup. Each full backup is known as a backup period. When you view your file backups, you see all of the backup periods labeled with date ranges. If you decide to delete file backups, you should always keep the most recent file backup.

By default, Windows automatically saves as many system images as it has space for without taking up more than 30 percent of space on the backup disk. Once the disk starts running out of room, Windows deletes older system images. If a system image was created through Windows Backup instead with the Include a System Image of Drives box checked, you can set Windows to retain as many system images as it has space for on the backup disk or to only keep the most recent system image. You should always keep the most recent system image. If you are saving your system image on a network location, you can only keep the most recent system image.

   Warning

In order to be able to delete User and System Backup Files, you would have had to create a User and System Files Backup first.

1. Open the Control Panel (All Items View).

2. Click on the Backup and Restore icon.

3. Under Backup, click on the Manage Space link. (See screenshot below)

4. If pompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

5. To Select a Backup Location
NOTE: This is for where the User file backup is located at. If the backup location is already displayed, then go to step 6.

A) Under Backup location, click on the Browse link. (See screenshot below)

B) Navigate to the backup location and select it.
NOTE: This will only give you the option to select a backup location if there was not already a backup location displayed above the browse link.

C) Continue to step 6.

6. Under User file backup, click on the View backups button. (See screenshot below step 5A)

7. Select the Backup Period that you want to delete, and click on the Delete button. (See screenshot below)

8. To Delete Only a User Data File Backup

A) Click on the Delete button. (See screenshot below)

B) Click on the Close button. (See screenshot below)

C) Go to step 10.

9. To Delete a User Data File Backup and Create a New Backup

A) Click on the Delete and run backup now button. (See screenshot below)

B) Click on the Close button. (See screenshot below)

C) You will now see this window. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If you wish to stop the backup during this point, click on the Stop backup, Stop, and Close buttons.

D) Click on the Close button when the backup is complete. (See screenshot below)

10. Click on the Close button. (See screenshot below step 5A)

11. Close the Back and Restore window. (See screenshot below step 3)

1. If have not already, turn on the backup schedule.

2. Open the Control Panel (All Items View).

3. Click on the Backup and Restore icon.

4. Under Backup, click on the Manage Space link. (See screenshot below)

5. If pompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

6. To Select a Backup Location
NOTE: This is for where the System file backup is located at. If the backup location is already displayed, then go to step 7.

A) Under Backup location, click on the Browse link. (See screenshot below)

B) Navigate to the backup location and select it.
NOTE: This will only give you the option to select a backup location if there was not already a backup location displayed above the browse link.

C) Continue to step 7.

7. Under System file backup, click on the Change settings button. (See screenshot below step 6A)

8. To Let Windows Manage the Space Used for Backup History

A) Select (dot) Let Windows manage the space used for backup history (maximum #### GB), and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: By default, the maximum size will only be up to 30% of the total free space on the HDD/partition that you have the system image saved to.

B) Go to step 10.

9. To Keep Only the Latest System Image Backup

A) Select (dot) Keep only the latest system image and minimize space used by backup (this will free up to ### GB space), and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You will only see the (this will free up to ### GB space) part if you have more than one system image saved here. This is to indicate how much space you will save when the older system images are deleted.

B) Click on the Delete button. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You will only see this if you have more than one backup.

10. Click on the Close button. (See screenshot below step 6A)

11. Close the Back and Restore window. (See screenshot below step 4)

1. If have not already, turn off the backup schedule.

2. Open the Control Panel (All Items View).

3. Click on the Backup and Restore icon.

4. Under Backup, click on the Manage Space link. (See screenshot below)

5. If pompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

6. To Select a Backup Location
NOTE: This is for where the System file backup is located at. If the backup location is already displayed, then go to step 7.

A) Under Backup location, click on the Browse link. (See screenshot below)

B) Navigate to the backup location and select it.
NOTE: This will only give you the option to select a backup location if there was not already a backup location displayed above the browse link.

C) Continue to step 7.

7. Under System file backup, click on the Change settings button. (See screenshot below step 6A)

8. To Keep Only the Latest System Image Backup

A) Select (dot) Retain the most recent system file backup created on your date, and click on OK. (See screenshot below)

B) Click on the Delete button. (See screenshot below)

C) Go to step 10.

9. To Delete All System Image Backups

A) Select (dot) Delete all system file backups for this computer, and click on OK. (See screenshot below)

B) Click on the Delete button. (See screenshot below)

10. Click on the Close button. (See screenshot below step 5A)

11. Close the Back and Restore window. (See screenshot below step 3)