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#1
I think it's just a personal choice. At present, I'm not pinched for space so I selected the first option. Even so, I'll probably leave it set that way. If I get short on space, I'll just delete some of the older files. Selecting the second option, for me, seems risky. I backup once a week also but having multiple versions I can fall back to gives me better piece of mind--What if I don't notice a problem that requires a restore within a week? With the second option, you have one week (one version) for backup. What if the problem is older than that?
This tutorial explains backup very well.Backup User and System Files
If you allow windows to manage your images it will reserve 30% of the backup volume space to hold system images. It actually uses the volume shadow service to hold incremental images after you take the first one. This continues until the allocated space is used. At this time the oldest image is deleted. You have no control over this process. If you chose the second option then backup will only keep the latest image. Some people prefer to do this but before taking the backup rename the image directory. Windows will then create a new image directory from scratch. This way you can control the number of images you keep but you lose the advantage of backup creating incremental images. If you take this approach you need to rename the directory back before attempting a restore.
Backup User and System Files - Delete Backups
Thank you.
I am not clear about the " rename " part.
here is what I did.....
At the beginning, I used the first option ( I did not know there were 2 options ), and had been doing that for last 2+ months.
Yesterday AFTER I did the Image backup, I clicked open the Manage Space and saw the 2nd option.
I chose the 2nd option and started to delete all the " old " image files except yesterday's.
Did I do it wrong.
If I did it wrong, shoud I just start another Image backup ?
** I just want to keep the most recent Image backup. Don't see any reason I should keep the whole thing.
Adding : all my backups are done on external hard drive.
t-4-2,
Here's a link to one of Brink's tutorials where in he explains the renaming procedure.
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup
t-4-2
I would never use the "let Windows decide" option if you are moderately comfortable with the Windows OS (as you obviously are).
I make only make one image at a time manually (keep it, rename it, move it or delete it). MS use an image differencing approach to vhds relying on volume shadow copy to retain multiple images. This is a weak link in the process and I don't trust it.