Solved Unusual backup size

[Nuntius]

HI.

This is my first time posting... and I have this question which I was trying to solve but couldnt do anything about... was hoping you guys will be able to help.

so anyways.

I have 50GB C drive which I try to back-up. but for some reason I was unable to.

here' the error i get when i try to backup







I mean... how is it possible to have a 550GB backup for a 50GB C drive?

I been backing up my system for the past year, and I have seen the backup size increase quit a bit over time... but... not once I have seen a backup as big as this...
even a system image of my C drive should be ALOT smaller than that~~

Can someone please help me to solve this problem??

I really hate to format my PC :/

Thank you!!

 

[JimLewandowski]

It looks like you are doing a "Back up" vs. a "System Image" of your C: drive.

If you go to the previous screen, click on CHANGE SETTINGs (bottom). Click NEXT in spite of the warning that the drive does not have enough space to receive the backup.

Review the file directory [+] tree structure applet listing with the checkmarks next to folders you have configured to back up. It seems that there must be a lot of stuff checked in there to account for 500 GB. It's almost as if you have the whole C and whole D drive checked to "back up".

 

[whs]

My guess is that there are some system files on another partitions ( maybe on G) and Windows always tries to backup all partitions where it finds system files. I suggest you use either free Macrium or free Paragon. There you will not have that problem.

 

[JimLewandowski]

My guess is that there are some system files on another partitions ( maybe on G) and Windows always tries to backup all partitions where it finds system files. I suggest you use either free Macrium or free Paragon. There you will not have that problem.

But he's doing file backup and not system backup. So, that wouldn't apply here, would it? Then I suppose he could have the "system image" checkbox at the bottom of that screen checked which, as you say, would back up any drives in which there are system files.

 

[whs]

You got a good point Jim. I am not sure. I do not mess around with any Windows backup or imaging because it is always a mess - as we see again.

 

[Brink]

Hello Nuntius, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm also leaning towards you having another HDD that is marked as a "system" drive, and is being included in the system image by default. Could you post a screenshot of your Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) window showing all of your HDDs' layout to see if any of them are also marked as "System" other than your Windows 7 drive?

 

[JimLewandowski]

Hello Nuntius, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm also leaning towards you having another HDD that is marked as a "system" drive, and is being included in the system image by default. Could you post a screenshot of your Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) window showing all of your HDDs' layout to see if any of them are also marked as "System" other than your Windows 7 drive?

Much easier to back up and start at the primary Backup and Restore panel and select Create System Image (lefthand side vs. "backup") and then when he selects his D drive (target to receive system image) and clicks NEXT, the next screen will show exactly which drives Windows does consider system drives.

 

[Nuntius]

Thank you for replying.

here' a screenshot of my current system partition & my backup setting







Hope this will help~

Thanks again!!

 

[JimLewandowski]

You have your pagefile on D:. Hence, I assume it must SYSTEM IMAGE that drive also (i.e. system image ALL things Windows "needs" to run).

Per my post above, starting with CREATE SYSTEM IMAGE, that GUI path will tell you exactly which drives Windows considers "system drives".

 

[Brink]

Yep, that's what it is. You have the page file on D: , so it will be included in the system image along with the Window 7 C: and "System Reserved" partitions.

 

[Nuntius]

Thanks for your help!!

Im going to try what you have suggested

but first..... I needs to change my E Drive into a Primary Partition... for some reason when ever I try to create a system image, E drive gets included into the image... maybe because it' a logical drive?? errrr I dont know :/
(needs to do research on how to switch logical drive into primary!! >.<)

I'll let you guys know if I encounter any more problems hope it' not too much trouble xD

Thanks again~

Have a good day and Merry Xmas!!

 

[JimLewandowski]

Thanks for your help!!

Im going to try what your have suggested

but first..... I needs to change my E Drive into a Primary Partition... for some reason when ever I try to create a system image, E drive gets included into the image... maybe because it' a logical drive?? errrr I dont know :/
(needs to do research on how to switch logical drive into primary!! >.<)

I'll let you guys know if I encounter any more problems hope it' not too much trouble xD

Thanks again~

Have a good day and Merry Xmas!!

As has been shown elsewhere on these forums, Win7 considers the drives that the USER folders reside upon to be "system drives". So consider checking E for things like that....

 

[whs]

but first..... I needs to change my E Drive into a Primary Partition... for some reason when ever I try to create a system image, E drive gets included into the image... maybe because it' a logical drive?? errrr I dont know

No, No, that has nothing to do with it. Do not change the drive. But as was said, Windows imaging picks up every drive to which you have moved system files or to where you moved user files changing the default location. If you want to image C only, you should use another imaging program.

PS: moving the pagefile off the SSD is not necessary. Make it smaller - e.g. 1GB and leave it on the SSD.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Given that the consensus seems to be that the pagefile is causing the problem, I would suggest installing some other program to create your backups (or move the pagefile back to your C partition).

I use Macrium Reflect Free Edition.

Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download

 

[mjf]

As far as I can see you have 2 large spinning HDDs (Disk 0: 1TB, Disk 1: 2TB). For some reason your pagefile is on Disk 1. As Brink pointed out this is your problem. Is there a reason why your pagefile is located on Disk1?
I suggest:
1) you have the OS, installed programs, pagefile and all other system files on Disk 0, C: partition. You have big spinners - make C: 100GB.
2) make a system image independently of file/folder backups (ie. via "create a system image")
3) by all means use a second imaging program such as free Macrium Reflect. I also use it.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Is there a reason why your pagefile is located on Disk1?

I have read many times that you should place your pagefile on a separate partition and preferably a separate HDD.
Perhaps Nuntius read some of those articles.

I have my Windows pagefiles (XP & W7) and Ubuntu Swap file in separate partitions and on a different HDD from the OS HDD.

If you use a 3rd party HDD imager you shouldn't have any problems (I don't have any with Macrium).

 

[mjf]

Is there a reason why your pagefile is located on Disk1?

I have read many times that you should place your pagefile on a separate partition and preferably a separate HDD.
Perhaps Nuntius read some of those articles.

I have my Windows pagefiles (XP & W7) and Ubuntu Swap file in separate partitions and on a different HDD from the OS HDD.

If you use a 3rd party HDD imager you shouldn't have any problems (I don't have any with Macrium).

I haven't looked extensively but it appears to me
1) No gain moving pagefile to another partition
2) Maybe a marginal gain on another disk
eg, Ref:
Is it a good idea to change my Microsoft Windows page file size?
3) Sufficient RAM (which is relatively cheap) should place less emphasis on the pagefile.

So in the OP's case I would have thought moving the pagefile to another disk create more problems than it is worth. I use Windows imaging extensively with complete success. The OP's configuration effectively removes this capability in a practical sense.

 

[whs]

Is there a reason why your pagefile is located on Disk1?

I have read many times that you should place your pagefile on a separate partition and preferably a separate HDD.
Perhaps Nuntius read some of those articles.

I have my Windows pagefiles (XP & W7) and Ubuntu Swap file in separate partitions and on a different HDD from the OS HDD.

If you use a 3rd party HDD imager you shouldn't have any problems (I don't have any with Macrium).

I haven't looked extensively but it appears to me
1) No gain moving pagefile to another partition
2) Maybe a marginal gain on another disk
eg, Ref:
Is it a good idea to change my Microsoft Windows page file size?
3) Sufficient RAM (which is relatively cheap) should place less emphasis on the pagefile.

So in the OP's case I would have thought moving the pagefile to another disk create more problems than it is worth.

You are absolutely right. No point moving the pagefile. With e.g. 4GBs of RAM, reduce it to 1GB for the very rare hard page fault that some programs produce - even if there is sufficient availablee RAM. And since the page faults are rare, there is really no performance gain.

 

[sbrads]

I gave up with Windows image backup when it backed up non-system drives because I was using Libraries referencing data on non-system drives for which I have other backup strategies. So, I had an image of about 200Gb for a 20Gb C: drive backup. Stupid. I stopped using Libraries and started using 3rd party imaging software which also compresses to about 60% unlike the non-compressed junk Windows backup.

 

[Nuntius]

Ok....

So... I was able to change the backup size down to normal... (50GB) by empty everything in my E drive but now im having a different problem...

I can no longer backup my system at all....

keep getting the following error

[/URL] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

sigh... one problem after another >.< maybe i should just format my windows...

any advises?

thanks!