Back Up Drive.

[woodchopper]

When I bought my new PC I specified that a 2TB (1.82 usable ) back up drive be installed as well as the main C Drive.

The size of C drive is 271gb of a 2TB drive.

The back up (D drive) has 278gb of free space and includes 

System image 475gb

Data file backup 867gb

Other files 242gb

Free space 275gb

How is this possible if the size of C drive is only 275gb ?

 

Looking at the mange space option in windows back up it has 4 backups over 14 months with a total of 866gb.

Are file history and windows back up separtate or one and the same ?

What do i need to do to correct this?

[Hymie]

I’m not answering your question – but I would not trust such an arrangement to be a reliable backup method.  If the hard drive fails, you will have lost all your data (as there is only one physical drive).  Should your PC pick up a virus, you could be in a similar situation (even if there were two physical drives within the PC).

 

Much better to regularly back up important information to a separate portable drive, if you keep the portable drive secure, you’ll be OK even if someone steals your PC.

[PsalmEquipt]

You indicated that you asked for two physical drives when you bought your PC. The Disk Management utility (which shows the physical disks and their partitions) can verify whether you received two separate physical drives or one physical drive with two partitions.

[woodchopper]

Separate SSd's both 2TB. C: and D:

[PsalmEquipt]

From Gemini https://gemini.google.com

Here are several steps you can take to manage your backup space more effectively:

1. Review and Manage Existing Backups:

  - Windows System Image Backups:

  Windows typically retains older system image backups, which you can manage. To do this in Windows 10 or 11, search for "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" in the Control Panel.

  - Click on "Manage space."

  - Under "System Image," select "Change settings."

  - Here, you can choose to keep only the latest system image or allow Windows to manage the backup history, which may be more space-efficient. If you prefer to manage it yourself, you can delete any older image backups that you no longer need.

  - Windows File History Backups:

  If you are using Windows File History, you can adjust how frequently backups are saved and how long they are retained.

  - Go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup > More options.

  - Under "Keep my backups," you can select a duration (e.g., "Until space is needed," "1 year," etc.). Selecting "Until space is needed" will automatically delete older backups when the drive is full.

  - You can also adjust the frequency of "Back up my files." While more frequent backups offer better protection, less frequent backups can help save space.

  - Other Files:

  Review the "other files" you are backing up. Are there large files or folders that do not need regular backups? Excluding unnecessary files from the backup selection can significantly reduce the backup size.

2. Optimize Future Backups:

  - Differential or Incremental Backups: If your backup software supports it, using differential or incremental backups for non-system image files can save a lot of space.

  - Differential backups save all changes made since the last full backup.

  - Incremental backups save only the changes made since the last backup (whether full or incremental). These methods are generally much smaller than performing full backups each time.

  - Compression: Ensure that your backup software uses an effective level of compression to reduce the size of the backup files.

  - Exclude Unnecessary Files and Folders: As previously mentioned, be diligent in selecting what needs to be backed up. Common folders that may not require regular backups include:

  - Temporary internet files

  - Browser caches

  - Download folders (if the downloaded files are not crucial)

  - Large media files (like movies or music) if they are already stored elsewhere or can be easily re-downloaded.

3. Consider a Larger Backup Drive or Multiple Backup Strategies:

  Given that a 2TB drive is filling up within 14 months, a larger backup drive may be necessary in the long term if the amount of data continues to grow. Another strategy is to use a combination of local and cloud backups. Cloud backup can provide offsite protection and may be cost-effective for certain types of files.

4. Regular Maintenance:

  Regularly check your backup drive and manage the backup sets to prevent it from becoming completely full. Setting a reminder to review your backup settings and contents every few months could be helpful.

In summary, start by reviewing your current backup settings for both system images and file backups, deleting older and unnecessary backups. Then optimize your backup strategy by considering differential or incremental backups, compression, and excluding non-essential files. If the rate of data growth continues, acquiring a larger backup drive may be a good long-term solution.

[PsalmEquipt]

Because there are various methods for backing up Windows, consider exploring an alternative approach. Britec09 on YouTube regularly explores straightforward strategies. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Britec09+Windows+Backup&sp=CAI%253D