- Is it possible to do incremental backups using native Windows 10 software? I was trying to use the Widnows 10 File History feature, but it creates copies of all files every time, even if nothing changed since the last backup, which uses too much space for me, as I possess lot (A LOT) of video material.
- How to Set Up and Enable File History. Click the Windows button and start typing in “File History.”. The menu should bring up “File History settings” automatically; click to. Go to Backup and click “Add a drive.”. Select the drive or network location you want to use for File History’s backups.
On the backup side of things, File History is the primary backup tool in Windows 8 and 10. It offers not just full backups, but also a way to restore previous versions of files. Microsoft also includes the old Windows 7 Backup and Restore in both Windows 8 and 10 and it works the same way it always has, allowing you to perform selective or even.
A client once complained to me that the keyboard shortcut for displaying the Windows Desktop I had shown him, pressing the Windows key and the letter D, wasn’t working. When I asked him to demonstrate the problem, I noticed he was actually hitting [Ctrl]D, the delete shortcut, instead. To make matters worse, he had done this several times from within Windows Explorer and from a local folder that contained several documents. Because the Display Delete Confirmation Dialog option had been deselected on his machine, he had no idea he was deleting files. Luckily the Recycle Bin was there to save him. But sometimes we're not so fortunate.Situations like this really drive home the need to keep current backups. While many organizations back up the data stored on their network servers, the safety of desktop information is often left to the end user. It's been my experience that even the most cautious end user deletes an important file every now and then.
To help users safeguard their data, you should encourage them to store important files on the network and not their local machines. But in some cases, this isn't always possible (i.e., traveling laptop users). To provide backups for such users, I recommend copying documents from one location on the hard drive to another. To keep this process simple, I've developed a batch file to do the job. Combine this file with Windows' Scheduled Task feature, and you have an easy method for duplicating files automatically.
Windows 10 User Profile Backup Script
Create a mirror with this batch fileFor this process, you'll set up a backup or mirror folder in a location other than the one usually used for storage. Then, you'll use the batch file to copy the documents to that new folder. You'll also use Windows' Scheduled Tasks feature to run the batch file each day.
- 1. First, you must determine which folder will be backed up. To keep things simple, in the following example I'll assume the main document folder is C:My Documents (on Windows NT, 2000, and XP machines, you'll want to use the appropriate profile folder). You'll also need to copy Outlook's personal storage file—it's usually called Outlook.pst.
- 2. Create the mirror folder. (In this example, it's called D:mirror.)
- 3. Use this sample code to build the batch file. Once you've done so, you'll need to copy it to an out-of-the-way location on the user's hard drive.
Xcopy has evolved
As you can see in the sample code, Xcopy32 introduces many useful switches that didn’t exist in its DOS predecessor. These are the most important ones:
- · /d—This switch copies all source files that are newer than existing destination files. It allows you to update only files that have changed, making the process a lot faster.
- · /c—This command-line option ignores errors. You don’t want one corrupted file to halt the automated copying.
- · /s—This option copies directories and subdirectories.
- · /r—This switch copies read-only files.
- · /y—Use this switch to overwrite files without prompting. You don't want any user intervention to be required.
- · /i—Use this option to automatically create new folders on destination.
The > d:mirrorxcopy.log suffix creates a log file with all of XCopy’s messages, for later reference and troubleshooting. Using >> appends a file to an existing log rather than creating a new one.
Size matters
You'll want to customize this batch file to mirror information that's important to the user, including faxes, Outlook Express e-mail folders, and Office documents. Make sure, however, that it all fits in the destination drive. Even users who frequently clean their files can pile up redundant information. Consider using DOS wildcards to fine-tune this process to each user's needs.
Run your backup batch file automatically
To make sure your users' files are actually backed up, use Windows' Scheduled Tasks to schedule the batch file to run each day at a convenient hour. In Windows 98, Scheduled Tasks resides in the System Tray. Windows 2000 and XP hide this feature in the Control Panel.
Once you've opened the Scheduled Tasks window, double-click Add Scheduled Task to invoke the wizard. Click Next to move past the introductory screen. You'll then be asked to select the program you want to schedule. You'll need to browse for your newly created batch file, because Windows defaults to scheduling registered applications.
Once you've chosen your batch file, select a frequency for the file to run, see Figure A.
Figure B |
Next, you'll be prompted to select a time for the task to run, see Figure B.
If prompted, make sure to provide a user name and password, see Figure C.
Figure D |
Finally you'll be shown a summary of your newly scheduled task, as shown in Figure D. Click Finish and your backup batch file will be ready to go.
This article will tell you how to create full system image backup of Window 10 on a separate external drive and restore it. A system image is a full copy of all data stored in a PC (includes absolutely everything from Windows system files to applications installed by a user and their settings, user personal data and documents.) In addition to the system disk data, the image can include the contents of all disks connected to the system. After that, we will try to recover the system using the image we have made.
How to Create a Windows 10 Image Backup
To make a system image backup, use the command line utility tool wbadmin. The system image will be saved to a separate external drive (a partition of the current disk can also be used to save it but it is far more unsafe), which has to have enough free space to store a full system copy.
Type PowerShell in the search box, then select Windows PowerShell from the displayed list and run it with the administrator privileges.
In this example, we want to create a full system copy (saved to C:) including all necessary partitions required for the system to operate (including partitions with the boot manager and boot configuration) and save this image to the external E: drive. In this case, a command to create the image will be as follows:
wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C: -allCritical -quiet
Note. To make a system image using Wbadmin.exe, you have to be a member of Backup Operators or Administrators groups.
If it is necessary to include other partitions or disks besides the system one to the image, a command will look like that:
wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C:,D:,F:,H: -allCritical -quiet
In case, you have to save the system image to a network share:
wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:Remote_PCFolder -include:C: -allCritical –quiet
Command execution will take some time depending on the size of the data added to the image being made.
When wbAdmin utility completes its task, WindowsImageBackup directory containing the system image will appear in the root of the target disk.
Tip. The procedure of making a system image backup can be run from Windows 10 graphical interface. It can be done by means of Control Panel (Control Panel -> File History, System Image Backup button in the bottom left corner.)
Restoring Windows 10 from a System Image Backup
To restore the system from the available image, you will need:
- A Windows 10 / Windows 8 install image on a DVD disk or a USB flash drive, or a system repair disk
- To change boot order in the BIOS settings so that the system boots from DVD / USB flash drive
Boot from an installation/boot disk. Click Next on the first window.
Click Repairyourcomputer button in the bottom left corner.
After that, go to Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> System Image Recovery.
Select Windows 10 from the list of target OSs.
Installation wizard will scan the connected drives and find the list of previously made backups.
Tip. Since the system has booted from a boot disk, disk letters can differ from disk letters in the system.
Select the image to be restored from the list of available images.
Script To Backup Files
![Windows 10 backup and restore Windows 10 backup and restore](https://thewindowsclub-thewindowsclubco.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Backup-Device-Drivers-PowerShell.jpg)
Check Format and repartition disks. In this case, the installation wizard will delete all current partitions on the disk and recreate a table of partitions in accordance with partitions in the image.
Now, you only have to confirm restoring the system from the image.
When the installation wizard completes its task, boot from the hard drive (do not forget to change the priority of boot devices) and make sure that the system state corresponds to its state at the moment of the image creation.