22H2-A good time to develop a backup plan if you haven't already.

I know everyone gets sick of hearing sermons about making backups. But I also know from reading posts on this forum that there are still many who do not do it. With 22H2 coming out within a week, now is a good time to consider using one of the free backup programs available to you. Backup your system before you apply the major update and make regular backups going forward..

We all have a favorite backup program, but what you use doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a backup plan in place using the backup program of your choice. Make recovery media per the program's instructions and test that you can boot from it. Being prepared for an emergency just makes common sense. I promise you, at some point you WILL need one.

Well said, @glasskuter!
And a well-designed backup system should have at least one backup saved off-site!

My backup system:
1. OneDrive real-time mirror of all data and photos on 1TB cloud OneDrive.
2. Microsoft File History on portable 2TB Samsung T7 SSDs.
3. Macrium Reflect full drive images.

Number 1, OneDrive, is "offsite" real-time storage of all my data and photos!
Number 2, File History, gives me version history of all file version changes.
Number 3, is an exact restorable backup image of my entire System drive.

Yes, I'm a bit paranoid about backups!

glasskuter said:

I know everyone gets sick of hearing sermons about making backups. But I also know from reading posts on this forum that there are still many who do not do it. With 22H2 coming out within a week, now is a good time to consider using one of the free backup programs available to you. Backup your system before you apply the major update and make regular backups going forward..

We all have a favorite backup program, but what you use doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a backup plan in place using the backup program of your choice. Make recovery media per the program's instructions and test that you can boot from it. Being prepared for an emergency just makes common sense. I promise you, at some point you WILL need one.

Click to expand...

Took your advice
im using

AOMEI

glasskuter said:

I know everyone gets sick of hearing sermons about making backups. But I also know from reading posts on this forum that there are still many who do not do it. With 22H2 coming out within a week, now is a good time to consider using one of the free backup programs available to you. Backup your system before you apply the major update and make regular backups going forward..

We all have a favorite backup program, but what you use doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a backup plan in place using the backup program of your choice. Make recovery media per the program's instructions and test that you can boot from it. Being prepared for an emergency just makes common sense. I promise you, at some point you WILL need one.

Click to expand...

I 100% agree, the problem is vast majority of this forum already do it - you only have to see endless posts about which package acuser prefers, and for basic full backups, it does not matter which is used.

The key problem is getting this message to the 95% (pure guess) of the population who do not even know about image backups? Hell, vast majority do not back up data either.

Of course, upgrades do allow user to rollback in 10 days but it is not made clear (and not as reliable as an image backup).

I do think MS could be more proactive in encouraging users to backup - maybe a link giving advice, and you can only proceed once you verify you have read it. Of course, even then majority will ignore advice and go ahead anyway. You can lead a horse to water but ......

I still haven't seen a firm date for it but I'm always ready for it and any calamity.
Macrium Reflect, automatic full system disk (that has no personal data on it but kept on other disks), once a month and daily early morning differential backup copied to offline HDD.
This time I plan on a clean install anyway (this one lasted since W7 and thru all windows versions after it) so i make sure that I have backups for all programs installed and their licenses as well as Firefox and Edge bookmarks and passwords with logins. FF with full own backup for settings etc.
Windows itself is not a problem even if upgrade or clean install doesn't succeed, clean install is easy, what will take me most time is reinstalling drivers and programs, but I also have fall back in shape of Windows insider Dev build on another disk as well as several Linux Live distros with tools on USB drives.

cereberus said:

I 100% agree, the problem is vast majority of this forum already do it - you only have to see endless posts about which package acuser prefers, and for basic full backups, it does not matter which is used.

The key problem is getting this message to the 95% (pure guess) of the population who do not even know about image backups? Hell, vast majority do not back up data either.

Of course, upgrades do allow user to rollback in 10 days but it is not made clear (and not as reliable as an image backup).

I do think MS could be more proactive in encouraging users to backup - maybe a link giving advice, and you can only proceed once you verify you have read it. Of course, even then majority will ignore advice and go ahead anyway. You can lead a horse to water but ......

Click to expand...

MS already made it clear not to use built in native backup but third party.

CountMike said:

what will take me most time is reinstalling drivers ...

Click to expand...

Backup and Restore Device Drivers - ElevenForumTutorials

All the best,
Denis

CountMike said:

MS already made it clear not to use built in native backup but third party.

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Not really - the advice is embedded in MS documents about deprecated features that only persons like us on this forum would ever read.

My point is vast majority of public are not even aware about the importance of backups. MS could do a lot more to educate users.

CountMike said:

I still haven't seen a firm date for it but I'm always ready for it and any calamity.
Macrium Reflect, automatic full system disk (that has no personal data on it but kept on other disks), once a month and daily early morning differential backup copied to offline HDD.
This time I plan on a clean install anyway (this one lasted since W7 and thru all windows versions after it) so i make sure that I have backups for all programs installed and their licenses as well as Firefox and Edge bookmarks and passwords with logins. FF with full own backup for settings etc.
Windows itself is not a problem even if upgrade or clean install doesn't succeed, clean install is easy, what will take me most time is reinstalling drivers and programs, but I also have fall back in shape of Windows insider Dev build on another disk as well as several Linux Live distros with tools on USB drives.

Click to expand...

Isnt that too much work ?

i mean I reinstall windows more then I shower

witch i dont mind but i hate the chasing down drivers and updates

and yes Macrium Reflect does a very very good job
when i was back at windows 10 there was a member i don't remember his name
he had over 100 tutorials how to Macrium Reflect
i have tried it many time

before that i was using ACRONIS

cereberus said:

I do think MS could be more proactive in encouraging users to backup - maybe a link giving advice, and you can only proceed once you verify you have read it

Click to expand...

Strangely enough, the only built-in "backup" option they offer in windows 11 is just another way to have you make a microsoft account

fruh said:

Strangely enough, the only built-in "backup" option they offer in windows 11 is just another way to have you make a microsoft account

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YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS LOL
WHY IS THAT ?????

firas465 said:

i mean I reinstall windows more then I shower

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Are you saying that something forces you to reinstall every year? Or you just choose to?

Denis

Try3 said:

Are you saying that something forces you to reinstall every year? Or you just choose to?

Denis

Click to expand...

LOL I NEEDED THAT THANK U SO MUCH LOL
YES ONCE A YEAR :)

glasskuter said:

I know everyone gets sick of hearing sermons about making backups. But I also know from reading posts on this forum that there are still many who do not do it. With 22H2 coming out within a week, now is a good time to consider using one of the free backup programs available to you. Backup your system before you apply the major update and make regular backups going forward..

We all have a favorite backup program, but what you use doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a backup plan in place using the backup program of your choice. Make recovery media per the program's instructions and test that you can boot from it. Being prepared for an emergency just makes common sense. I promise you, at some point you WILL need one.

Click to expand...

Best advice ever

As for drivers. I'm somewhat of a packrat for drivers and also like to keep them up to date as much as possible with clean driver installation as opposed to just update. So a list and all downloaded drivers are backed up all the time.
Yeah, in my case at least it's a big job to do it all over, 200+ of apps and games, main reason I didn't do clean install on main, default windows. Has to be done at some point anyway.

fruh said:

Strangely enough, the only built-in "backup" option they offer in windows 11 is just another way to have you make a microsoft account

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You do not need an MS account to use the Windows backup tool!

I use Acronis True Image and have Windows File History set up to back up every night to a 4TB USB 3.0 external HDD. So far, so good.

fruh said:

Strangely enough, the only built-in "backup" option they offer in windows 11 is just another way to have you make a microsoft account

Click to expand...

I know that everyone has their preferences but what is so bad about having a Microsoft Account? I know that on the older Windows OS's you did not need one but I have one and I guess it would not be necessary if I was not doing the Windows Insider Program......

rdburke said:

I know that everyone has their preferences but what is so bad about having a Microsoft Account?

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Nothing, just Microsoft accounts seem to irritate some folks tin foil hats