Solved Backup and Restore Skipping Files


sspohl

Member
Local time
10:02 AM
Posts
18
OS
Windows 11
Oops! I might have messed up some stuff.

Background: Upgraded today from Win 10 to Win 11 Ver 21H2. Ran all updates available. My primary drive has a partition for the operating system on C: and another for data on D: The only folders I really care about and keep on D: are Documents/Downloads/Music/Pictures/Videos. Using File Explorer/Properties, I changed the Location for each of those folders from C: to D: Then I set up File History to backup daily to another internal drive. I excluded libraries for anything other than Documents and Downloads. That seemed to work just fine.

Problem: Next I tried to set up Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to backup all user files plus a system image to an external drive. The backup completes, but skips some files. The folders that are skipped just happen to be the same ones I excluded in File History AND ALSO my Documents folder.

I'm sort of at a loss, not really understanding what I'm doing. BTW I've only been on Win 10 for three weeks since I just set up this new computer. Any help pointing me in the right direction would be much appreciated!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600 G
    Motherboard
    Asus STRIX B550-F
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair 2x8 D4 3200
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 1905 Flat Panel, ca 2005
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 SSD
    1TB Samsung 850 EVO SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus Plus 650W
    Case
    Fractal Meshify-C
    Cooling
    two case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech, wired
    Mouse
    Logitech, wired
    Internet Speed
    AT&T fiber Gig speed
    Browser
    Edge, until I get back to Chrome
I've only been on Win 10 for three weeks since I just set up this new computer. Any help pointing me in the right direction would be much appreciated!
The 'right direction' would be not to try and use 'Backup and Restore (Windows 7)' at all. Microsoft themselves say that their System Image Backup has been a deprecated feature since 2017, and that you should use something else.

Microsoft said:
The features described below are no longer being actively developed, and might be removed in a future update. Some features have been replaced with other features or functionality and some are now available from other sources.....
FeatureDetails and mitigationAnnounced in version
System Image Backup (SIB) SolutionWe recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors.1709
Windows 10 features we're no longer developing - Windows Deployment

The 'other vendor' that I prefer is Macrium Reflect Free. One advantage of Reflect is that a system image can be mounted as a virtual drive so that you can explore it to retrieve individual files. Other vendors include Aomei Backupper and Easus Todo.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Thank you so much for your speedy and helpful response. I know it's probably overkill, but with Win 7 I was doing both Macrium and Windows images for backups. So obviously I just stick with the Macrium going forward.

But what about File History? That looks to be something new that wasn't in Win 7? Is it worth setting that up in your opinion?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600 G
    Motherboard
    Asus STRIX B550-F
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair 2x8 D4 3200
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 1905 Flat Panel, ca 2005
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 SSD
    1TB Samsung 850 EVO SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus Plus 650W
    Case
    Fractal Meshify-C
    Cooling
    two case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech, wired
    Mouse
    Logitech, wired
    Internet Speed
    AT&T fiber Gig speed
    Browser
    Edge, until I get back to Chrome
But what about File History? That looks to be something new that wasn't in Win 7? Is it worth setting that up in your opinion?
File History was first introduced in Windows 8, and was the default 'backup' solution in Windows 10. It's still included in Windows 11, but it's less prominent. Microsoft now push OneDrive as their preferred 'backup' solution.

1650580436697.png

I know it's probably overkill....

You can never have enough backups.

I used File History on my main machine in Windows 10, and when that upgraded to Windows 11 I continued to use it. Reflect is my primary backup, I also have written a batch file using RoboCopy to make full or incremental back up copies of my user folders. File History is my third line of defence.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Thank you for those explanations. RoboCopy is new to me -- looks like fun if I had more time to study it but I've only got so much time to devote to being IT Director! OneDrive is not an option for me, I try to keep my data off the web.

I'm off to get my MR backups up and running ... is there somewhere to mark this thread as solved? Is that still a thing in this forum?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600 G
    Motherboard
    Asus STRIX B550-F
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair 2x8 D4 3200
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 1905 Flat Panel, ca 2005
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 SSD
    1TB Samsung 850 EVO SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus Plus 650W
    Case
    Fractal Meshify-C
    Cooling
    two case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech, wired
    Mouse
    Logitech, wired
    Internet Speed
    AT&T fiber Gig speed
    Browser
    Edge, until I get back to Chrome
is there somewhere to mark this thread as solved? Is that still a thing in this forum?
Yes, it is. You'll find the button at the top right of your opening post...


Mark as Solved.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom