New Windows Backup Tool - a trial.

So I thought I would try the new Windows Backup Tool.

First thing to understand is that it is not an image backup tool. It backups up data in user folders, remembers key settings and remembers MS store apps you have installed

For those who remember the Windows 8 Refresh (not Reset) My PC option is that it works very similar to that. See description at end.

I always thought Windows 10 went backwards when it did not have the Refresh My PC (Reset clears everything).

I often clean install Windows into a virtual drive and then have to mess around with various settings e.g. start on left, type if background etc.

So I tried new Windows Backup option and it was really quite fast (had to be careful on data though - by default it tries to set user folders to be onedrive rather than local).

I did an clean install in vm and when it asked, it asked for backup I created.

Once oobe was finished, the start menu was as I backed up. When you clicked on them, some worked immediately, some needed updating and a few (3rd party tools) needed reinstalling.
Win32 apps are not reinstalled but there were placeholders to make it easier to reinstall.

I was surprised how easy it was to use.

In its simplest, you can just backup settings (many people often ask how to do that).

So overall, not a bad tool providing you understand its limitations

Windows 8 Refresh or Reset.

• Refresh your PC to reinstall Windows and keep your personal files and settings. Refresh also keeps the apps that came with your PC and the apps you installed from the Microsoft Store.
• Reset your PC to reinstall Windows but delete your files, settings, and apps—except for the apps that came with your PC.

cereberus said:

So I tried new Windows Backup option and it was really quite fast (had to be careful on data though - by default it tries to set user folders to be onedrive rather than local).

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This is promising. I was of the understanding that one must use OneDrive for the back-up. Knowing now that you were able to specify, I’ll probably use it.

antspants said:

I was of the understanding that one must use OneDrive for the back-up

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That's been my understanding of the new backup app but I don't use OneDrive.

Berton said:

That's been my understanding of the new backup app but I don't use OneDrive.

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Neither do I, Berton, so it’s a welcomed piece of information. I would actually use this, it could indeed be time saving?

I’d like to know, @cereberus …
- Were you given the option to backup to a USB or an external drive?
- Had you at all tried backing up user folders that have been moved? For example; Documents folder from C: to Secondary D: etc or would you assume that this would be the case by default, as the new locations are the actual user folders?

It's all OneDrive....

Fabler2 said:

It's all OneDrive....

Back up your Windows PC - Microsoft Support

Learn how to back up apps, settings, files, photos, and Microsoft Edge favorites and preferences on your Windows PC.

support.microsoft.com

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Ahh I see. The backup chooses OneDrive folders as default but after changing to local, Backup backs up user folders/settings to OneDrive. That’s disappointing. The way I read it was obviously wrong

antspants said:

This is promising. I was of the understanding that one must use OneDrive for the back-up. Knowing now that you were able to specify, I’ll probably use it.

Click to expand...

I think yiu have misinterpreted my comment. When you go to bsck up user data, it asks if you want to store data (in future) on onedrive i.e. it would restore usee folders to onedrive.

The overall backup is on onedrive but I am not sure how or where.

antspants said:

Ahh I see. The backup chooses OneDrive folders as default but after changing to local, Backup backs up user folders/settings to OneDrive. That’s disappointing. The way I read it was obviously wrong

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Yeah MS will not rest until we all use onedrive for user folders.

I refuse to do that, not for privacy reasons, but simply because I prefer to segregate user data.

One thing that is not clear to me is if the backup counts as part of a users onedrive storage.

A users data could easily exceed the 5GB limit for free users.

OneDrive has been my data backup for the past 15 years. I keep all my data and photos in my OneDrive folder, and it's all mirrored in real-time in cloud OneDrive. For me this doesn't change anything. I'll continue using OneDrive as I always have. I have a local 1TB SSD drive and I have 1TB of cloud OneDrive space included in my Microsoft 365 subscription.

My backup strategy also includes running simultaneously Microsoft File History and daily Macrium Reflect images.

I went looking for Windows Backup, but couldn't find it when I searched for it in the Start Menu.
The reason why I couldn't find it is because on my computer, it's called "Windows Back up".

cereberus said:

One thing that is not clear to me is if the backup counts as part of a users onedrive storage.

A users data could easily exceed the 5GB limit for free users.

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It does. So it is useless if you are not a M365 user or purchase one drive storage separately

Porthos said:

It does. So it is useless if you are not a M365 user or purchase one drive storage separately

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I've been thinking the same thing; especially since not all of my students have a Microsoft Office subscription and would have to pay for extra space on OneDrive.

cereberus said:

Yeah MS will not rest until we all use onedrive for user folders.

I refuse to do that, not for privacy reasons, but simply because I prefer to segregate user data.

One thing that is not clear to me is if the backup counts as part of a users onedrive storage.

A users data could easily exceed the 5GB limit for free users.

Click to expand...

I use OneDrive for my user folders, I have M365 so have 1TB of storage. I do also make local backups though, just in case.

My documents folder is over 500GB alone. Docs/Files etc handed down for a couple of decades. Let alone over a terabyte of photos. OneDrive isn’t an option for me.

antspants said:

My documents folder is over 500GB alone. Docs/Files etc handed down for a couple of decades. Let alone over a terabyte of photos. OneDrive isn’t an option for me.

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To add 200GB increments to my 1TB of OneDrive is an additional $1.99/Mo USD. If I ever need to add another Terabyte the cost would only be another $10/Mo USD, so it's really not expensive to increase my OneDrive storage to 2TB if needed.

TraderGary said:

To add 200GB increments to my 1TB of OneDrive is an additional $1.99/Mo USD. If I ever need to add another Terabyte the cost would only be another $10/Mo USD, so it's really not expensive to increase my OneDrive storage to 2TB if needed.

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Ok thanks, interesting to know. But as a rounded figure, $120 a year US$ is AU$190.00

antspants said:

Ok thanks, interesting to know. But as a rounded figure, $120 a year US$ is AU$190.00

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Would wages in AU be higher by the same relative amount?

Compared to the USA, our wages are quite high. I’ve read some shocking comparisons with trades people, sales staff etc. Huge margin. But everything here pretty much costs more. Basic health insurance for my wife and my son and I is AU$400 a month. Utilities are through the roof. Even being conservative, I am paying 700/800 every 4 months for electricity. House rates for the GOV is about $900 every 4 months, water is about 500 to 600 for the same period.

Excluding my earnings, my wife is on $145,000 (pre tax) a year as an operations manager for a building company. Paid weekly her wage is gone by end of week on food and bills/mortgage. And for that wage, she is tortured. Not uncommon for her to work from 8am till 11pm