Too much backup activity.


RAMWolff

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Windows 11
So my internal D drive is my 3 Tb drive. It's healthy, all is well with the drive itself but at some point I must have set up Windows to do incremental backups but man it's constant and noisy. So I looked around my settings and services to see if there was a way to curtail so much backing up constantly. I can't remember what files and folders I chose to back up but apparently it's allot. The total backup so far is 1.11 Tb's and well I don't think I need all that as the system and my programs comes to about 500 Gig's total so yea, not sure what's going on there. The backup folder is called File History.

So my question would be how to delete some older backups to free up some space and looking in the File History folder it's not apparent what I'm looking at! The second question would be to figure out where I have the settings so I can set up things to be a bit more simplistic as this is just too much! I THINK I'm using the built in backup service on my Win 11 machine but in the beginning when I was having so much trouble getting the system stabilized I may have installed someone suggested here but looking through my Program files I really don't see anything. I did have Cobian Backup on board but I wasn't using it so uninstalled that.

And yes, I am aware that my backups are suggested to backed up on an external drive but I don't have any drives externally for that sort of use. All my externals are being used to backup (manually) my CG works so I can grab and go.....

Thanks for any help!

Richard
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    CyberPower PC
    CPU
    RYZEN 7 5700G 3.8GHz
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE B550 UD AC
    Memory
    ADATA 8GB DDR4-3200 XPG Z1 4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GEFORCE RTX 3060 GAMING OC 12GB GDDR6 REV 2.1
    Sound Card
    HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
    Monitor(s) Displays
    M1-Samsung Smart TV, M2- ViewSonic
    Screen Resolution
    M1-1920X1080 - M2-1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    1 Tb SSd (main Windows) 1 SSd external drives and two internal SATA HD's
    PSU
    APEVIA 800WATT GOLD 80 PLUS POWER SUPPLY
    Case
    In-Win G7 w/ USB 3.0, EZ Swap HDD Dock
    Cooling
    Liquid
    Keyboard
    Perixx PERIBOARD-331 Wired Backlit USB Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Ergo Wireless Trackball Mouse
    Internet Speed
    WAVE, highest tier so FAST enough
    Browser
    Opera
    Antivirus
    MS
So my internal D drive is my 3 Tb drive. It's healthy, all is well with the drive itself but at some point I must have set up Windows to do incremental backups but man it's constant and noisy. So I looked around my settings and services to see if there was a way to curtail so much backing up constantly. I can't remember what files and folders I chose to back up but apparently it's allot. The total backup so far is 1.11 Tb's and well I don't think I need all that as the system and my programs comes to about 500 Gig's total so yea, not sure what's going on there. The backup folder is called File History.

So my question would be how to delete some older backups to free up some space and looking in the File History folder it's not apparent what I'm looking at! The second question would be to figure out where I have the settings so I can set up things to be a bit more simplistic as this is just too much! I THINK I'm using the built in backup service on my Win 11 machine but in the beginning when I was having so much trouble getting the system stabilized I may have installed someone suggested here but looking through my Program files I really don't see anything. I did have Cobian Backup on board but I wasn't using it so uninstalled that.

And yes, I am aware that my backups are suggested to backed up on an external drive but I don't have any drives externally for that sort of use. All my externals are being used to backup (manually) my CG works so I can grab and go.....

Thanks for any help!

Richard


First... don't use Windows backup. Even MS recommends you use a 3rd party backup system.
Windows backup just isn't reliable.
So just delete all the backups, get 3rd party backup software, and make a fresh backup. ASAP

Most on here use Macrium Reflect or AOMEI Backupper.
Both have free and paid versions.

Reflect 8 Free: Reflect Free Edition






AOMEI free: Download Free Windows Backup Software | AOMEI Backupper
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3296 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
So looking at the AOMEI one since there are some complaints about Macrium at the top of this forum but how do I get rid of over a Tb of unwanted data?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    CyberPower PC
    CPU
    RYZEN 7 5700G 3.8GHz
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE B550 UD AC
    Memory
    ADATA 8GB DDR4-3200 XPG Z1 4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GEFORCE RTX 3060 GAMING OC 12GB GDDR6 REV 2.1
    Sound Card
    HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
    Monitor(s) Displays
    M1-Samsung Smart TV, M2- ViewSonic
    Screen Resolution
    M1-1920X1080 - M2-1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    1 Tb SSd (main Windows) 1 SSd external drives and two internal SATA HD's
    PSU
    APEVIA 800WATT GOLD 80 PLUS POWER SUPPLY
    Case
    In-Win G7 w/ USB 3.0, EZ Swap HDD Dock
    Cooling
    Liquid
    Keyboard
    Perixx PERIBOARD-331 Wired Backlit USB Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Ergo Wireless Trackball Mouse
    Internet Speed
    WAVE, highest tier so FAST enough
    Browser
    Opera
    Antivirus
    MS
So looking at the AOMEI one since there are some complaints about Macrium at the top of this forum but how do I get rid of over a Tb of unwanted data?


As for Macrium... I've been using it since May 2020... not one single problem. But, they both work.
Whichever one you pick... make SURE to make the bootable media, so if needed, you can get to your backups if Windows won't boot.

You drag a big box around it all, then right click and choose: Delete.
Don't forget to disable Windows backup as well. :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3296 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
at some point I must have set up Windows to do incremental backups but man it's constant and noisy. So I looked around my settings and services to see if there was a way to curtail so much backing up constantly. I can't remember what files and folders I chose to back up but apparently it's allot. The total backup so far is 1.11 Tb's and well I don't think I need all that as the system and my programs comes to about 500 Gig's total so yea, not sure what's going on there. The backup folder is called File History.
File History is a built in function of Windows 10/11 and makes copies of your user files to a File History folder. It was prominently suggested in W10 but somewhat hidden away in W11. Seems MS now sugests Ondrive and the Cloud as their preferred backup method.

You can both restrict which user folders are backed up by File History, and how many previous versions will be kept. Sounds like you did neither when you set it up.


how do I get rid of over a Tb of unwanted data?
It should also be possible to clean up your File History folder.


My personal preference is to rely on Macrium Reflect as my primary backup, but I do also have File History turned on for just a few key document folders.
 

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.
No matter what you decide on... have a backup solution that is local and accessible without Windows or the internet.
Do NOT trust the Microsoft solutions... solely.

I could link 1000 topics about disaster that arises from trusting ONLY MS solutions, but I'm too damn lazy. ^^

So I made a picture to explain it...

000000 Get backup software.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3296 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
HaHa,

Cannot agree more.
But even Microsoft suggests 3rd party backup software than itself when backup. :sneaky:

No matter what you decide on... have a backup solution that is local and accessible without Windows or the internet.
Do NOT trust the Microsoft solutions... solely.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7/11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP/Lenovo/Asus
    CPU
    Intel
    Hard Drives
    NVMe SSD/SATA SSD
File History ... was prominently suggested in W10 but somewhat hidden away in W11. Seems MS now sugests Ondrive and the Cloud as their preferred backup method.
I hope 'File History' won't slowly go down the path of 'Windows 7 Backup and Restore' :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
I hope 'File History' won't slowly go down the path of 'Windows 7 Backup and Restore' :(
I suspect it will. Some features like being able to add your own folders/files to the backup have already removed in Win 11.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PC Specialist Optimus VII V17-960 Gaming Laptop.
    CPU
    6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core processor.
    Memory
    16GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
    Sound Card
    Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2 & Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
    Screen Resolution
    Full HD IPS display (1920 x 1080).
    Hard Drives
    4TB SSD (internal).
    1x 1TB & 1x 5TB external HDDs.
    Cooling
    STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 wireless keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M705 wireless mouse
    Internet Speed
    Upto 100Mbps
    Browser
    Edge.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & MalwareBytes pro.
Some years ago, I had an event that confirmed what I thought I had known for some time, about doing PC backups.
I came home from work one day, and my computer and a disk bank sitting next to it was GONE!
I'd been Burgled while I was at work.
A problem with the OS or even the hard drive, I could handle easily, but when my whole computer was just GONE, that was a whole different matter. :devilish:

Fortunately, in those days, we had a Computer parts warehouse store located nearby. It only took a day to get the parts I needed, and to put a new PC desktop together. Both my backup/restore program and my most recent backup of my C: drive were on CD's securely put away in a separate room, from where my PC had been located.

I booted my new PC with the bootable Backup/Restore CD and then restored my most recent backup image for Windows.
In less than an hour, my new PC was up and running as if nothing had ever happened.

So that served to prove to me, that my Backup theory, and regimen was correct all along.

That is, that the Backup/Restore program should be on some bootable media and NOT on the PC,
and then the Image of the C: drive must be again, on a removable media, and not on the computer or anywhere close by.
Ultimately, Off Premises, is best. (that's how banks and Govt agencies handle their backups)
And lastly, the Image File that's created from the PC MUST contain, the drive's Boot Sector, MBR and everything in the C: partition. So that if it has to be restored to a new (blank) HD, it will be able to boot up the system.

I've followed that regimen to this day, and in spite of numerous HD crashes over the years, I've never lost a BIT of data.

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?
TM :cool:
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-11/Pro/64, Optimum 11 V3, 23H2 22631.3085
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Made w/Gigabyte mobo/DX-10
    CPU
    AMD FX 6350 Six Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte, DX-10, GA-78LMT-USB3
    Memory
    Crucial, 16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Onboard, ATI Radeon HD 3000; NVIDEA GeForce 210, 1GB DDR3 Ram.
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Acer
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Crucial SSD 500GB, SanDisk 126GB SSD, Toshiba 1TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA 500 W.
    Case
    Pac Man, Mid Tower
    Cooling
    AMD/OEM
    Keyboard
    101 key, Backlit/ Mechanical Switches/
    Mouse
    Logitech USB Wireless M310
    Internet Speed
    Hughes Net speed varies with the weather
    Browser
    Firefox 64x
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Super Anti Spyware
    Other Info
    Given to me as DEAD, and irreparable.
    Rebuilt with Gigabyte mobo, AMD cpu, 16GB ram and 500GB Crucial SSD.

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