Win 10 Backup/ Duplicates

Hi all.

For some years I've had a Western Digital 2 TB Network Attached Storage device (or, as you know more commonly, a NAS).

When I originally got it, it came with Western Digital's software program called WD Smartware; this program allowed you to customize it to select which files/ folders you wanted to backup, and how many copies of it/ duplicates. So, that's what I did: I selected specific files/ folders within my "C" drive and had the program back it up allowing only two duplicates.

I'm not exactly sure how long ago, but Western Digital stopped supporting their Smartware program (throughout the years, I would check out their web site for any updated versions of the program, and, recently, I saw a message - probably an old message by now!! - saying the program isn't supported anymore, and that there are other options out there to back up my files....which included using Windows 10 Backup.

So, I want to make sure I've got this right so I can use Win 10 Backup onto my Western Digital NAS:

I go to Start/ Settings/ Update & Security/ Backup; I Add+ a location (my WD NAS), and the slider switch for Automatically Back Up My Files is On. Then when I click on More Options, underneath "Back Up My Files" is a drop-down Menu and I can choose how often (I chose Daily), and then underneath "Keep My Backups" I chose "Forever (Default)".

Then, underneath "Back Up These Folders" is a partial list of some of the folders on my computer's "C" drive. So, if I click the button "Back Up Now", it will back up all of those folders listed? So if I only want certain folders backed up and not all of those already listed for me, then I have to set about removing them....and then only Adding the ones I want?

Do I have that correct so far?

And...as far as duplicating files goes: Will Windows 10 Backup duplicate files when it performs its backups? Or, it does not create duplicates and only backs a file up in a designated folder if it's a new file created since the last time it performed a backup?

Please let me know; thanks for any helpful info,
Pez

Pez said:

...So if I only want certain folders backed up and not all of those already listed for me, then I have to set about removing them....and then only Adding the ones I want?

Absolutely right. As for duplicates, File History only backs up new (or changed) files, so no duplicates should be created.

Thanks, mngerhold.

Instead of the other suggestion of Macrium Reflect in this thread by Ghot, I instead stayed with the built-in Windows feature of Windows 10 Backup.

And, yup, after only selecting the folders that I wanted (and removing the others), backup has been performing just fine , and File History takes care of any new or changed files.

Pez

Wisewiz said:

I may be mistaken ( I remember once before, in 1958, I was mistaken ), but I think most members here who have used the built-in Windows Backup have found it backs up well enough, but doesn't reliably restore.

Pez is using File History, which although it is reached via a 'backup' click, is not the same as the (now deprecated) W7 'Backup & Restore', which may be what you are thinking of. There have been issues with FH, but for some (including myself) it has worked fine.

mngerhold & Wisewiz: thanks for your further replies & clarification.

But yes, really, I'm just using Windows 10 Backup to backup certain folders and files on my computer to a NAS I have; I'm not looking to use a "Restore" feature per se; it's not like I'm looking to restore my entire system like a clone.

I back up to this external NAS in case - God forbid - my computer were to ever crash, and then this way I have an external copy of my important folders & files that I can copy back over at a later date.

Pez