Where have my Windows file backups gone?

Hello @JMM1985,
Welcome to TenForums.

JMM1985 said:

In July 2022 I got a virus that I couldn't remove, so I restored my computer to a system image I made in 2020 and that fixed the problem. However, when I went to restore my files from Windows file backup, it only offers me files that were backed up 2 years ago, in the year 2020.

Oh dear.

Do you NOT have a recent backup on another drive or the Cloud?

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Just for information.

Information:

DOWNSIDE:

It is common knowledge that most of the time you CAN'T trust ANY of the MS built-in Backup or Image facilities because they just DON'T work. The System Imaging facility is a deprecated feature which is NO longer being developed or updated [ it used the same executables in every version of W10 ]. Even MS say that the built-in System Imaging facility should NOT be used . . .

System Image Backup (SIB) Solution
We recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors.

SOURCE: > Features Removed or Deprecated in Windows 10

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UPSIDE:

If you do use the built-in MS System Imaging facility, then a Recovery Drive USB from almost any version of Win 10 is capable of restoring any other version of a Win 10 MS System Image. A Recovery Drive USB and the System Repair Disk DVD are functionally identical. The only requirement is that it is the same Win 10 bit type [ x86 or x64 ] as the System Image to be restored.

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It is always recommended to use a System Image program on a regular basis, like Macrium Reflect or AOMEI Backupper Standard, BOTH are FREE.

> How to Create and Restore a System Image Backup with Macrium Reflect
> AOMEI Backupper Standard v6.9.2

I hope this helps.

However, when I went to restore my files from Windows file backup, it only offers me files that were backed up 2 years ago, in the year 2020. I lost a lot of valuable stuff, so I'd really like to find out how I can access my actual latest files backed up in 2022.

How did you actually back up for files? What did you use? Windows 7 Backup and Restore again? Or File History?
Was this done
a. on a schedule (automatically)
b. manually

Where did you save this backup?
- to an external disk?
- to an internal disk?

If you saved your file backup to your system disk, could this have been overwritten when you restored your system image?

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Comment on backups
I note your system image was very old - from 2020.

As Paul Black says, using modern 3rd party imaging software, a typical pattern might be:

a. create a base image
b. then create differential images (smaller, faster) - each being the DIFFERENCE between 'now' and the base image.

So if I have
Base image
Diff'l image 1
Diff'l image 2
Diff'l image 3

- I have 4 different dates to which to restore my system.

It takes me about 9-12 minutes to create each differential image (SSD over USB3 to external HDD).

I also have separate file backup to a separate external disk for fast changing important data.

Thus I know where my backups are... and they can be safely stored separately from my PC.

Just a hint for the future..

I hope you then also will consider planning an appropriate backup strategy, starting as soon as you can after installing Windows, rather than waiting until everything is installed and configured, just in case...

and e.g. to labelled external storage.

If using USB disks, a useful trick to ensure they are assigned the same drive letter when plugged in is to set that drive letter, unique per disk, using Disk Management. Once done, then set up your backup arrangement using that disk.