Hi folks
I just decided to use File history as a backup for Windows 10. I'm backing up to a 1TB Hard Drive.
How can I tell File History to start the backup at a specific time each day when I'm not busy or when the computer is still active?
Thanks in advance
Bob H
You may wish to know that File History may be replaced:
Turn On or Off File History in Windows 10 Backup Restore TutorialsMaking new backups with File History is no longer supported starting with Windows 10 build 16215.
You can still restore files from an existing File History backup though.
File History will eventually be replaced by a new feature called Timeline.
shows limited options for scheduling at specified intervals.
E.g. Option 2, 4. Advanced Settings screenshot.
I suppose you could create a scheduled task to turn File History on and off... if there's a appropriate command line option or reg file to do so..
Or perhaps find a way to schedule Option 2:
Backup Files and Folders with File History in Windows 10 Backup Restore Tutorials
windows 10 - Can I launch a File History backup from a script? - Super User
File History Command Line Tool s Code Blog
Last edited by dalchina; 13 Oct 2017 at 12:54.
I'm not a huge fan of backup devices connected and powered up 7/24. Fine for copies.
I say this a Ransomware and physical events like power surges (or fires) can and will impact the "backups".
I like to have copies but back ups are planned and the media is disconnected and relocated.
That is likely because we both in the industry and this was just a fact of operations. Our eggs were place in many baskets. ( and the clients and auditors checked.)
That idea seems to have been quietly dropped for the time being. I am still using it on 16299.15.
Perhaps it will be dropped in future but it certainly isn't yet. If it is hopefully the new version will import from the old as it is very useful feature imo.
File History doesn't require the drive to be connected. When the backup drive is disconnected it writes the changed files to %localappdata% on the local disk. When you plug in the backup drive it flushes this data onto it.
That would be my solution to the question - set file history to save changes at whatever frequency you want (I do hourly and see no performance hit at all from this). Plug in the backup drive now and again (I do every few days I suppose) and it moves the history from your main disk to your backup. Then unplug it. This gets around the ransomware issue mentioned.
Note file history isn't a replacement for backup/system image but it really is nice being able to scroll back and forward through regularly changed documents see how they changed over time. Much easier than restoring files from a gazillion backup images.
I assume you'll ask for File History alternative in the near future. No offence.
Until I know just what Timeline involves, I've been doing a disk image. However, I would still like to schedule things to reflect my preferences , not those of Microsoft.
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