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#330
This might help explain it. I run a backup everyday and this shows the last 7 days.
The first in the list is a the base image, that is always a full backup whichever method (incremental or differential) you choose
to do later.
So the base image is 18Gb in size, and the following images up to and including the 13th Feb are all incrementals. You can see how small they all are.
On the 14th (today) I made a differential image (look how big it is) and then installed todays W10 updates. Following that I made another differential image. Again it is big because these last two images look back to that base image as a reference.
Had I used incrementals for the last two then they would have been smaller but crucially they would also rely on all the others in the chain being intact.
The differentials are 'stand alone' images needing only the base image and the differential to perform a restore and so I usually finish the set off with a differential.
Tomorrow will see a new sequence started and this set will be archived.
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Its personal preference.
It is undoubtedly true that differentials are safer because if one in a chain gets deleted accidently, or one is corrupted somehow, then all others past that point are rendered useless.
That said I always use incrementals for preference and have done for many years. I've never had an issue restoring from them either.
(Macrium won't do incrementals as far as I know, at least not in the free version... unless that changed with recent offerings)
Thanks. I just wondered with the question having got around to incrementals.
Have a read of this article. It's available in all paid editions https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/di...o+new+hardware