Windows 10 backups

[melmerby]

Hi all

Can anyone explain something about Win 10 backups?

 

I have been a good boy and been backing up my files to a 4TB external drive on a regular basis safe(?) in the knowledge that if I lost some files I had backups.

 

Guess what? Recently I accidentally deleted some files so I tried to recover them from the saved backups, but when I tried to get the files from the backups Windows protests that it cannot recover the files as there is no "File History".

On the backup drive Windows made a folder called "File History" which contains a succession of files created when I did the backups.

Problem: All the "File History" files are just empty files with no info in them, presumably the reason I cannot recover anything.

 

Anybody know what should be in these files and any suggestions as why they have all been created empty?

There are some large files on the external drive of up to 93Gbyte in a folder dated 3/08/2017 but the associated files in the File History are empty

 

Seems I wasted my time buying a big backup drive and regularly doing backups when it doesn't seem to work.

 

Cheers

 

Keith

 

[uax6]

I 'back-up' by having multiple discs and copying the data to them, not backing the data up. This way the files are always available from all locations.

 

Back-ups like you have done I always seem to have issues with.

 

I also make sure that I have the operating system on a separate disc, and clone that disc when all the programs are loaded. Then you run on the cloned disc, removing the original to act as a spare...

 

A bit faffy, but it works.

 

Andy G

[Tim Dubya]

This doesn't answer your question

I use this:

http://www.aomeitech.com/aomei-backupper.html

Good luck, hope you find a solution to your Windows 10 woes.

[BR60103]

I haven't been able to find a backup utility in W10.

[Jonboy]

What utility or program did you use to create the backup?

 

Are you trying to access the backup from the same utility or program?

[antrobuscp]

Sorry, can't help with the Win 10 backup problem. I gave up on "backup" programs many years ago. For data files, I don't see the point in keeping them in any kind of special format, and I simply copy to other hard drives and regularly synchronise them in rotation. If I want a system backup or clone, I have successfully used AEOMEI Backupper.

 

Colin

[bob hughes60]

I don't backup using windows systems.  I clone (that is make an exact copy of my harddisc) so my current OS and files are saved.

At an early age (the1970s) I had it drummed into me that you should always have 3 generations i.e. grandfather,father,son backup at least.

To backup I use Easeus Todo backup 10.5.There is a free version but I bought a single user which was not expensive.

It runs from my windows 10 desktop and takes about an hour or less to do a 500gGB disc.

It will also clone Hard disc to solid state disc.

 

In the event of a problem I simply reach for the last clone and replace my disc.

Last problem was the hacked version of CCleaner. I moved back to a clean disc.

This assumes you are happy swapping hardiscs that is swapping 2 connectors.

You do need to clone frequently!

Bob Hughes

Edited October 11, 2017 by bob hughes60

[melmerby]

I have located most of the deleted files on my HDD (using the EASE US data recovery tool free version) but they are in hidden files e.g. the root folder is "$RECYCLE.BIN" which of course Windows wont let you see, below that in the tree are two more levels with most of the lost files in two folders "$RFP08BC" & "$ROTGURP" the files are visible and recoverable (e.g. intact) according to the EASE US program. 

 

EASE US will find the files but you have to pay to enable recovery, which is somewhat expensive for a few files! The couple of free progs I have tried wont recover them.

 

Any suggestions of how do get into the hidden folders?

 

Cheers

 

Keith