Additionally, selecting the Include a system image of drives causes an image drive of Windows to be created on the external drive, which is useful if the computer suddenly stops working. It is recommended to go through the list, and select only important folders or else the process will take a while to conclude. If the device is plugged in to another computer system, and if it is connected to the current computer system over a network, then use the Save on network option. Select the recently plugged in external hard drive as the backup device. Click it to start the configuration of the backup process. In the Backup or restore your files window, look for the Set up backup option. If it can’t be located there, search for Backup settings and then select the Go to Backup and Restore option. Search for the Backup and Restore tool in the Start menu.
Either one is good for the backup process, but File History ensures older backups are removed at a specified time, which helps free up storage space on a regular basis. There isn’t much difference between the File History and Backup and Restore.
This method works for Windows 7 (and later Windows versions). Backup and RestoreĪlternatively, the Backup and Restore tool can be used to backup files to an external drive. To continue the backup process, plug a different external drive, and repeat the steps mentioned above. If you want to store the backup on another drive, click on Stop using drive to stop the currently plugged in drive as the backup device. Remember to add folders of temp files, software/ games files, and other not really useful files to the Exclude these folders option. If the computer is used for critical purposes such as for storing tax information, college assignments, office work, then it’s best to use the minimum available time to prevent data from losing in case if the local file system is corrupted.įolders can be excluded from being backed up in order to save space in the external hard drive.
It is recommended to use the default settings unless the external hard drive is running low on space. Frequency determines how often the files are automatically backed-up, whereas the expiration date specifies until when the backed-up files stay in the external hard drive. Select the frequency, and expiration date of the backup. If all the files are selected for backup, move to the next step. Also, if personal files are stored somewhere else, it’s important to select them via the Add a folder option before going ahead. If your personal files are not stored there, you can leave out the Windows default folders. Select the drive as the backup device and then click on More options to customize the backup process behaviour.īy default, the File History tool selects all the Windows default folders to backup. In the Back up using File History window, click on Add a drive, and locate the currently plugged in external hard drive. Use the following steps to make it happen.Ĭlick the Start button and search for Backup settings to locate the File History tool.Ĭonnect the external hard drive to the computer. However, it’s advisable to customize the behaviour of the backup process in order to speed up the backup process. It is available in Windows 10, and quickly allows automatic backup process at a couple of clicks. The File History inbuilt tool is the recommended way of creating a backup in a Windows computer system. It’s recommended to have an USB 3.x+ SSD external hard drive as it speeds up the backup process.
Make sure an external hard drive is ready before proceeding.
This guide teaches how to use inbuilt tools to backup data (in Windows) to an external hard drive. It is listed on popular websites.Ĭloud systems such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive might not be always reliable.
De-dupe Files with Clone Files CheckerĬlone Files Checker is a comprehensive duplicate file finder software, which follows Google Software Principles. This guarantees the three security principles, namely confidentiality, availability, and integrity are not violated. Even though there are several methods available to backup data, the most reliable and secure way is to backup data to an external hard drive. Backing up data is an essential process to preserve data in a computer system, and is employed by individuals and businesses alike.