Advice Request How many backups should I keep?

Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.

F

ForgottenSeer 823865

My external hard disk is filling up so I want to keep least number of backups so how many Full, Differential and Incremental backups should I keep?
I am using Macrium Reflect Server Plus in a home Laptop!
It depends how regular are your backups.
in Macrium you can set a space or number limit so Macrium will delete older backups once reached. it isn't a big deal.
 

R2D2

Level 6
Verified
Well-known
Aug 7, 2017
267
Macrium is set to perform 4 incremental backups daily and a full backup of the C drive every week. It is also set to delete all related incrementals and the full image every 14 days. Evaluate how long you need to retain the backup data vs available disk space. I believe it will vary from person to person.
 
Last edited:

shmu26

Level 85
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
Jul 3, 2015
8,150
Just use as much space as you can allocate to your backups. The more, the better. The minimum is one backup, but there is no maximum. If I had more space for backups, I would use it, I just use what I have.
 

ItsReallyMe

Level 10
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
Dec 21, 2017
478
Macrium is set to perform 4 incremental backups daily and a full backup of the C drive every week. It is also set to delete all related incrementals and the full image every 14 days. Evaluate how long you need to wish retain the backup data vs available disk space. I believe it will vary from person to person.
How do I perform 4 incremental backups per day on Macrium Reflect?
 

R2D2

Level 6
Verified
Well-known
Aug 7, 2017
267
How do I perform 4 incremental backups per day on Macrium Reflect?

Create a backup definition file in the Backup ----> Backup Definitions Files tab. Save the file.

Once done, right click on the newly saved file and select 'Scheduled backup' in the context menu. In the "Edit Plan for this backup" pop-up window, create a backup schedule(s) (Full/incremental/differential) as required. Do remember to set the Retention rules otherwise you will run out of disk space at some point in time.

Hope this helps. BTW, I use a licensed version of MR7 Home so I am not sure if advanced scheduling and backup types are available in a trial or free version.
 

BoraMurdar

Community Manager
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Aug 30, 2012
6,598
Differentals and incrementals are so outdated these days. They were invented when HDDs were popular and CPU's were unoptimized to handle compression fast. It would take a HDD so much time to create full backups every time so differentials and incrementals were invented.

Now with SSDs and faster CPUs there s no need by my side to create differentials, just one full validated system backup once/twice per month. It takes 10minutes to backup and 3minutes to restore.

Data backups should be done more often, as needed.
My 2cents
 

R2D2

Level 6
Verified
Well-known
Aug 7, 2017
267
Differentals and incrementals are so outdated these days. They were invented when HDDs were popular and CPU's were unoptimized to handle compression fast. It would take a HDD so much time to create full backups every time so differentials and incrementals were invented. Now with SSDs and faster CPUs there s no need by my side to create differentials, just one full validated system backup once/twice per month. It takes 10minutes to backup and 3minutes to restore. Data backups should be done more often, as needed. My 2cents

You have a point.

But consider this - in my case, incremental backups 4 times a day (each approx 4-6 hours apart) take only about 2 minutes each and the process runs in the background. Agreed my machine ain't a slouch and the backup hard disk is a WD Black but the biggest advantage of having full disk incremetals is it obviates the necessity to have a utility like Rollback RX which in my very limited trial experience was not as effective as made out to be. Effects of Virus/Trojan/Ransomware even screwed up driver or W10 updates can be negated in a matter of minutes. My MR disk images and data on each hard disk are also backed up on 2 NAS boxes that are kept switched off when not being used. I follow the same routine with my laptop and 2nd home PC.
 
Last edited:

BoraMurdar

Community Manager
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Aug 30, 2012
6,598
You have a point.

But consider this - in my case, incremental backups 4 times a day (each approx 4-6 hours apart) take only about 2 minutes each and the process runs in the background. Agreed my machine ain't a slouch and the backup hard disk is a WD Black but the biggest advantage of having full disk incremetals is it obviates the necessity to have a utility like Rollback RX which in my very limited trial experience was not as effective as made out to be. Effects of Virus/Trojan/Ransomware even screwed up driver or W10 updates can be negated in a matter of minutes. My MR disk images and data on each hard disk are also backed up on 2 NAS boxes that are kept switched off when not being used. I follow the same routine with my laptop and 2nd home PC.
Everything according to your needs. I have SATA SSDs on both my PCs and don't want to waste their read/write span unneccessarily. I don't care about the C partition. Important stuff (data) are backuped regurarly with FreeFileSync on external storage and on MEGA.

No problems for years
Acronis + FreeFileSync + MEGA + External HDD
 

ItsReallyMe

Level 10
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
Dec 21, 2017
478
Is GoodSync's backup feature is a replacement for Macrium Reflect? There is a option to backup instead of sync on GoodSync!
 

R2D2

Level 6
Verified
Well-known
Aug 7, 2017
267
Is GoodSync's backup feature is a replacement for Macrium Reflect? There is a option to backup instead of sync on GoodSync!

I use Goodsync & Bvckup for syncing data from my HDDs to my NAS boxes. It can also backup data to the cloud. However, it does not have the disk imaging, disaster recovery /bare metal restore features of Macrium Reflect. Try the free version to check if it meets your requirements.
 

motox781

Level 10
Verified
Well-known
Apr 1, 2015
483
Definitely depends on your needs, but I only backup locally, once a day and I'm good with that. Incremental backup with encryption via Aomei Backer-upper (easily to find free pro version key, was using Kaspersky Backup with no problems). No, I don't use images. Never needed to.

Very very few 'normal Joes' backup, so if you do it at all, you are WAY ahead of the game ;)
 
Last edited:

shmu26

Level 85
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
Jul 3, 2015
8,150
Backups save the data you selected.
System images are much more comprehensive, they save your operating system + software + data, with all settings intact.
It is the preferred way to recover from a bad update, or a bum software installation, or tinkering around with your settings, or a malware attack. You can also browse the system image in order to recover selected folders and files, if you want.
 

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top