Do I need backups and File History?
Q I’ve just discovered that File History automatically backs up every file in my main folders, every hour my Windows 10 PC is switched on, to an external hard drive. In ignorance of this feature doing whatever it does, I had previously scheduled my PC to back up to the same hard drive every Sunday night, via Control Panel, as I had done with my previous Vista PC. While I am very conscious of ensuring my files are adequately backed up, am I overegging the pudding, so to speak? Or would it make sense to use another external hard drive, which I have, for the weekly backup? Michael Cooke
A Some would say you can never have enough backups. However, what really matters is that the backups are usable when you need them – a point we’ll come back to. File History isn’t really intended for full backups. Rather, by default it makes regular copies of files stored in key personal folders. On the other hand, Windows Backup – which is the older tool you’re accessing, via Control Panel – is able to do more. This includes creating a system image, which is akin to an electronic photocopy of your hard drive.
If the latter is how you’re already using Windows Backup then it is not a wasted effort, as the two methods are complementary: a system image can be used to restore an entire PC setup; while File History is good for recovery of particular files or folders that might’ve been lost or corrupted. If you’re not already doing this but would like to then, from Control Panel, first click ‘System and Security’ followed by ‘Back up and Restore (Windows 7)’ (see screenshot). Then, on the left, click ‘Create a system image’ and follow the prompts.
Finally, remember that keeping your backups in the same physical location as the computer you’re archiving provides a false sense of security. If you’re hit by fire, flood, theft or some other domestic disaster, then your backup drive could disappear along with the original files and folders. You have two external hard drives, so it makes sense to use these in rotation, storing the second drive elsewhere – such as your office, or the home of a trusted friend or relative.