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How to identify which backup is from which computer, and find out the size of the folder?

Anonymous
2013-05-06T15:11:40+00:00

I have purchased a Western Digital 1GB small USB drive, so I can backup my computers while traveling.

First question - how can I configure the "Windows Backup" such that the file name on the USB drive obviously indicates which computer the backup came from?    I assume the date for the last modification to that folder will represent the date of that backup.  I'm also assuming I can back up more than one computer on a single USB drive, without the files over-writing each other....

Second question - I just did a complete backup.  The backup created the following on the USB drive:

  • System Volume Information   (hidden folder)
  • WindowImageBackup   (I think this folder contains backups from previously backed up computers, but how can I check?)
  • Mike-W530  (this is the name of the computer I just backed up - I assume this is the start of an incremental backup)

Last question - using normal Windows tools, all of these show a size of "0".   How can I check the file size for each?

(I am doing all this from an administer account, so I would think I should be able to "see" more information from these folders.)

(It shouldn't matter, but my computers are a mix of Vista, Win-7, and Win-8.)

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-05-07T14:35:51+00:00

    I'm going to run some backup tests, I'll be back !

    J W Stuart: http://www.pagestart.com

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-05-06T19:59:14+00:00

    Hmm, that's an original idea - something I never thought of.  Divide the drive into "partition for computer #1" and "partition for computer #2".  Then all backups, from each computer, go into the appropriate partition.

    It's not what I wanted to do originally, but it would work fine......

    Unless someone has a better idea, I will purchase another USB-3 drive tomorrow, and do as you suggested.  Thanks!!!

    (I was hoping to simply identify which backup belongs to which computer from using the file names.)

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-05-07T02:07:37+00:00

    Even though I have lots of free space, since I did the system image backup for the Lenovo, a few weeks after doing it for my Sony, should both backups be visible within the WindowsImageBackup folder, or only the last computer I did the backup for? 

    Here are two snippets from the link you sent me to:

    • The newly created image backup is stored in a folder named “WindowsImageBackup” on your USB drive.
    • With limited USB drive space available, if you choose to create another System Image your original image backup will be overwritten. The built in help suggest copying the original folder to another location. The problem with relocation is that USB drives have slow data transfer rates and this can take a while.

    If I understand this correctly, I can simply do a backup to my own hard disk, and when it's completed, I can copy it to any place I'd like to store it?  Is this correct, or am I missing something?

    Something else I learned - in your link:

    • You will note that a few renamed folders include the time of day. These are scheduled backups which may or may not be an issue for small USB drives depending on how you set your schedule.

    To me, this implies that Windows can do a WindowsImageBackup on a schedule, just as it normally does the incremental backups.  If this is true, I wasn't aware of it.  That is also very useful.

    Thank you for all your help.  That, and the links, have been very helpful at illustrating what is really going on (which is quite different from what I thought was supposed to happen...).

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-05-06T20:29:29+00:00

    Part of the article I posted previously: http://www.pagestart.com/win7bckuprstr06281004.html

    The solution is to rename a specific subfolder located on the USB drive

    From: X:\WindowsImageBackup\MyComputerName

    To: X:\WindowsImageBackup\MyComputerName_062210A 

    Where MyComputerName is the computer name you assigned when installing Windows 7 or assigned by the computer manufacture and 062210 = MMDDYY and the letter A is the first backup created on that date. The name of the computer used for this article in named “PageStart” and X: represents the drive letter of your USB drive.

    J W Stuart: http://www.pagestart.com

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-05-06T17:49:49+00:00
    1. I partition (one or more) the USB drive and use a "Volume name" that represent the computer I'm backing up. (2 Pcs = 2 Partitions). Each backup has it's own unique folder name.

    How to create and save multiple image backups:

    How you can use Windows 7 Backup and Restore to create and store multiple image backups to a USB drive that has limited free space. This article is based on a Windows 7 user who asked why backup and restore does not maintain multiple versions of system images as advertised.

    http://www.pagestart.com/win7bckuprstr06281001.html

    ======================================================

    1. For incremental backup you need to check your settings.

    ======================================================

    1. Check the sub-folder properties for the actual backup size.

    J W Stuart: http://www.pagestart.com

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