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Backing up an internal drive to another internal drive

Anonymous
2018-01-07T18:03:12+00:00

I have a RAID 1 in my Windows 10 Dell 7910; the two drives constitute the C: drive. They're backed up on an external drive.

I also have two other internal drives, D: and E:. D: has lots of data, while E: is currently empty.

I'd like to back up D: to E:, but the Windows 7 backup software in Windows 10 doesn't offer such a choice. (The Windows 10 backup option no longer appears in Control Panel for some reason, but my recollection is that it does not allow the user to choose anything about how the backup is done. So even if I could see it, it would not be an option.) Mirroring, which I believe IS possible, is definitely NOT what I want to do.

I'm hoping there's genius in this group who can shed some light on how I can back up D: to E:.

Thanks in advance.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows update

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  1. Martmcd 19,965 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2018-01-07T21:20:02+00:00

    you can, provided D: and E: are separate disks and not partitions on the same disk, although external drives are always recommended for backups.

    go to settings -> update and security -> backup

    click the 'go to backup and restore (windows 7)'

    click the 'change settings' link

    select drive E: (destination) and click Next

    select Let me Choose and click Next

    select drive D: and click Next

    review the settings then click save and exit.

    Another option (better for internal disk IMHO) is to turn on file history for drive D: with the destination as E: this can be performed every 10 minutes (default is every hour), saving copies of changed files with no noticeable impact on performance.

    previous versions of files can be easily retrieved, from file properties.

    settings -> update and security -> backup

    turn on 'automatically back up my files'

    then click 'more options'

    set your preferences and include D: in folders (you can remove any that you don't want to backup or that are already in D:)

    select E: in the 'back up to' section.

    click the back up now button to force a backup.

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  2. Martmcd 19,965 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2018-01-07T23:16:50+00:00

    I believe that when I set mine up it automatically did the whole lot initially, (they have all changed since the last file history backup).

    i suggest you set it up, then click the backup now button, then have a look on e: to see whats there.

    it is still worth backing up to an external drive, prevention against your pc bursting into flames and destroying all internal drives.

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  3. Martmcd 19,965 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2018-01-08T08:00:23+00:00

    are D:and E: partitions on the same physical disk?

    to check, right click on start and select disk management

    allow it to populate then look for d: and e: in the lower half of the window.

    if its not clear, post a screen shot.

    i backup my C: to F: and use file history for D: to E:, all internal drives, (C: and D: are partitions on the same disk, E:and F: are separate physical disks)

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  4. Sumit 43,546 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2018-01-08T04:51:18+00:00

    Hello,

    Macrium Reflect is a nice tool for Backup and Restore stuff as built-in Systems of Backup are limited in options and would be removed soon from Windows.

    Please see:

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/61026-backu...

    However you need to read the documentation of it regarding what you are trying to achieve.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  5. Anonymous
    2018-01-07T22:44:17+00:00

    This is excellent information. Thanks so much. I like the file history option, but I have a question about it:

    Do I need to start with D: completely backed up on E:, and let it then start to update as changes are made? Or by turning on file history (when E: is empty) will the software know it first must back up everything, and then just backup changed files?

    Thanks again.

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