Differential Backups

If I choose differential backup each time, I get a series of files, just as with incremental backups. Should I be deleting any earlier differential file before I point to the original image file and make a new one? Can't see this mentioned in the documentation (did I miss it? Sorry for posting here, if so!).

Thanks,

Martin

 

For a restore using differential backups, because all *changed* files from the original exist on each newly made differential file, you only need your first *complete* image file and the last made differential backup file to make a successful restore. So if you have 6 files...the first being the original image and #6 being the last differential, that would be all you need to made a complete restore. You can delete file #2, 3, 4, and 5. Just be sure to keep #1 and the last made differential, in this case #6.

...Allen

 

Thanks. That is how I had figured it: I tend to delete any previous differential files before I create a new one (differential) - but didn't want to come to grief if and when I need to restore!

M.

 

You really should TEST a Restore now, when you don't need it, even if it means buying another hard drive. Even though you get the "Backup Successful" message, that doesn't mean it will give you a working Restore. Lots of messages here about people finding out the Restore didn't work when they really needed it.

 

Oh, I almost always test the backups I make, to see if I can extract individual files or folders and so on. What I meant was I didn't want to delete a differential backup then find it had data I should have kept!

Thanks for the advice,

M.

 

One other important thing occurs to me: if I delete folders and files after I make a full image, will those deletions be taken into account when I make a differential backup? In other words, if my main backup contains the folders/files, and later I make a differential backup after they've been removed from the drive, will a backup from the differential contain the deleted folders or not?

thank you,

M.

 

Hi Martin,

For the benefit of other users stumbling across this thread, I've answered you in your latest Post titled <Does Acronis take account of deleted folders in differential backups?>.

Regards

 

Sorry - I didn't get any reply in this thread so thought I'd start a new one, as it is a different subject really anyway. I'll stick to the other thread now.

M.