Size of Differential Backups

With very little file activity on my part, daily differential backup sizes run 150-250 MB. Is this normal? It seems pretty high to me. Is the large size due to Windows System Restore doing its thing in the background?

 

Windows Restore will increase the size. Defrags will cause usually a large increase in size and Windows does modify its files during the day as well. I have my Windows Restore set to a small value or else it can grow to about 10% of your partition size.

You are also using differential backups which cause all changes made since the base image was created to be captured each time you make one. An incremental only captures the changes since the last incremental.

 

I miswrote. I am creating incremental, not differential, backups.

I'm contemplating turning off System Restore, at least for a while to see if the size of TI's backups reduces. I have a clean install of Windows and my apps running very stable right now, and I feel fairly comfortable that I will not be needing to rely on System Restore for at least the near-term.

 

Part of the Windows Disk clean up process under options is an option which allows you to delete all the system restore points apart from the latest one.
It is always a good idea to run disk clean up before making a new image to save on space and it can be useful to have one restore point available just in case.


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