Direkt zum Inhalt

Need help understanding the size of backup files

Thread needs solution

Hello,

I do an incremental image (partition) backup daily. I have set up the file exclusions to exclude most of my personal stuff: C:\User folders, folders with image, videos, documents etc which I backup separately. My goal is to keep the scope of the backup down to the absolute minimum to keep the time and size requirements down and to essentially the OS and applicatios.

What I don't understand is that the size of the backup files seem to be all over the place. For example
here the sequence of file size for a series of four staring with the full backup and then the incrementals:
54,12,1.5,0.2 GB. Why is the first incremental so large and the last so low? I know for example that there was virtually no activity on my computer (no huge downloads, no new programs etc) in the four days that it took to make these backups. I have also seen the size of the first full backup vary as much as 50%, though I have not changed the exclusions.

Appreciate any insights.

Thanks

0 Users found this helpful

TI Backup captures "changed disk sectors+ not changed files. Any relocation of files such as defrag or disk placement customization will result in those items being included in the next backup--whatever type it is.

An incremental is changes since the last backup. So if the backup is daily, each incremental would only include the disk changes from the preceding day. Once included, those changes are not included in future backups. So a daily backup on Friday would only include the changes from Thusday--none from Monday-Thursday Repeat, an incrmental is the changes from the last backup.

Normal TI backups are compressed so the backup will normally be about 65-70% of used space. Moving and picture files are already compressed so little (if any) additional reduction in size. if you create Windows system restore points, these are part of the disk sector changes each backup.