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How do I delete backup versions and start over?

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My external drive is full (4tb), I did not set backup options when starting out. I used the default .back up scheme and now it just keeps making babies. I have 7 full backups with 6 versions, also one mis named full backup I need to clean out. I hope to set a custom scheme for 3 full + 5 incrementals. How do I do all this deletion without shooting myself in the foot. Win10, 64bit

Thanks, Terry

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Terry, welcome to these User Forums.

Perhaps the simplest method of starting again, assuming you want to clean out all your backup files from your 4TB external drive, is to use the option to 'Clone settings' for each of your backup tasks, then to use the Delete option to remove the original settings (and optionally, to delete all the backup files associated with those removed settings).

Clone settings will give you a duplicate new task starting (1) then your old task name, keeping all your current settings.  You can then modify this cloned task to set exactly how you want the task to be, and also rename the task.  If you are intending to keep any of the backup files from the original task, then point the cloned task to a new folder, not to the one used by the original files.

Once your original task settings have been removed from the GUI, you can then do what you like with the backup files for that removed task using Windows Explorer.

For your new tasks, I would recommend setting the Automatic cleanup settings to say "Store no more than 3 recent version chains" provided that you have sufficient free space on your 4TB external drive to hold those 3 version chains plus 1 further full backup file.  This is because no files are deleted until the next new full backup file has been created successfully.

Thanks Steve

I think I have things going the right direction now, it will take several weeks to see how things stack up.

Terry