I need a backup solution that updates files.

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johnr283

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I have 3 HDD's: A 200gb System dive along with 2 extra drives, 300GB & 1TB.

I want to be able to back of certain files/folders from each drive onto a backup drive. I currently have a CilckFree drive. The problem is that after the ClickFree backup, if I edit a file the next backup will not detect this and I end up with the old file and the new one both backed up. This leaves my Clickfree drive a cluttered mess of files I don't need and also wastes space.

What would be the best solution for me?
 
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M
You don't say what operating system you are using, but in Windows 7 and Windows 8 the Windows Backup does what you want. But you'll have to schedule a backup, or start one manually, you can't have it automatically detect file changes and then copy them over. This explains how it works:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/back-up-files#1TC=windows-7

I directed a friend to buy a Seagate external HDD with software on it that ran on the PC and monitored the file system, and every time a file was changed it updated the backup (Seagate) external drive. Acronis True Image also has that feature, but I've only used it once and that was years ago.
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mbreslin1954

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You don't say what operating system you are using, but in Windows 7 and Windows 8 the Windows Backup does what you want. But you'll have to schedule a backup, or start one manually, you can't have it automatically detect file changes and then copy them over. This explains how it works:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/back-up-files#1TC=windows-7

I directed a friend to buy a Seagate external HDD with software on it that ran on the PC and monitored the file system, and every time a file was changed it updated the backup (Seagate) external drive. Acronis True Image also has that feature, but I've only used it once and that was years ago.
 
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johnr283

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I'm running Windows 7. I will try Windows Backup. I don't need a program that actually detects everytime I edit a file. What I meant was, if a file has been edited or deleted since the last backup I want it be overwritten or deleted during the next backup.
 
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johnr283

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I just tested Windows Backup. I added 2 files to a folder and backed up just that folder. Then I deleted one file, renamed the other and ran the backup again. It backed up the new files but still kept a backup of the original files. This is exactly the problem I was trying to aviod.
 
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johnr283

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I read that "Once the disk starts running out of room, Windows deletes older system images." I assume that this means that it will delete older backups when it needs to. If this is the case, than Windows Backup may work for me. All I have to do now is get a bigger hard drive to backup everything to.
 
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mbreslin1954

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Your requirement is not exactly mainstream. The primary reason people want a backup is so that if they accidentally delete a file or change it, they can get back the original file. You seem to just want a temporary backup in case your hard drive fails.

But you're right, that's exactly how Windows Backup works. When it runs out of space and can no longer do incremental backups, then it will start over with a full backup of what you have at that moment. However, it will take a long time, depending on how much data you have to back up. The daily incremental backups will typically only take a few minutes, but a full backup could take from a couple of hours to eight hours, depending on the amount of data.
 
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johnr283

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I don't aggree with this. Plenty of people keep backups in case of hard drive failure. Also a bad virus may corrupt files you don't want lose.

Thanks for you first answer. I will be using Windows Backup.
 
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monica blake

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If you are looking for the backup solution that needs to update the backed up files, i can remeber only one solution that can do it. Acronis (http://www.acronis.com). The tool creates the whole disk image and later changes the files where the updates took place. I hope this is what you are looking for.
 
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Y0GI

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How do I determine if my backup HDD (1 TB HGST Touro Mobile) has 4KB LBAs?

Yogi

 
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