Windows 7 Can selected backup files be deleted?

[proteus459]

Trying to keep this concise...

Win 7, 64-bit, SP1

Running weekly backups through the Task Scheduler; periodic checks always show task completed successfully; discovered that "completed successfully" doesn't necessarily mean "completed correctly"; checked in Control Panel >> Backup/Restore and discovered that Windows reports my last 4 backups are not complete...there were files missing. Missing files belong to a hidden user account created for irrelevant purpose. Hero computer tech finds/edits registry to remove hidden account and backups now runs correctly.

Problem: I now have 4 backup files that are incorrect and I don't know if that will cause any problems if I forget about their condition and choose to back up to one of them in the future.

Is there an uncomplicated way to delete my last 4 backups from their HD so I don't use them inadvertently (that can be explained in plain English)?

 

[Saltgrass]

Check attachments

 

[proteus459]

Thank you...

Yes, I knew about that option and I ultimately ended up using it even though I had to delete 7 weeks worth of backups to be rid of the 4 incomplete ones. That's why I was hoping that there was a technique I didn't know about that would let me delete only those few.

 

[Saltgrass]

Maybe I don't understand exactly how those backups work since I do not use them, but aren't the later backups the most current? If you did a brand new backup now, would you loose some files you had earlier?

Since I don't have the presentation of how you might identify bad files, I cannot really understand exactly what you are trying to do. Buy if the incomplete backups are identified, can you just delete those without really loosing anything?

You can open those backups and look at the individual files, I believe. Aren't they just zipped?

Are the incomplete backups not useable?

 

[Medico]

I use a 3rd party app for Imaging and I can delete any or all Images as I wish simply by selecting it and choose delete. I use Acronis True Image Home 2011 and store my Images on an Ext HD.

I right click the Image I wish to delete and choose Delete, presto, gone.



Until I installed Win 8 DP in a dual boot senario, my Images included the C Drive (Win 7) and D Drive (Data). I also back up all data to 2 other PCes. Noe my Images inslude C Drive (Win 7) and W Drive (Win 8 DP). I can use these Images to restore either Win 7 or Win 8 DP. Works very well.

 

[proteus459]

Maybe I don't understand exactly how those backups work since I do not use them, but aren't the later backups the most current?

Yes, they are.

If you did a brand new backup now, would you loose some files you had earlier?

Yes, I'd lose them in those backups but they would still exist in the system. Creating a new backup would would again include them in the backup files.

Since I don't have the presentation of how you might identify bad files, I cannot really understand exactly what you are trying to do. Buy if the incomplete backups are identified, can you just delete those without really loosing anything?

No, Win 7 gives the option of deleting groups of backup files done over about a month each. I wanted to avoid deleting that many but I had no other option.

You can open those backups and look at the individual files, I believe. Aren't they just zipped?

I couldn't find them when I looked for them.

Are the incomplete backups not useable?

I don't know that either and couldn't find anyone who did. I felt it simpler to just delete the ones I knew were incomplete.

 

[proteus459]

I use a 3rd party app for Imaging and I can delete any or all Images as I wish simply by selecting it and choose delete. I use Acronis True Image Home 2011 and store my Images on an Ext HD.

I did exactly the same thing using Acronis 10 and an external HD but when the time came to actually restore a system that I had used it on, I couldn't figure out how to do it. I didn't know which options to select and no restoration occurred no matter what I did. I decided then that while Acronis might have done reliable backups, they were worthless to me if I couldn't figure out how to restore them to the system.

 

[Medico]

Acronis 10 is a fairly old version. Not even sure this version will work with Win 7. Acronis 2009 I believe will, and 2010 and 2011 both do (I use both). You have to create a Boot Media for each version.



This is my screen for Acronis 2011. Each version is slightly different.

Once you have an Image saved and wish to restore, pop in the Bootable media, reboot and boot to the CD/DVD.

Follow the onscreen instructions.

See this thread in another Lounge forum for step by step instructions.

note: the original instructions were written in an old version of this forum. When moved to the present version, the attachments were not put in the correct places, but grouped at the end.

 

[proteus459]

Acronis 10 is a fairly old version. Not even sure this version will work with Win 7.

I guess I should have mentioned that I used Acronis 10 on the XP system that my current system replaced. The company that built my system for me told me about Win 7's backup capabilities so I had a second HD installed on which to store backups. I couldn't see the point in buying a separate backup utility if I already had one installed.

 

[patcooke]

Backup is so important to pc operation that I want the best I can get and for me Acronis is still the best backup solution on the market. Powerful, feature filled, flexible and reliable - I wouldn't use anything else.

 

[proteus459]

As I wrote earlier, Acronis may do good backups and I used it once. Restoring data is an infrequent operation and when the time came to restore my data with it, I had no instructions to follow, no previous experience to draw on (that won't happen again) and I could find no one else who used it who I could ask. All that greatness did me no good. I feel better with what I use now knowing that competent help is a phone call away.