So, I have my entire business data/history file on my PC - about 25GB

[OAITW r.2.0]

I want to back it up to my Seagate SSD. Is there a way to just have Windows copy only new files on my PC, to the Seagate Drive without deleting the existing backup and recopying the entire base?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. In theory absolutely yes it's possible ... it's called a differential backup

Whether you actually can will depend on the software you made the first backup with, and its capabilities.

What software did you use to make the backup the first time? Are you going to use it again this time?

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Copy and Paste.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

4. Lol okay. Try copy/paste again and I believe Windows will pop up with a warning

showing the first two files that are duped and display a dialog that lets you always choose the newer file for everything in the transfer.

[OAITW r.2.0]

7. If I make changes to my office PC today, I will redo the back-up and see if this works.

Thanks!

[LastDemocratInSC]

12. And read the dialog box about overwriting the existing files with the newer ones.

So that you select the correct option.

[Best_man23]

2. Depending on the capacity of your SSD

When you copy the data over to an existing file, Windows File Explorer will ask if you want to overwrite files with the same name even if the dates are different. All you have to do is click no. If you performing an automated backup, I'm not sure if Windows will just copy only the new files.

I'd recommend doing Child-Parent-Grandparent backup on an external device (not sure if your SSD is internal or external). Normally, the "Child" is your incremental data, the "Parent" is an end of week backup, and the "Grandparent" is backup on a separate device or on cloud storage. I use a modified version of this method by date each week and the backup goes on an external device. I keep around 2 months of data, then delete the oldest before I copy the latest data to the drive.

[OAITW r.2.0]

6. It's an external HD.

This way, I can leave my house and take the data with me, accessing on my laptop. I have a Laptop - PC folder on Google Drive where I move all the new/changed files on my Laptop that I then file in the appropriate folders on my home PC when I return.

[wyn borkins]

5. Not An Answer - Just An Odd Response

I have had a similar question that has remained unanswered. Right (or not quite right), I simply name my files with the current date, as in for today: 211027 Business Backup. I maintain all of the older backups in a similar manner; and yes it does take up more space, but (me) trying to locate only the files that changed would not be worth my time. In the end I simply purchase more storage, and this method has worked well (at least for me) over the years.

[waterwatcher123]

8. Might be easier just to image the disk periodically or to use a cloud based service like Dropbox.

The problem with file backups is you still have to deal with the operating system and potentially all the programs if the hard drive fails (can lose things like your bookmarks from your browser too). I find it much easier to just image the disk every week or so and then have an emergency disk created so you can boot the computer if the hard drive fails. You can also move the entire works to another computer pretty easily with an image file and the appropriate emergency disk (assuming they are comparable computers capable of running the same programs).

Windows, Dropbox and other cloud based systems make very easy to back up your files on a regular basis. You just have to go into Window's settings, update and security and then backup. The options make it possible to automatically back up your files from a folder like documents regularly. You can then restore a single file or two. The windows setting for image files is found under the looking for an older backup on the same page (works fine in Windows 10). Cloud based services like Dropbox also make it possible to automatically backup to the cloud on a regularly set schedule.

One point you might want to consider too is security. I would unplug your portable drive once the image or backup is complete for the week of whatever time period you establish. If you have an image file, you can over-write a disk in the event you get a nasty virus (particularly if it has not spread to your portable drive). I have never tried to re-image with a ransom-ware attack. If you are able to boot the computer with the emergency disk, it should be theoretically possible to image the drive and eliminate any unwanted code from a ransom-ware attack (maybe others have more experience with this situation).

Of course, none of this is relevant if you have an Apple Computer (other than the house-keeping ideas).

[OAITW r.2.0]

9. Thanks for the response!

You bring up some good points. I think I might purchase another SSD external drive to occaisional BU and store in a safe place. Make a new back-up weekly, but use the Seagate Drive to take my data on the road.

[waterwatcher123]

15. Glad it was somewhat helpful (lots of ways to accomplish this process).

[LastDemocratInSC]

13. And keep multiple copies of the backups in different locations if you can.

I keep one copy of important files at my house and another copy at my sister's house (on flash drives). That should be adequate unless a comet strikes, but I doubt I would need my backups if that happens.

[PSPS]

10. The XCOPY and ROBOCOPY commands will do this

I set these up all the time. There are command options that will do things like copy only new and changed files, automatically overwriting the older version, etc. I make a batch file with the appropriate command and options and either tun it manually or use it in a scheduled task to run automatically.

On-site backups are a risk, though, if you keep the backup drive in the same physical location as your PC. If you have a burglary or a destructive fire, both the PC and backup drive will be lost.Your best bet is to employ an online backup program. At about $70 per year, it's a cheap price to pay to sleep well at night.

[canetoad]

11. As Hugh said above

But I'd be getting a copy handler/utility to do the job. My favourite is Tera Copy, which is free.

https://teracopy.en.lo4d.com/windows

The advantages are:

-You can verify the copied files if you wish
-When the first duplicate file is copied the dialogue window will allow you to skip/copy/overwrite all subsequent duplicates.

[OAITW r.2.0]

14. I will check it out! Much thanks!