Putting a Backup WIN 10 0n a partition

[Janis]

I asked the tech to remove as just junk on the new PC making it look more efficient like WIN 7.   I am thinking about splitting a hard drive and wondering IF it would be allowable to backup the system to another partition, just in casel

[Lisa_maree]

Hi
You have a great idea and yes it is easy to make a backup part (partition) on your hard drive. You will need to resize the present partition here is 3 methods explained here  https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/resize-partition-windows-10.html

First step is to get the properties of the present partition i.e the space that is used. This will be the minimum size for the backup partition.

Then use todo backup from Easeus to backup the c drive and the small 200mb boot partition. You may also make a backup to an external pen drive or hard drive which is easy to restore should the hard drive completely fail.

If the computer has a SSD drive installed, it is better to backup to an external drive and keep as much free space as possible on the SSD drive.

[Janis]

Thank you!As my brain ages,  I no longer assume I can do everything on apc without checking first.

[mathis.ws]

In the past (before SSD's were cheap) I used Parted Magic (an amazing and free-ish tool) to move the current partition to the end of the drive and create a new one for a clean OS at the front.  However now I just buy a Samsung 860 Pro or 970 Pro (depending on the computer support for NVMe) and simply set aside the old drive untouched.  That way you get the benefit of a really fast computer AND keep your old OS fully intact.

PS.
I don't recommend the Samsung EVO drives as about 10 of them out of 100 died on me before I stopped using them.  with Pro's, I think I have lost maybe 2 out of 500

PSS.
The Samsung Data Migration Software if you need it is amazing and free with the drive.  Just note you need to fix the System Protection as it keeps pointing at the no longer present C: so you have to remove it and re-add it on the new C:

[Lisa_maree]

PSS.
The Samsung Data Migration Software if you need it is amazing and free with the drive.  Just note you need to fix the System Protection as it keeps pointing at the no longer present C: so you have to remove it and re-add it on the new C:

Can you clarify what you mean by " Just note you need to fix the System Protection as it keeps pointing at the no longer present C: so you have to remove it and re-add it on the new C:"

Does Samsung Data Migration not do this as part of the copy ?The latest version supports Windows 10 so should migrate all the partitions from one drive to another.

[mathis.ws]

Sure Lisa, I believe it has something to do with how Windows System recovery works.  I agree that it "should" not have this problem but to my knowledge, it still does in the latest v4.0 and it had the same problem in v3.x and with Windows 7

Whenever I image an OS with the Samsung Data Migration tool, remove the old drive, and then install the new one... system recovery is off.

This removes the ability to go back to a restore point or recover recently deleted files (by right-clicking in any folder -> Properties -> Previous Version)

To fix it, go to System Protection Settings
- Right Click "This PC" -> Properties -> System Protection
- You will see the old C: greyed out with protection On, while the new C: is not greyed out but off. 
- To turn it off you select the old one -> Select Configure -> Disable system protection. 
- Once you hit Ok the old drive will be gone and you will be able to turn it on for the new drive and set the configuration the way you want.

Thanks,

Mike

[Lisa_maree]

Thankyou for clarifying it.
So system restore is turned off after a transfer and needs to be re enabled. I will check on the next drive upgrade I do.
As part of any service I would check the system restore settings and have always needed to re enable it after a drive transfer. You have explained why so a big thankyou.
     

[patio]

The drawback to this great scenario you have concocted here is the OS and the recovery are on the same HDD... drive fails everything fails.

[Lisa_maree]

As I said earlier

Then use todo backup from Easeus to backup the c drive and the small 200mb boot partition. You may also make a backup to an external pen drive or hard drive which is easy to restore should the hard drive completely fail.

If the computer has a SSD drive installed, it is better to backup to an external drive and keep as much free space as possible on the SSD drive.