My external 250 MB back-up Hard Drive has reached max capacity. I am using the Windows 7 Microsoft Back-up tool. Will the back-up continue and simply drop older files from years ago? When I drill down to the Windows "Manage Backup Disk Space" it offers me 3 time periods - the oldest is March - Sep 2012 and is 35.65 GB. This is separate from the "System Image" which is 125 GB. Is this older backup just an older version of the next back-up (which is Sep 2012 to May 2013). Does each of the 3 time frames represent a full back-up and can I delete the oldest one to free up space? Sounds logical to me as a novice. Right now I am not backing up at all.Thanks,Hank2005 Mandalay DPDell 1545 Inspiron Laptop circa 2009

Me thinks this is a question for a computer site.

I think it would refuse to take more data when it's full, but the question is would the hard drive tell you that or just let you think it copied your data? I'm waiting to see if someone knows for sure. And consdering that you're full, you should stop by Costco and get one of the small Western Digital 1T hard drives for about $125. Backing up your computer is great, but if the house or MH burns and both the computer and the back up are in the same place, it doesn't go much good. Make a second backup and leave it with someone else.Bill

Don't mean to be a butthead, but just buy a one terabyte drive. They just keep getting cheaper. I'm backing up files from my Apple IIe from the early 1980s.

250 MB isn't a lot of space any more. Shooting RAW, I take pictures that run around 10MB apiece; your whole harddisk would hold only 25 of those pictures. I use 8GB sticks (i.e., 32 times the capacity of your hard disk) for backups, and those sticks aren't nearly the largest available; all pictures, however, go to my unlimited Flickr account.An interesting historical note. Way back when in the 80s, we purchased our first computer with a hard disk. (The earlier ones had only floppies.) That hard disk was what seemed huge at the time at 20MB. It would have held all of two of my current-day pictures.:)Lynn

eubank wrote:250 MB isn't a lot of space any more. ---snip---250GB isn't allot of room. 250MB hasn't been made in 20 years.One must assume the OP's post was a typo

External Backup Hard Drive is Full | Good Sam Community

1775
Explorer
Oct 21, 2013
If you are making backups use as large a drive as you can. As said in responses here a 2 TB drive is less than a hundred dollars and in a place like Costco you can get a 3 TB for not much more. One backup is not really secure. You want a drive that you can alternate backups on - for example three complete backups each made one week apart - then should anything go wrong with one backup you have two spares. And forget Windows back up - it is not efficient. Get a good backup package like Acronis True Image which will let you restore even if Windows totally crashes.
1492
Moderator
Oct 20, 2013
Yes, very important to keep the latest full backup file associated with either incremental or differential backups. Otherwise, you cannot restore anything.
tatest
Explorer II
Oct 19, 2013
Only you know whether those earlier backups are complete, you were the one that did them. The tool will work either way, full or incremental.

If subsequent backups are full, you can delete old ones if you never want to go back to that state. If you did a full, and then incrementals, you need to keep everything since the last full to be able to restore to the most recent backup.

I would just buy another drive, they are cheap today. We used to pay $10,000,000 for a terabyte storage system, now it is about $100.
austinjenna
Explorer
Oct 19, 2013
Just delete the oldest backups and keep the latest. With a drive that size you will need to do this every so often. No big deal
wittmeba
Explorer
Oct 19, 2013
You dont need a Terabyte size drive but with the cost as low as they are you might consider one.

500GB is a lot and there are lots of drives for less than $70.00.

Make sure your PC is compatible with the USB 3 (yours may be USB 2 but should still work). Your PC is likely aging and may become obsolete with newer products.
deleted-2
Explorer
Oct 19, 2013
2TB drives are in the below $70.00 range.
We have two connected to the desktop.
It's gonna take a while to fill those...then again I said that back in 95 with a 3.2 gig drive :)
Mandalay_Parr
Explorer
Oct 19, 2013
Hank,
Definitely time to get a new drive.
Johno02
Explorer
Oct 19, 2013
If you are going to get one, go ahead and get a 2 instead of a 1. the cost now is getting so much better its is just a better deal. If you have a Walmart anywhere close, you can get them there at a very reasonagle price, and in most cases they are getting very small. If you are travelling, do your backup when you have time, then just stow the drive till you are ready to do it again. No need to have it attached all the time.
owenssailor
Explorer
Oct 19, 2013
I have several 1 and 2 Tb drives for various purposes including backup storing digital photos and movies.
We live a long way from major stores. I have had very good luck ordering from Tiger Direct.
skipnchar
Explorer
Oct 19, 2013
That's the way I handle it except I delete all but the latest back up and just start over. Just make sure your computer is running the way you want right now.

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