Puzzling backup issue

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Running Windows 7 Pro – 64 bit. I use Windows to do my image backups to an external hard drive using eSATA. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, no problems. The last couple I have done, however, when the backup finished the free space showing on the external had actually increased instead of decreased. Usually a new backup uses 1-3 GB of disk space depending on how much has changed on the desktop. But today, for example, when I started the backup I was showing 603.xx amount of free space on the ext. When I finished it was 604.xx. It said the backup completed successfully, everything else was completely normal. I can’t figure this one out. Any ideas?

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Does this help answer your question?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-backup-settings-should-I-use-to-maximize-my-disk-space

I would guess that windows has decided your disk is above its limit and has deleted an old backup set. The new set does not yet use as much space as the deleted set did.

The bad thing about windows backup is that there is no easy way to mount the backup image or verify that it is good other than doing a test restore…..

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Yep, that would explain it, Windows has decided 600 GB of free space is not enough room. It is a 1 TB external. I have had to do a restore using this external, not a test, and it worked fine. Thanks very much for the help.

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