Survey – how do you verify your system backup will work?

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[Tex265]

Over under another posting #2614920 I inadvertently started a secondary discussion regarding what methods people use to ensure that their backups will actually work if/when needed.

@PKCano suggested #2614945 restoring a folder/file or two as “some” proof that the backup is good.

Several other seasoned experienced Woody Members commented #2614935 #2614947   that the only true way is to literally replace your existing system disk with the backup made to see if it boots. (Either by overwriting your existing disk, or swapping in a replacement/secondary disk).  Laptop computers?

@TechTango #2615010 suggested:

“If want to do a basic test, you could, for example, copy (not move) some of your user files from your from C drive to a single partition external drive and make an image backup of this drive.   Then delete the files on the external drive you just imaged and burn the image back to it then check out the files.”

All interesting “gold standard” options, but realistically how many folks do this type of validation? And how often?  Is up through “Verifying the Backup” from within the backup program (mine – Macrium Reflect) after creation as many programs suggest, and ensuring that you have a bootable recovery usb stick,  a high enough standard for most of us?

What do you do to ensure your backup integrity?

Windows 11 Pro v24H2 and Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2

• This topic was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Tex265.
• This topic was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Tex265.

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“how do you verify your system backup will work?”
Two different backup methods:
All personal files (emails, photos, videos, documents, etc.) kept on a separate drive. Backups performed by Robocopy commands with full report of each backup. Verified by report of backup and looking at any file that was backed up.

Windows OS drive backed up with Windows built-in image backup. Not recently verified, but have restored a Windows made image in the past and it worked flawlessly with one exception. When the Windows image is restore to a larger drive it may not recognize the entire drive. This can be easily fixed using the Expand function in Disk management. I consider this “verifying” the images made by Windows.

HTH, Dana:))

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I test by restoring some data folders.

The only time I needed to restore a full image was years ago running Windows 7.

I use Acronis.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Kirsty

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Tex265 wrote:

Several other seasoned experienced Woody Members commented #2614935 #2614947 that the only true way is to literally replace your existing system disk with the backup made to see if it boots. (Either by overwriting your existing disk, or swapping in a replacement/secondary disk).

As I said over there, there is no other way to know for certain that your backup is good.  And again the question, if you don’t trust it, why are you using it?

Tex265 wrote:

Laptop computers?

Read through this thread: “No boot device”

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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For me the priority is making the backup on at least two different hard drives, disconnected after the backup is done.  I mount the image and open a few files.  I haven’t had to do a restore in about a decade, when a laptop with a spinning hard drive was dropped while turned on and instantly hard drive dead.  I still use spinning hard drives for backup, but only SSDs in active use.

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1) I always use the “verify image” option on full disk (image) backups.  Before applying Windows updates, I usually use Macrium Reflect for this.  And I rotate out 3 identical external drives monthly, which are only connected during this monthly backup – that way I always have at least 2 previous monthly backups; and all are locked in a safe when not in use.  In reality external Drive 1 has Jan, Apr, Jul & Oct backups; Drive 2: Feb, May, Aug & Nov; and Drive 3: Mar, Jun, Sept, & Dec.  Then the old month gets replaced by the new year’s backup.

and 2) I usually pick a couple of random files, a few folders deep, to open as my test(s).

I usually don’t go much beyond this for testing in part because I also:

a) have ALL data files backed up – in real time – using an encrypted online (MEGA) service with file history for at least 30 days (which I have have to use when other methods failed),

b) use an encrypted 4th external drive that houses a duplicate copy of all data files that are also backed up – in real time – using AOMEI real time sync,

c) have all data files (changes) backed up again, this time using EaseUS To Do, on a 5th external encrypted drive, daily at 5pm (monthly full backups ~2 weeks opposite the Macrium Reflect backup; with, IIRC, incremental backups otherwise).  And,; it’s set it up such that no backups are to deleted until the hard disk is full, and so now have well over a year’s worth which serves as another file version history, which I have used when other methods failed).

d) this 5th external drive also houses my Windows File History (which I’ve found to be unreliable honestly).

e) this 5th external drive also uses EaseUS To Do’s Smart Backup to record – in real time (at least every 30 minutes IIRC) – any changes to selected (most important) files whenever changes occurs.  IIRC this also has a monthly Full Backup, weekly differential backups and then a week’s worth of daily incremental backups until the next higher order backup is made.

I know many, including some here, will say this is way overkill; and I am fine with that.  This is what works for me (& I sleep very well at night) after experimenting for years after a significant and total personal and small business data loss over a decade ago (hard drive damaged by movers with no data professionally recoverable; my online backup was also inaccessible as I had replaced my phone with the only 2FA, so I lost total access and had no other backups).  It took me over a year to re-create records as best I could and file (late) taxes etc.  NEVER again.

And yes, I use all 3 different programs because they each offer me a different solution and redundancy – when one program fails for whatever reason to successfully access or complete a backup; then one of the other programs can and have been used as a substitute.  Also, I’ve learned sometimes programs don’t act as they’re supposed to, and if I can’t recover a file(s) one way; accessing it with a different (program’s) backup has saved the day.

Oh, and the 4th External Drive is bolted to the floor and is rated as fire and water resistant (IoSafe).  The 5th External Drive gets locked in a safe whenever I leave the house along with all other electronic devices I don’t take with me.  All devices are also encrypted.

YMMV; but short of an EMP, I don’t ever intend on losing critical data again.  LOL

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Allow me to add some clarity.  As I’ve said any number of times here and other forums, I want Windows to run as closely to my way of doing things as I possibly can, rather than me trying to learn and relearn Windows’ new-and-improved-shiny-feature-you’re-gonna-love-it-and-get-more-done way of doing things.

I’ve worked on my system of doing things more than twenty years and I’m quite comfortable and used to it.  So since XP, the things that don’t really add to the usefulness of my way of doing things, I’ve done my best to excise from the OS.  As a result, I dig and delve into Windows’ guts, slice and dice, rearrange, and get rid of things like Libraries and Quick Access and such.

This can quite often lead to a pooched, sometimes unbootable system.  Since XP I have relied on TeraByte‘s imaging software through its various iterations to get back to my last known good setup, and try again.  I do gobs of registry work to keep Windows from interfering with the way I want to do things.  Over the years that has meant hundreds of (if not over a thousand) times I have created images and restored images.  I restored an OS image just last Tuesday, the 19th.

Image For Windows will abort creating an image if it encounters errors on the drive/partition, whether Metadata, bad sectors or what-have-you—which is a good thing.  In all the years I’ve used the software and through all the creations and restores, I have not had a single failure.  I have no hesitation whatsoever in restoring a drive image to any partition, any drive, because they are all known good.

I’ve been on a number of forums over the years and read a number of sad tales of backup failure with various backup software, Windows’ own probably more than most, including System Restore.  This is why I ask, if you don’t trust your backup solution well enough to run a restore, why are you using it?

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

1 user thanked author for this post.

Kirsty

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Tex265 wrote:

Several other seasoned experienced Woody Members commented that the only true way is to literally replace your existing system disk with the backup made to see if it boots.

I now use Veeam agent backup for Linux as my imaging backup program, and I have confidence in its ability to restore successfully based on having used it a number of times to restore entire partitions and physical disks. Now that I have arrived at a point of trusting that it works, based on experience, I don’t feel the need to keep testing it. It’s got a track record of working reliably, having used it to do full physical disk and logical volume restorations on numerous occasions.

Until a given backup program is tested to that point, its functionality can only be assumed. This may be enough for some; after all, most people do not make any kind of backups at all. Having some sort of backup is better than none at all, since it probably will work. Hopefully. Your odds are improved substantially, but how much is anyone’s guess. It’s like being on a small plane that’s about to crash, where it would be better to have a parachute of unknown origin than to have none at all.

(Either by overwriting your existing disk, or swapping in a replacement/secondary disk).

I would not overwrite the existing disk testing backup software that was as yet unproven. If it fails, you have just created the very disaster you were trying to prevent. I would definitely go for the swapping disk route, or one of the variations on that theme.

Laptop computers?

Including those, yes. If it is a unit that does not have a swappable disk, I would not buy it. Most laptops now come with M.2 slots, and it is usually quite easy to swap a drive in or out on these.

Before buying a laptop, I check to see if it is difficult to open it for service. Dell has service manuals intended for end users, which is really nice, while HP makes its manuals available to the public but warns that they are meant for professional use only. For those manufacturers that do not make service manuals available, like with my Acer Swift, you can often find sites like ifixit.com or Youtube videos that show how it is done for any given model.

The best test is the one that most closely simulates the problem you are planning to mitigate, which would mean creating the backup, swapping in another drive, and restoring from the rescue media, but there are other ways of testing that are almost as good.

You can restore the image to an external drive and boot from that and see if it works. I have a Thunderbolt 3 external NVMe SSD enclosure that I can stick any NVMe SSD into and test the restore function, then boot from it and see how well it works. The system considers it to be an NVMe drive, just like the one the backup was created from, so if all is good, it should boot and run with no issues. I have done this, and it works perfectly (though I do use Linux, not Windows). I am not sure if Windows’ license checks and other related restrictions would get in the way of this or not.

Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)

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All interesting “gold standard” options, but realistically how many folks do this type of validation? And how often?

Tex265,

About every 3 to 6 months.  Here’s what I do:

For my desktop computer, I have two identical M2 drives.  Every 6 months, or sooner if just want stay nimble and confident, I make an up to the moment Macrium image, swap M2 drives and restore the image to the newly swapped M2 drive.  It’s never failed to be perfect AND and the process is about as close to a risk free full test as you can get.  I did the same thing on my wifes’ laptop.  I’ve re-imaged my laptop probably 4 times.  All were perfect.

At days end,  I make whatever type of Macrium backup is due at that time (Incremental or Differential or Full), and sync the new image to 2 additional external drives.  And once a week, I sync a full image to the cloud.

Some may say it’s over kill, but for me it’s complete POM.

 

Desktop mobo Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Kirsty

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