Norton Security Suite - Backup Drive Filling Up

Hello,

 

I have an issue with Norton backups filling my backup HDD.

 

DETAILS:

  • - Using Norton Security Suite 20.2.0.19 which is included as part of my Comcast bundle
  • - Backups set to run Automatic, backing up entire contents of C:drive;
  • - A single Default backup set
  • - C: drive is 320GB total size, of which 210GB is used.
  • - Destination backup drive D: is 500GB
  • - Backup files have filled it to 496GB
  • - Backups now fail. 

Once before I had to delete my entore backup set and start from scratch.  Seems I am there again now.

 

QUESTIONS:

  • -  How can 210GB of source data result in 496GB of backup data?
  • -   I understand the concept of intial Full backup followed by ongoing Incremental backups, but is it possible that the Norton app does no housekeeping and just keps piling on incrementals until the backup drive explodes?  I see no settings to have backups "roll", so that old data is wiped. 
  • -   If it is up to me to do it manually, how is that possible with a single Default backup set?  Or is it up to me to roll my own backup sets and delete old ones manually from my backup drive?  Seems cheesy, but if that is the case I'll work it out.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any guidance or insights

Kevin.

 

 

Hello,

 

I have an issue with Norton backups filling my backup HDD.

 

DETAILS:

  • - Using Norton Security Suite 20.2.0.19 which is included as part of my Comcast bundle
  • - Backups set to run Automatic, backing up entire contents of C:drive;
  • - A single Default backup set
  • - C: drive is 320GB total size, of which 210GB is used.
  • - Destination backup drive D: is 500GB
  • - Backup files have filled it to 496GB
  • - Backups now fail. 

Once before I had to delete my entore backup set and start from scratch.  Seems I am there again now.

 

QUESTIONS:

  • -  How can 210GB of source data result in 496GB of backup data?
  • -   I understand the concept of intial Full backup followed by ongoing Incremental backups, but is it possible that the Norton app does no housekeeping and just keps piling on incrementals until the backup drive explodes?  I see no settings to have backups "roll", so that old data is wiped. 
  • -   If it is up to me to do it manually, how is that possible with a single Default backup set?  Or is it up to me to roll my own backup sets and delete old ones manually from my backup drive?  Seems cheesy, but if that is the case I'll work it out.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any guidance or insights

Kevin.

 

 

Kevin,

How often are you doing your backups?

Thanks

Hi kevcof.

 

I am sorry to say I believe there is a fault in the N360 backup that occasionally means that the intended Full backup followed by incrementals does not always work.  Instead after some undefined glitch it does another full backup and then carries on with incrementals until the next glitch, sadly it still seems to leave the old data,inaccessible, but taking up disk space.  In your case with you attempting to 210 Gb onto 500 Gb it only takes two glitches to fill the disk!

 

What I do is have two backup sets, one set to automatic and the other to manual.  Then if one goes off the rails and grows too large I can delete the other set and start again.  In your case just the two would fairly fill your disk, but it should work and the size limitation would warn you of an error.

 

I would question whether you really need to back up your whole C drive.  N360 backup is not a system image and most of your programs would need to be reinstalled in any case so why not just save the data?  This would save time and disk space.  Just an idea.

 

Does that help?

 

Please feel free to ask any further questions.