Question Re: Backup

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

Hello: I am in the process of cleaning up my hard drive (HD) on my notebook computer.  I made good progress.  A bit of history about my HD.  Early this year, I remember have about 1.83 GB of free space on my HD.  By the 15th of Jan 13, I increased my HD free space to 4.23 GB.  Currently, as of 31st of Jan 13, I have 7.22 GB of free space on my HD.  My HD capacity is 96.9 GB.

 

I had to learn how to remove unneeded programs from my computer and transfer files to a CD for storage.  I've had my computer since August 2006.  Yes, I know it is outdated now, but it still serves a purpose for me until I can upgrade to a newer computer or actually find the time to build a computer.

 

Now I've been using the Norton 360 Internet Security software for the time I've owned my computer.  However, I have instructed the program to put my backups on my hard drive at Local Disk (C:).  My awareness now tells me, this is not the best choice for putting  backups of my computer files.  I am now planning on a change of where to put my backups.  My intention is to purchase a 1.5 TB external HD.  Once I've purchase the 1.5 TB external HD, I will have to instruct the Norton 360 program to put my backups on the external 1.5 TB HD.  This change will now leave me with a prior backup of my computer files on my HD Local Disk (C:).  Once I change to putting my backups on the external 1.5 TB HD, I will no longer need to take up the space used on my HD Local Disk (C:) for prior backups.

 

Now for my question.  How do I free up the space used by prior backups on my HD Local Disk (C:) after putting newer backups on to my external 1.5 TB HD?

 

Here's what I know so far:

1. The N360_Backup properties reveals the following: Size 52.4 GB and Size on Disk 51.5 GB.

2. My Documents and Settings properties reveals the following: Size 11.0 and Size on Disk 9.29 GB

3. Picture properties reveals the following: Size 159 MB and Size on Disk 159 MB.

4. I just realized after looking at what backup sets are being backed up, I can understand why the numbers at (1) above are greater than the numbers at (2) above.

5. So, all this tells me, that the file: N360_Backup is the file on my Local Disk (C:) used for my computer backup purposes.

6. If I am correct about point (5) above and once I purchase a 1.5 TB external HD and instruct Norton 360 to place my new backups on the 1.5 TB external HD then I can delete the N360_Backup file from my Local Disk (C:).

7. Considering the numbers at point (1), if I delete the N360_Backup file from my Local Disk (C:) then I'll be freeing up (51.5 GB) which is more than half the available space on my Local Disk (C:) (96.9 GB).

 

Next Questions (NQ):

NQ1: Am I correct about point (6) above?

NQ2: Am I correct about point (7) above?

NQ3: Everytime the Norton 360 program performs a backup of my computer files then does it rewrite over the same space used in a prior backup?

NQ4: Not sure about this, but if after I do a disk clean up and disk defrag then this should also speed up my computer somewhat.  Is this correct?

 

 

 

2

Hi Lightwave.

 

Welcome to the Norton Community Forums. :smileyhappy:

 

I do not guarantee to be right and do not be fooled by my "Guru" status - I was given that for work I attempt to do related to mobile phones....  But in the absence of anyone else offering advice on this...

 

First I will try and answer your questions.

 

Now for my question.  How do I free up the space used by prior backups on my HD Local Disk (C:) after putting newer backups on to my external 1.5 TB HD?

I think you answered that in your question 6.   ;-)

 

Next Questions (NQ):

NQ1: Am I correct about point (6) above?

I believe you are correct.

 

NQ2: Am I correct about point (7) above?

Again I believe you are the size shown for the backup files should match what N360 says.

 

NQ3: Everytime the Norton 360 program performs a backup of my computer files then does it rewrite over the same space used in a prior backup?

That is not how I understand that computers work.  It will put the data is wants to save where it wants to put it on the disk but it will be in the folder (a logical not physical concept) that is selected for it.

 

NQ4: Not sure about this, but if after I do a disk clean up and disk defrag then this should also speed up my computer somewhat.  Is this correct?

 If your disc was that full then a defrag should definitely improve performance.

 

Now I will try and give you some advice.  From your description I suspect that there has been some corruption in your old backups which is why the backup size has grown so much.  So deleting the old backups would probably be a good idea.  However before you do that you need to set up a new backup set in N360 to start a new backup on the external drive.  So set up your new drive, then set up a new backup set with N360 onto that.  Check that it is backing up what you want and that you can restore if need be.  Then you can either use N360 to remove the old backups or probably more simply just go the the backup folder on your C drive and delete it.

 

I hope the above makes sense.  I also hope it is correct - If anyone doubts any part of it please speak up.

 

If you have any more questions please feel free to come back.

 

Good luck.

3

AndMike:

 

Thank you for your responses.

 

I just wish it was easier to use this forum system.  It is not.  And because of this I find it hard to go back and forth, between what I originally asked and your responses, to post my followup comments.

 

However, did get a better understanding of whether my logic is on the right track for what I'm trying to do.

 

Without the ability to look back upon my original posted question:

I did not really understand your reply a NQ2.

At NQ3, please keep this in mind.  It makes logical sense to me that the backup program should rewrite over the prior space used for a former backup.  It would not make much sense if each time the backup operation is performed that the program just eats up another unused space on ones HD, without deactivating (for lack of a better phrase) what was saved during a prior backup operation.

 

Not trying to be negative here:  BUT I SURE WISH TECH SUPPORT AT NORTON 360 WOULD CHIME IN ON LETTING USERS KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS DURING THEIR BACKUP PROCESS.  IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT HAPPENS TO A PRIOR BACKUP WHICH WAS SAVED TO WHATEVER LOCATION A USER DESIGNATED?

 

It will also be help to learn how to check a backup?

 

Again, AndMike, thank you  for your support.  Much appreciated.

4

I'm not Norton but

Not trying to be negative here:  BUT I SURE WISH TECH SUPPORT AT NORTON 360 WOULD CHIME IN ON LETTING USERS KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS DURING THEIR BACKUP PROCESS.  IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT HAPPENS TO A PRIOR BACKUP WHICH WAS SAVED TO WHATEVER LOCATION A USER DESIGNATED?

The process will vary some with the type of backup being created and the destination.

The program looks at the files and determines which ones are to be backed up

If the destination is a local or external drive then they are compressed and written to the destination.

If the destination is online then they are compressed and encrypted before being transmitted to the online destination.

This is about as technical as I can get.

Hope this helps

5

Hello again Lightwave.

 

I am not sure why you are having problems looking back at your earlier posts.  I view the forum through my browser and when I click on the latest post in a thread it opens that but if I move the slider on the right I can scroll back up to the earlier posts.  This works until the "page" gets full at which point you need to select the page number selector at the bottom (also available I think at the top) of the page.  However in the case of this thread we have not yet reached that stage.

 

Also when posting a reply the message you are replying to is shown in a window below the space where you enter the text.  I often find it helpful to open a second browser window which allows me to check through the thread while I am preparing my reply.  

 

The grey "quote" button at the top right of the new message screen pastes a quote of the full post you are replying to in the new message if you want that. Once pasted the "quote" can be edited.  

 

Did that help with the forum issues?

 

As for not understanding my response to your question NQ2.

Your question appeared to be whether the following was correct - 

7. Considering the numbers at point (1), if I delete the N360_Backup file from my Local Disk (C:smileyhappy: then I'll be freeing up (51.5 GB) which is more than half the available space on my Local Disk (C:smileyhappy: (96.9 GB).

 

I said - Again I believe you are the size shown for the backup files should match what N360 says.

 

So I believe that your statement above is correct.  If you look at the amount of space the N360 says is used in your backup that space figure should match the size of the relevant folder as stored on your hard drive.  Even if it does not the amount of space you will save on your hard drive is the size of the backup folder you will remove - after you have created a new backup set for safety purposes.

 

With regard to your NQ3 which was:

NQ3: Everytime the Norton 360 program performs a backup of my computer files then does it rewrite over the same space used in a prior backup?

 

 

Backups can be designed to create a new record for each backup or can be designed to delete the old backup and create a new one.  They can also be designed to leave what is not changed, remove what has been deleted and add on what is new. I think what you and Norton 360 were intending to happen was the last one but as I said in my post there appears to have been an error which is why I recommend starting a new backup set and deleting the old one.  With your new backup set you might like to keep an eye on the space being taken up and see if it is growing at an inappropriate rate - though with the size of your new drive it should not be a problem for a long time.

 

However your question was about "the same space" which I took to mean the same space on the disk, i.e. the same clusters - which it almost certainly does not.  Given that each file is different it is also likely to take up a different amount of "space" meaning - number of bytes.  So I had misunderstood what your first question was meant to be and therefore gave you an answer that was not what you expected.

 

Dick has commented on your capitalised text but not on how to check a backup.  This can be done in a number of ways but probably the easiest is to select the "restore files" option.  Then at the next window select "View All" this will then show you where each of your backup sets are stored and the size of the archive (this is the size I referred to above).  Once you have selected a backup set click OK and that takes you back to the "Restore Files" window.  At step 2 on this screen you can select files and folders to be restored, this enables you to check that the files and folders you want are on the backup.  Then finally if you want to check it really works you can go on to stage 3 and restore a file to its original location or a new one and confirm that everything really worked.

 

As before - feel free to come back with any questions if you wish.