How to backup your computer with an external hard drive (HDD)
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- Опубліковано 25 лип 2024
- In this video I show how to use an external harddrive to backup your data. This video is for someone who doesnt know how to use a hard drive, or has never needed to back anything up before.
If you know what a hard drive is, then this video might not be for you.
I will be uploading a video shortly on how to use an advance method of system backup to completely backup your files for free, so subscribe if you want to see that video!
How to setup synchronizing on your computer for free: • How To Use and Setup a...
If you need a hard drive, I can recommend this. I am not an affiliate, so this link is just a link to an amazon product.
www.amazon.com/Seagate-Portab...
XYZ Mesh - www.graytechnical.com/xyz-mesh/ - Наука та технологія
Thank you. I am afraid to ask people basic questions, because they usually humiliate instead of helping. I know I can do things, but I do have to be taught, and I think everyone does. Some people just learned so early, they don't remember being taught. Others of us didn't have access to computers when we were young, and we do need help with the basics.
An old friend set up something called "SyncBack" on my laptop to do backups to an external hard drive. I just hooked up the external drive, opened Syncback and saw "Full Backup" at the top, and "Run" on a button at the bottom. I ran it ... for 6.5 hours ... and it said the backup failed. I can't reach that friend for help. I'm thinking this is a topic for the more advanced video! I also think my friend may have set up something more complicated than I need (probably my fault for not communicating clearly). I just want to back up not only my Microsoft files but also a few other programs, before I upgrade from Windows 10 to 11, and then also get in the habit of backing up more regularly. I think my lack of knowledge about the correct vocabulary, has made it harder for me to ask for what I really need. Thank goodness for nice helpful people like you!
I am glad this was helpful!
Here is the link to the more advanced video. The advanced video shows the tool SyncToy by Microsoft.
ua-cam.com/video/onRIubeGezg/v-deo.html
When you upgrade you have the option to keep everything on the device. But I would suggest that you look into Windows 11 before you actually upgrade. I personally hate 11 and would stick with 10 if I could, but running a software company requires that I stay up-to-date and compliant with all Windows variations.
Here is a playlist of what has changed, and how to use Windows 11 for a Windows 10 user.
ua-cam.com/play/PLNCnfgJp3TbZMHXCxwYh3JsXdbBfcIY6G.html
@@gray-technicalwhy, thank you for a very speedy reply! Another plus of your channel. I don't like upgrading either - especially being nontechy, I hate having a big new learning curve every few years, just to do basic things.
I needed to back up my files and your video was the first one that explained it very well in detail. Thank you.
Glad I could help!
Thank you for the refresher. Its been a long time. Great and easy to follow. Many Thanks
No problem! Glad to help!
Thank you so much! I was having some nervousness trying this out and your vid helped. Tysm!
Glad I could help!
I found your pacing and progression through the topic clear and helpful. I learned some useful tips. (Thanks for explaining why the pc hard disc is labelled "C"; now there is one less mystery in my universe.) Being picky, I found the background music a bit of a distraction. This is the first of your videos that I have watched. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Kyle, This video was so quick and easy to understand. Thanks so much. Voncile
Thank you! Happy to help!
thank you for taking the time to make this video. very easy to follow! =)
Glad it helped!
Thank you for the important information on shortcuts, so helpful.
Glad I could help!
Thank you for making this video you saved my son from having to explain and you saved my sanity have a great day!!
Glad to help!
Thank you! This was very easy to understand and follow!
Glad to help!
Thank You for having patience to teach me how to use external hard drive. !!!
No problem! Glad to help!
Not sure if this helps anyone that may run into the same snag but "Clicking & Dragging" the icons remained as a short cut for me but what did work was simply "Copy & Pasting" to the External hard drive. Thanks for the upload of this video.
Thanks for that info... just in case.
Thank you sooooo much for this!!! You saved me!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Amazing explanation! Thank you for sharing! I truly appreciate it.
Glad to help!
Perfect. Good pace. Easy to understand by a neophyte like myself. Thank you for your explanation
Glad to help!
very nice, easy to follow. i think my dad could understand it!
Glad I could help!
Great thanks. Really useful.
Glad it helped!
very good tutorial,,,shory and simple, thanks
Glad I could help!
Thank you for very clear, calm and precise instructions. I do wonder how many GB are on external hard drives... but that's not what your video was about. Now I won't feel intimidated by how to use one... no mystery anymore... Great! Buying one soon! No more worrying about losing files, if by some chance my pc crashes. Thanks again. 2 thumbs up!
I am so happy it helped!
And most harddrives now do not go off of GB's. Most are TB's (a terabyte being 1000 gigabytes ;) )
Your video was helpful but I have a question am planning to sell my pc but I wouldn’t build on in a hurry so if I do this and put everything like my download’s onto a hard drive would it be good for the future new pc? am only looking to carry over download’s and if possible windows settings
Think of it like moving to a new house. You first need to take your things (IE, files), from the old house (IE, old computer) and put them in a device that can transport them, like a truck (IE, Harddrive). Once your things are in the truck, you drive to the new house (IE, new computer). You can either leave the stuff in the truck and never unpack, or unpack the truck and put the things where you want them to go in the house. Its up to you.
Your settings though, think of them as the quirks to your house. You cant packup the dent in the wall from when your kid was playing baseball in the house, but you can put a similar dent in roughly the same place in the new house.
Does that make since?
😃❤👍👍👍Amazing explanation! Thank you for sharing! I
Glad to help!
Brilliant and manny thanks 🙏🏻
Glad I could help!
thank you for your help!
Glad to help!
Nice explanation Thanks
Thanks! Glad to help!
subscribed ! Thanks
Hi Kyle, probably a dumb question but being a non tech musician, I'm trying to free up disk space on my windows 10 for my pc music programs to run better. I've transferred my files to an external HD successfully. Is it safe to delete those files from my pc now ? Thank you !
Yep! Just double and triple check they are backed up. Try and plug the hard drive into another machine and see if they show up. If they do, then you know you got them saved.
A true teacher
Glad to help!
Very helpful
Glad it helped!
Thank you so much!! 🙏
Glad to help!
Good video. Q: Can you demonstrate how to backup more than 1 computer to the same external harddrive? Also, is there software specifically used to managing backups? Thank You.
I would suggest to make a new folder in the drive called 'computer 1' and put everything from the first computer in there, and so on.
For software, I use Sync Toy by microsoft. It is a free backup tool for auto backups.
ua-cam.com/video/onRIubeGezg/v-deo.html
Hey! I have a question im on windows 11 rn but i want to fresh install windows 10 is there a way to fast backup my computer before i install windows 10 so i can restore all of my files?
Files, yes, using the method outlined in the video. Programs and system settings, no. Windows does not offer any tool for downgrading. You will be starting over from scratch with programs and system settings.
Think of the computer like a house. Your files are the furniture. You can move furniture around as much as you like. Get more of exactly the same thing (copy), move them (transfer), or just throw it out (delete).
Now think of the programs on the computer as walls in the house. You can always add another wall (install a program), or renovate (uninstall), but the walls are still walls, they stay with the house.
When you install a new OS, well that is like building a new house with a pre-built floor plan. You can always move your furniture into the new house, but it will have its own walls that you will need to navigate around.
THANK YOU!!
Glad to help!
Thank you!! :)
Glad to help!
I need to have my SSD upgraded so should I back up program files and if so do you have a video for this. I don't want to have to download it all over again! Thanks, I enjoyed your video. GARY.
You mean upgrading the drive in you computer? If you are doing that then the best way would be to clone the drive, if possible. This will copy everything exactly as it is, just putting it on the new SSD, but it is much more involved.
If you don't feel comfortable doing that then you will be left with manually coping your files to an external drive before installing the new drive in your machine. But your installed programs and applications will not transfer over this way.
If you are wanting to upgrade an external drive, then the most simple option would be to copy the files over and let it run over night. Might take a while, but this would be the safest and easiest way.
@@gray-technical thank you My SSD is 256 GB so it is a no-brainer they know what they are doing to get us to upgrade to a larger SSD. They say one TB but I say 4 cos I don't want to go through this again for a few years. am I right? They would have you spend money until you are broke and hard up but I am not willing to follow their plan. This is where I dig my heels in. Thanks also.
Very useful
Thank you! Glad it was helpful!
Thank you bro
Glad to help!
Thanks you❤
Glad to help!
Do I need to do anything to a new out of box hard drive before using it as a backup drive. Like formatting or creating partitions, etc.. I'm referring to a stand alone hard drive not a Mybook backup drive.
Most external drives come pre-formatted for you. If it is not formatted, Windows will automatically come up and tell you to format it.
If you need to format the drive, go to Computer > Right Click on the drive, and select 'Format'.
@@gray-technical Good to know. Thanks.
What if I backup my files in windows 7 will it work on newer windows like 10 or 11
Yes. All files will read and transfer between operating systems
@@gray-technical thanks 😊
Thanks Gray tech
Glad to help!
Hello, I just got a New Seagate external drive for my MacBook as. Christmas gift. I'm wanting to store videos on it.
For the life of me I can't get the external drive to cooperate with the MacBook.
Could you please tell me what I need to do?
You will need to format it so it can be compatible with the Mac. If you want it work work across Windows and Mac you should format it as either ExFat or FAT32. If you are only going to be using this on a Mac, format it for Mac OS Extended (Journal), as that will give you the best results and transfer speeds.
Here is a video that outlines how to format a harddrive on a Mac.
ua-cam.com/video/1ZYHyulRhA4/v-deo.html
@@gray-technical Thanks!
@@gray-technical Thanks! I’ll watch it!
Thank you
Glad is was helpful!
Thanks .. Will save this to learn. We're behind in moving to windows 11.. I have an antique Sea Gate.. we used.. I thought a external hard drive would save files etc. and could be reintroduced to windows 11 from our old 8.1 desk top.. The Sea Gate is connected to our window 7 laptop for safety reasons.. but I can't get it to work.. Need a new 11 computer but am afraid I won't be able to move pictures and files .. Can a new external hard drive help me move everything.? It is frustrating for us senior (71) year old to retain instructions.
Yes, the harddrive should be able to hold your files. Most consumer harddrives now are much larger than ones from 20 years ago. Average stock Windows 7/8 machines ran on 250 gig, while most harddrives now are 1tb (or 1000 gigs). You should be fine.
Thanks.. With help I I used a small scan disk usb to add old photos to the antique laptop.. But I'd like an external drive also.. Boy have they changed.. Our Seagate is huge.. Are new drives really as tiny as they look.? Prices are very different.. So the hunt begins.. You can teach an old dog.. right.? 😁
@@Chyril1 If you have used a USB jumpdrive then they are basically the same thing. Same concept, just more storage and less likely to break.
Also, yes, harddrives now are pretty small. You can still get the tower ones, but most are about the size as the one in the video.
Good luck!
Thx bro , can you share update windos7 to windos10 please?
install the ISO on a USB and then plug in the USB into the computer and run the installer, or boot into the USB and select 'Upgrade Computer'. It is the same method as installing Windows 10 on a clean install. The only difference is instead of selecting 'New Install' you select the 'Upgrade' option.
There are several videos on this. Pretty much any of them will work. Its a straight forward procedure.
Once It’s on your hard drive how do you put it on your new computer?
Kind regards
Same way, just reverse the process.
1. Plug the hard drive into the new computer.
2. Open the hard drive in the browser window
3. Drag and drop the files from the hard drive to the new computer
That simple :)
Hope it helps!
@@gray-technical thank you very much… I thought it would be that way, but I’m always apprehensive about starting something up as I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to computers
My tech upgraded my HD to an SSD when he installed Win. 10. I now want to use my HD as a backup. When I plug in the HD enclosure window opens with (D:) being my HD with all the files on it. Do I have to erase/format it or can I just run a backup without doing anything to it? I'm assuming it will only backup anything new from the SSD that isn't on the HD?
You can do either. If you want it just for storing backups, you can format it (to clean it off and start fresh), or keep your files and just keep adding to it.
If it was me, I would buy another HDD because of how cheap they are, and use that as my backup drive. I would keep everything the same on the original so if (God forbit) something happens to your computer, you still have your old HDD ready on standby.
@@gray-technical OK, thanks! That sounds like a really good idea. Although my laptop can't be upgraded to Win 11 and it's almost 11 yrs. old I'll have to replace it sooner than later. Appreciate the help, thanks again.
So can I just copy the entire C drive to the ext HD?
Yes, you can, but the copied C drive will not 'run' programs in the 'C:\Programs\" folder. Programs use system files when installed to run properly. Just keep that in mind, and yes, copying the C drive is a great way to grab everything.
@@gray-technical ok cool. Thank you for the response. I’m not trying to run any programs from the spare drive. Just backup 😎
Great.
Glad it helped!
ty
Glad to help!
Ugh I'm so challenged. I have windows 10 so I tried to "copy" libraries to the hard drive but it says an unexpected error occurred 😢 I hope you still read comments and can help me
Every one of them!
The error could happen because the drive was in the wrong format, the drive had a formatting error from the factory, or at some point either the hard drive became disconnected or the USB port the drive was plugged into freaked out (could be caused by a loose wire on the inside or something).
Here are the steps I would take:
1. Try and plug the USB device into the back part of the computer (a direct connection to the motherboard).
2. Reformat the drive
3. Try again
I would try to format your harddrive first. Here is a video on that shows the easiest way to format a hard drive or jump drive:
ua-cam.com/video/VBkcFiC0de4/v-deo.html
How do you save emails to a external hard drive?
Thanks
In most cases you select the emails from your email client (Outlook or Thunderbird), and then drag-and-drop them into a folder or on the external drive. It should save the files in that location.
So would it be copy n paste?
Thanks,
Jesse
@@jessepena8321 Possibly?? It really depends on your email client. For me, its select>Drag and Drop. Yours might be 'Copy' and 'Paste'. It sounds like it would achieve the same result.
Thanks again!😊
Do a session on Ram and Rom
Good Idea!
Well, I came back and it did not work! When I try to access what is on the external hard drive it opens up in Notepad and there are only two weird icons!! Aaaarrrrggghhh I’m screwed!!!
None of that sounds right. Try and plug in the device to a new USB port, and also verify that it is the same drive. Sometimes computers have multiple drives (like backup save files for operating systems).
how do you save Windows to external drive then placing it back
You don't, or, at least, not in the way you are thinking.
In order to do a 100% backup of your computer, OS and all files, drivers, etc, you will need to clone your computer. The most effective (and free) way I have found to do this is with Clonezilla, but it requires quite a bit of knowledge with boot loading and DOS/Linux interface to pull it off. That being said, the last time I tried to do this was almost 10 years ago, it could have gotten easier over the years. You can probably find videos on it.
clonezilla.org/
@@gray-technical thanks
What about email? I want to back that up as well.
Most email clients allow you to export emails. Typically you can do this by selecting emails, and then dragging-and-dropping them into a folder on your desktop.
You can also try File>Export inside of your email client.
Thank-you@@gray-technical
That's not backing up that's just standard file trasnfer.
The looped background techno-trash muzak is annoying and distracting. It makes it harder to pay attention to what you're saying.
You’re hilarious
Great job! 👏Thank you so very much for all of the information you provided. I was so worried about doing this, but now I know how to do it because of you! Now I feel confident and happy!! You are a life saver!! Have a very blessed night and life.
Thank you so much! I am glad to help!
Hello dear
THIS IS NOT BACKING UP YOUR COMPUTER. READ MORE DOCS.
Or, listen to the first 10 seconds where it says, "to back up your files".
If you would like to back up your computer (as in, everything on your machine; OS, system docs, programs, etc.) I would recommend a cloning tool like CloneZilla.