Windows backup - file history. Windows backup - file history How to enable file history in windows 8

In Windows 8, an analogue of the Time Machine from Mac OS X appeared - the File History function (formerly History Vault). Windows 7 already had a file shadow copy function, which allows you to restore the contents of a file, say, as of yesterday or the day before, which is very convenient, because erroneously deleting a file is quite rare, but making incorrect changes to a file is much more common.

This feature has been improved in Windows 8. Now you can choose from which directories you do not want to back up files, where you should store backups (it is assumed that they should be stored on an external hard drive or at least on a separate partition or network drive), and how often you should make backups.

Before setting up File History, connect an external hard drive. Then open Control Panel from your desktop or Metro panel. Go to the File History section - this is the File History function.

By default, File History is disabled.

To enable it, click the Enable button.

When you enable File History, you will be asked if you want to recommend this hard drive for backup to other members of your HomeGroup. This is very useful when there is only one external hard drive, but there are several computers at home. It is clear that all other computers must be running Windows 8.

Now you should configure the File History feature to work according to your preferences. Select the Advanced parameters command in the left zone of the function window; the window for its advanced settings will open.

Here you can specify how long to keep saved backups (Keep Saved Versions), how often you should make backups (Keep copies of files), the size of the disk cache (Offline Cache Size), and whether to recommend this external drive to other members of your homegroup or join her.

By default, saved backups are stored for life (Always) - until the external hard drive fails or it runs out of free space. In this case (if backups are so important to you), you will be forced to either format the full media or buy a new one to replace the damaged one.

By default, backups are created every hour (Every hour). It is recommended not to change this value. If you are concerned about space on your external drive, you should either reduce the storage period for copies (set, for example, a storage period of one month), or exclude some folders from backup. To do this, in the left zone of the function window, select the Exclude folders command and in the window that opens, click the Add button to select and add a folder to the “black list”.

Note
Which folders should I exclude? It’s clear: video (Video library) and music (Music library). Videos and music take up too much disk space, and in case of failure, you can always download both video and music again from the Internet. If it's expensive, back it up to DVD and put it in a safe somewhere, but don't clutter up your backup drive. It is worth copying music and videos to an external drive only in one case - if you are their author, and these files can be modified from time to time.

It remains to consider one option of the File History function - Change disk. With it, you can change the disk used for backup. By clicking the Add network location button, you can add a network drive.

A little trick
It was said a little earlier that you can store backups on a separate hard drive partition, but the system only allows you to select either a removable or network drive. What's wrong? That's right, File History does not allow you to select a local drive to store copies of files. But you can deceive her. Let's say you have two partitions: C: and D:, and you want to use the second partition (D:) as a backup drive. Provide shared network access to it, and in the File History settings, specify it as a network drive. File History will "think" it is storing data over the network, but in fact it will be physically stored on a nearby partition of your hard drive.

Now about the most important thing - restoring data from a backup. It’s not enough to create it, you need to know how to recover files. To do this, open the Control Panel and in the File History section, find the Recover personal files command.

Next, select the backup date (I have two, so I don’t have much to choose from) and the directories to restore (I only selected the desktop directory). All that remains is to click the Restore button - the large green button in the center of the window under the folder and library selection area.

Sometimes you need to restore the previous contents of a folder, not to the original location, but to a different directory in order to compare two versions of files: the current and the previous one. To do this, click the gear icon (in the upper right corner of the window), select the Restore to menu command and specify the folder to which you want to restore the backup.

We continue to talk about new interesting functions and capabilities of Windows 8. Today we will take a closer look at the function File History in Windows 8. As you probably already guessed by the name File History is a system for backing up and restoring user data in Windows 8, which allows you to quite simply and quickly restore accidentally deleted or modified files/directories. However, in essence, this is not exactly a solution that allows you to organize a classic backup, but rather a function of maintaining, as the name of the service suggests, the user’s file history (those users who need to save a full system image can still use Windows Backup). When developing File History technology, Microsoft developers wanted to simplify and automate the process of creating backup copies and restoring user data as much as possible. Ideally, the user should simply press the “magic” button and his data will automatically begin to be backed up without his participation.

A new system service is responsible for the operation of File History. File History Service. Note that the overall performance of the File History service is quite high, because the service, instead of completely scanning all directories and files for changes (as is done in most backup products), simply accesses NTFS changelog(NTFS change journal), and compiles a list of changed files that will need to be copied.

In this article, we will figure out how to enable and configure the “File History” feature in Windows 8, as well as how to restore files from a backup.

What directories are included in File History

File History automatically copies the following directories:

  • All libraries
  • Desktop
  • Contacts
  • All bookmarks (Favorites)
  • Microsoft SkyDrive content (if configured)

Unneeded libraries or folders (for example, with movies) can be excluded from file history to save storage space for backup.

A natural question arises: is it possible to add your own directory to the list of reserved ones? The answer, oddly enough, is no. So you will have to organize your data into libraries (create new ones or add directories to existing libraries), or store everything in a profile.

Then, according to a given schedule, in the background, the File History service begins to backup selected elements, check files for changes, and if any are found, add them to the backup copy on external media. Those. Only changed data and directories go into the archive, and are not copied entirely each time (this is simply impractical).

Where can you store file history in Windows 8

In Windows 8, backup copies of files can be stored on the following types of storage:

  • internal hard drive– it is possible to store it on another partition of the same disk on which the system is installed, or on any partition of another internal hard drive (this is preferable from the point of view of data safety in case of failure of the main hard drive)
  • external hard drive
  • USB flash drive/disk
  • Network folder– for example, a directory on a server or home NAS

How to enable File History in Windows 8

Function File History is disabled by default in Windows 8, so to begin the process of backing up your data, the File History service must be enabled. Naturally, we need a device where the backup will be carried out (the options are discussed above). Connect the selected device to your Windows 8 computer.

  1. Go to the File History section in the control panel.
  2. Click the button Turn on

If you have a dedicated NAS or just a network folder on the server, it can also be used to store backups. To do this, select the item in the left panel Select Drive and click the button in the window that appears Add Network Location, where specify the UNC path to the network folder in which the backup will be stored.

Immediately after activating the feature, user data will be backed up (every hour by default).

Advanced File History settings

You can fine-tune backup settings in the advanced File History settings, accessible by clicking the button Advanced Settings in the left panel.

Here you can set:

  • How often are backups performed? Savecopiesoffiles
  • offline cache size – Sizeofofflinecache– the default value is 5%, this means that if external storage is unavailable, the user profile is used as an intermediate storage for “File History”, and for these purposes no more than 5% of the system volume can be occupied (minimum -2%, maximum - 20%).
  • how long to keep old versions of files – Keepsavedversions

Recovering files in Windows 8 using File History

Once the File History feature is activated, personal data will be backed up automatically in the background according to a set schedule. And if you accidentally delete the file you need or want to return to the old version, you can very easily restore it. Using Windows Explorer, go to the directory in which the file you want to restore was located and click on the button in the top panel of the ribbon interface History(the same can be done by going to the control panel -> File History and clicking the button in the right panel Restore Personal Files).

The window that opens will display all the files (directories) from the last available backup, and using the navigation arrows you can go to the specific date/time the backup was created.

Select the file or folder you want to restore. Then click the big green button at the bottom or right-click on the file and select the item from the context menu Restore(Restore). As a result, the file will be restored to the original directory, and if a file with the same name already exists in the directory, you will be prompted to overwrite it. If you need to restore data to another directory, select the item in the context menu Restore To.

Another convenient feature of File History in Windows 8 is the ability to preview the document being restored directly in the recovery window.

When storing backup copies of data on an external storage device, file compression is not used: this allows for faster navigation and viewing of items, however, if you have a large number of frequently changed files, the requirements for device capacity to store file history are quite high.

So, today we got acquainted with another feature of Windows 8 called File History, which makes it very easy to backup and restore the user’s personal data.

In the three previous Microsoft operating systems, not only the interface for backing up files changed, but also the method. Windows 8 continues this fascinating tradition. I decided to delve into the new Microsoft technology, and today I bring you the first part of the story about File History.

However, I want to start with a brief historical excursion so that you can compare the interface and principles of backup of previous Microsoft operating systems and Windows 8.

Background

On NT systems, creating and restoring file backups has historically been the responsibility of the utility. ntbackup. In addition to numerous command line options, she had a wizard, who in the English version is modestly called a wizard. In Windows XP it looked like this:

I have a strong feeling that libraries have not become popular, especially among those who store personal files outside the system drive. Even in this case, you can add documents, music and pictures to the corresponding libraries in 30 seconds, but did you personally do it? However, if there was a desire to archive data, then selecting the necessary folders once was not difficult.

Next in the program:

File backup settings in Windows 8

On the Windows 8 start screen, enter File History and in the section Settings select the found element of the control panel (you can also enter such a query in its search).

What files and folders can be copied

In the new Microsoft operating system, copy settings have become even simpler - in Windows 8 and 8.1 there was not even a folder selection; it appeared only in Windows 10. The backup copy automatically includes any libraries, desktop and contacts. However, unnecessary libraries or folders can be excluded from the file history.

Anticipating the lamentations of experienced users about the paucity of settings for selecting files, I would like to suggest - store the data in your profile. From the first NT systems, Microsoft preached that it was faster and more convenient not only in operation, but also in maintenance, and access control and confidentiality should not be discounted.

If it is important for you to store personal files and documents on another partition, you can add documents or music to libraries. In any case, you can create a library Archive and add only the most valuable folders to it.

Where can I store my file history?

Compared to Windows 7, it became possible to store backup copies of files on USB flash drives and improved integration with the home group.

How often can you copy files and how long can you keep the history?

I liked the advanced file history settings for their simplicity, and I don’t even understand why they were placed in a separate window.

Here you can set:

  • Duration of storage of versions - from one month to infinity, or until free space runs out
  • frequency of saving versions – from 10 minutes to daily.

In any case, only the changed data will be archived, but, in my opinion, you can change the backup frequency from hourly to daily.

With standard settings, let’s say, during the writing of this article I could end up with 5-6 versions of the document - it’s not a fact that this is necessary.

View history and restore files

In Windows 7, restoring data carefully saved by the system was arranged in a very non-trivial way (especially when it came to searching for individual files). The creators of Windows 8 understood this, judging by the new interface, which is unexpectedly a hybrid of Explorer and image viewer.

The interface elements here are organized much more logically and simply than in Windows 7. Moreover, they are more familiar to those who use built-in Windows programs :) Here I want to highlight three main points.

Folder navigation and file history search

Above is the familiar guide, with forward and backward navigation through folders, address bar, search and window view settings. It is curious that there is no “Up” arrow to go one level higher, unlike a full-fledged explorer.

Of course, I had to test my favorite search, which in the file history window, as expected, searches only by names, including paths. From the main page the search is performed in all folders And entire file history, regardless of which version you are currently viewing. But as soon as you go to a folder or library, the search for all versions will be performed only within its boundaries.

I made two observations from the search results.

  1. The newest version of the file is always shown, and if there are older ones, they are also displayed, and their number is immediately visible. In the figure above you can see that the file UpdateFile 2 there are two versions.
  2. The date the file was last modified is not equivalent to the date the backup was created, which is logical (the file must have been modified earlier).

The figure above also shows an interesting inconsistency - the search shows the real location of the files (on the external drive), while when navigating, the address bar shows the path to the file at the time it entered the history. I think particularly savvy readers immediately guessed type backup, which is used in Windows 8.

Navigating through versions and viewing files

Here is a classic guide. You can set any view (for example, table or large icons), add or remove columns, group and sort data.

When you open the window, you see the most current backup as of the specified date (the version number and date are highlighted in the figure). However, it may physically include files from previous versions if your data has not changed since they were created.

In other words, if at the time of creating the next backup copy changes were detected in some files, only updated
files history storage will be added.

The structure of folders and files fully corresponds to their location on your system at the time the copy was created. If the file was on the desktop, then even if it is deleted, it is in this folder that you will find it, and its previous location will be displayed in the address bar.

A very interesting and convenient innovation is double click to view files right in the recovery window.

Of course, not all file types can be viewed, but I checked that they work:

Preview works instantly, and I think by now you can already guess why this is possible.

Windows 8 backup does not use compression, i.e. The creators of the new Microsoft OS decided to move away from packaging files in ZIP archives.

It was not possible to view files in PDF and DOCX formats, but they were immediately offered to be opened in Adobe Reader and Wordpad, respectively (I do not have Microsoft Office installed on my tablet). For complete happiness, I immediately wanted to compare two versions of files by parallel viewing, but this option is not provided.

Navigation through the file history is carried out using arrows at the bottom of the window. I note that by opening a folder or library, you can freely move between its versions, i.e. no need to return to the start screen, which is very convenient.

In general, everything is implemented very simply, especially when compared with Windows 7, so my impressions of the interface were positive.

However, while walking through the history and folders, I noticed that it was a little confusing to have two sets of forward-backward arrows in one window (especially since they are made in the same color scheme).

File recovery

To restore files to original location Just select a library, folder or file and press the big round button. If there are files with the same names, the new file copy windows that Explorer has acquired come into play.

If you want to restore files to location different from original, you will find the corresponding option by clicking the button in the upper right corner of the window.

It's simple, isn't it?

Summary

In Windows 8, file backup has changed a lot compared to Windows 7:

  1. Backup settings boil down to connecting the drive and enabling file history if they are stored in libraries. Otherwise, it is enough to create one library and add important folders to it.
  2. Changes to files are detected automatically, and only updated versions are included in the history, at least once a day.
  3. File recovery is provided with convenient navigation, both by backup versions and by files included in them.
  4. The search is carried out across the entire file history, and not just the selected version, as was the case in Windows 7.
  5. Text and media files are viewed directly in the recovery window, while other file formats can be viewed in the program associated with them.
  6. Ease of navigation, quick search and ease of viewing are achieved due to the fact that no compression is applied to file history.

There's a lot to be learned from the new Windows 8 backup interface, but my story isn't over yet. After all, technology remains behind the scenes! In the next article you will find out how and with what I tinkered under the hood of file history, and what was found there :)

What do you think about file history in Windows 8? Does the interface for file backup and recovery settings look user-friendly? What would you add or take away?

You can mark fragments of text that interest you, which will be available via a unique link in the address bar of your browser.

about the author

Are we talking about ONLY backing up files or is the system being backed up automatically?

That is, let’s say there’s some kind of failure in Windows itself, or a virus, or... whatever, we need to restore the system. I used Samsung Recovery Solutions before, and now Acronis. Windows 8 doesn't provide this service?

Vadim, in my opinion, it is quite obvious that we are talking only about history files.

Restoring the entire system is also available, but I’m not ready to talk about this technology yet. Not all at once...

Maksim

I'm glad that MS has made backup easier, but at the moment Time Machine on a home iMac looks more complete and much simpler.
I hope MS will think of adding a button to the Explorer panel to view previous versions of an open folder.

  • Maksim: Time Machine on the home iMac looks more complete and much simpler

    The remark is useless for those who have never seen Time Machine. Would you like to give a more detailed explanation from the point of view of personal experience?

    • Maksim

    Vadim Sterkin,

    First— the ability to restore the full state of the computer when reinstalling the operating system, the ability to restore it on another computer, and this is offered before reinstalling the system, as well as after reinstallation and not from a special menu.
    Second— when you connect an external hard drive or detect a new internal one, it is automatically suggested to use it for backup; backup encryption is also available.
    Third— the ability to move to an arbitrary date on the timeline.
    Fourth— searching for a lost file is carried out using a standard search line in any folder in 2 mouse clicks.
    Fifth— integration with system programs — you can open an email program or photo album and also restore files or messages from old copies. The ability to restore an individual email message has saved time and nerves more than once.
    Sixth- Ability to restore previous versions of programs installed on the computer.
    Seventh- Support for Time Machine from third-party manufacturers (certainly available in all Qnap and Synology devices), and you don’t need to configure anything - if a device with Time Machine support is detected, the OS itself will offer to activate the backup function.

    Maksim, thanks for the detailed answer - I learned a lot of new things :)

    However, I want to emphasize two points again:

    1. This article talks about file history, which is just one of the components of Windows 8 backup and recovery.
    2. Windows 8 Developer Preview is not even a beta.

    I will comment point by point:

    1. This was back in Vista and 7 when there was a created image, just as the OEM provided complete systems with a mechanism for restoring factory settings. This is also present in 8, but I have not studied the specific mechanism.

    2. I’ll check if the startup options offer a suggestion to use the disk for file history. There is no encryption.

    3. This exists and is even described in the article, highlighted in yellow in the screenshots :) There is no calendar, however.

    Vadim Sterkin,

    It was there, it was, but to do this, you first had to go to the recovery menu, wait until the system tries to restore something automatically, then select Complete PC recovery. In Mac OS it’s done differently - on the first screen that opens when booting from the installation disk there is a recovery from a copy of Time Machine. One click and after reboot the computer is like new. In principle, in Windows 8 this should be partially replaced by the Refresh PC function.

    There is such a suggestion in the autorun options, but only if the disk is formatted and initialized.

    The date in the article is highlighted in yellow. In the installed copy of Windows 8, I cannot find a way to move to a specific date in any other way other than scrolling with the arrows.

    The implementation of this in Windows 7 has been done, but there is no user-friendly interface for this.

    Sixth, it’s necessary, for example, there was a glitch in the version of the Twitter client for Mac OS after the update. I decided to wait for the previous version and simply returned the previous version of the application without affecting anything else. In Windows, this is technically more difficult to do due to the “dispersal” of the application into various folders and the registry.

    I’ll also note the visual side - sometimes I just open Time Machine to admire the background.

    P.S: Did I understand correctly that changed files are saved on the backup disk in the form of the structure Copy folder \ computer name \ data \ drive letter \ path to the file as on the original disk \ the file itself and its past versions in the form of shadow copies?

    Maksim, I’m glad that you get aesthetic and moral pleasure from using a Mac :) I can’t compare it from personal experience, however. And I’m not eager, I already have 4 different computers at home :)

    Reply to your P.S. It will be, as promised, in a few days. Sorry, but I wouldn’t like to cram into the comments material that is worthy of a separate post. I will only note that the term “shadow copies” is not applicable here.

    Vitaly

    ntbackup had many settings, including allowing you to select the type of backup (for example, differential or incremental).

    Why was it? They are still there :)

    I have a strong feeling that libraries have not become popular, especially among those who store personal files outside the system drive.

    Even in this case, you can add documents, music and pictures to the corresponding libraries in 30 seconds, but have you personally done it?

    On XP, my “My Documents” folder has been moved to another drive. It took me about 15 seconds, everything was intuitive.
    I don’t know how to do this in seven. More precisely, I was not interested. I poked it where it was in XP, saw that it wasn’t there, and put a minus.

    Anticipating the lamentations of experienced users about the paucity of settings for selecting files, I would like to suggest - store the data in your profile.

    And the profile is on the system disk. And its size is limited.
    And it is much safer to store files on another partition/disk.
    In any case, it is better to add a choice than to limit the user. I hope the functionality will be expanded for release.

    If it is important for you to store personal files and documents on another partition, simply add documents or music to the libraries.

    It's an unnecessary action. And in general, it looks rather illogical.

    For complete happiness, I immediately wanted to compare two versions of files by parallel viewing, but this option is not provided.

    Sadly.

    And the most important question - is everything turned off?

  • Vitaly: I don’t know how to do this in seven. More precisely, I was not interested. I poked it where it was in XP, saw that it wasn’t there, and put a minus.

    Vitaly: And it is much safer to store files on another partition/drive.

    Which is safer? Songs about quickly “formatting the disk and reinstalling the OS” are in favor of the poor, who do not properly ensure the security and stability of the OS. And they have nothing to do with security, by the way.

    Vitaly: It's an unnecessary action. And in general, it looks rather illogical.

    Absolutely logical for those who do not move documents and music to another drive, because in this case no additional actions are required. In general, outside the RuNet this practice is not nearly as popular as you imagine.

    Vitaly: And the most important question is, is everything turned off?

    The answer is in the article.

    • Evgeniy (ezag)

    2Vitaly

    Exactly. I, like many others, simply don't see the point.

    For me, it's in vain. Personally, for example, using search and libraries, I completely abandoned the use of the desktop, the Start menu and a number of third-party programs whose task was to organize files and programs and simplify access to them.
    The beauty of the library lies precisely in the fact that a folder included in the library automatically ends up in the list of indexed folders.

    And I’ll give you a minus, because transferring user folders is done exactly the same as in XP.

  • Nikolay Dobrov

    The problem with libraries is this - over many years of professional photography and system administration, I have accumulated terabytes of image data, books in pdf and chm. And all this is proposed to be included in the profile? Is that true? Those libraries seem to work not for everyone, but for some spherical user in a vacuum. Again, it is clear that with such volumes, all this should be transferred to separate disks, not logical but physical, it is clear that standard folders can be redirected, but this is impractical with a large volume of data, and the search index turns out to be very large. Despite the fact that specialized cataloging programs search for a larger number of characteristics, and allow you to set any number of tags in a much more convenient way. About backup - as far as I know, the standard backup tool in win7 cannot deduplicate? but the same acronis in the home edition can do it. Therefore, for me, external backup and file management tools turned out to be much more convenient than the built-in ones.

    Nikolay Dobrov, behind the outburst of emotions, I saw a lack of understanding of the work of libraries at a basic level.

    Data can be stored anywhere while being included in libraries. In general, this can also be understood from the article, even if you only delve into the text framed by quotes.

    Double standards are also evident - I accumulated terabytes of data, but felt sorry for a couple of gigabytes for the search index. And there are also tags in 7 and 8, and the search looks for them. And faster, because there is an index.

    Vitaly

    Vadim Sterkin: And I’ll give you a minus, because the transfer of user folders is done exactly the same as in XP.

    Well, yes, almost. I then poked at the %username% folder, which was on the desktop. She couldn't bear it. But if separately, then yes, it is transferable. Separately documents, separately music, separately video. Minus himself.

    Vadim Sterkin: Songs about quickly “formatting the disk and reinstalling the OS” are in favor of the poor who do not properly ensure the security and stability of the OS.

    The OS can simply crash, even configured by default. Software can sometimes be very crooked.

    Well, sometimes you still need to rearrange the system. Once a year and a half. Because the system begins to think, and this cannot be avoided.

    Vadim Sterkin: In general, outside the RuNet this practice is not nearly as popular as you imagine.

    I didn’t imagine it exactly the way you thought. I’m almost sure that 95% of foreign users have one partition for everything on their hard drive, which was there when they purchased it (or another recovery partition). And they use it until they buy a new PC.

    Evgeniy (ezag): Personally, for example, using search and libraries, I completely abandoned the use of the desktop, the Start menu and a number of third-party programs whose task was to organize files and programs and simplify access to them.

    No matter what you do, as long as you don’t put it in folders.

    Third-party programs may also have an index.

    Anticipating the lamentations of experienced users about the paucity of settings for selecting files, I would like to suggest

    Can I foresee the future? So, most likely, the selection of files will either be added to the release or returned in the next version. Microsoft is constantly trying to impose something on users, meets with stormy criticism, and returns it back (under the guise of innovation).

    But don’t think that I didn’t like backup in Windows 8 at all - I’m just writing about the disadvantages, as always. But I don’t want to write about the advantages.

  • Vitaly: I then poked at the %username% folder, which was on the desktop. She couldn't bear it.

    It was not transferred to XP either :) It is not even on the desktop - there are only three icons (Computer, Network and Documents).

    Moving Methods all user data described for XP at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314843/ The most correct way to do this is when installing the OS. The thesis is true for 7, but there are pitfalls http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949977

    Vitaly: The OS can simply crash, even configured by default. Software can sometimes be very crooked.
    Or hard to fly. The system drive is constantly in use and the risk of it failing is higher. So it's safer.

    I see two problems with the rationale:
    1. No connection with OS security.

    2. The thesis about the death of the hard drive is poorly applicable. In most cases, data is stored on another partition of the same disk (you said it yourself: disk/partition). In this case, transferring data to another partition will not help.

    Vitaly: So, most likely, the selection of files will either be added to the release or returned in the next version.

    Everything is possible. I describe what I see now and explain how to effectively use the feature in the current situation.

    • Vitaly

    Vadim Sterkin: It wasn’t transferred to XP either :) It’s not even on the desktop - there are only three icons (Computer, Network and Documents).

    I know. At first, I simply perceived the %username% folder on the Windows 7 desktop as an analogue of the “My Documents” folder in XP.

    Vadim Sterkin: 1. No connection to OS security

    I meant data security.

    Vadim Sterkin: In most cases, data is stored on another partition of the same disk (you yourself said: disk/partition). In this case, transferring data to another partition will not help.

    But it will save you in case of file system failure.

    Vitaly, if there is a file system failure, then it is not at all obvious to me why it is more likely to occur on the system drive.

    In general, NTFS is very stable - over the past 5 years I have not had a single failure, and on none of the computers that I monitor.

    But I understand you, we need a separate discussion on the topic of storing personal data - it will definitely happen, but not now.

    Nikolay Dobrov

    Vadim Sterkin,

    “Double standards are also evident - I have accumulated terabytes of data, but I feel sorry for a couple of gigabytes for the search index. And there are also tags in 7 and 8, and the search looks for them. And faster, because there is an index.”

    It’s not a pity for the index, the pity is that you can’t transfer it, and again, ssds are not cheap yet, I don’t want to write an index on the ssd. Lightroom, by the way, stores and builds its own index, which works faster. I know how libraries work, and I know how tags are structured in Windows, it’s terribly inconveniently done. Searching exif data is also inconvenient. But here’s what’s funny from an outside perspective! application to write down keywords, then everything becomes much better :)))

    Nikolay Dobrov,

    1. It clearly follows from the previous comment that you did not know how libraries work. I'm glad you know him now.

    2. You probably also know that the search index can be transferred, just write the opposite. There is a link to the search guide in the article just in case.

    3. You probably also know that the index on an SSD provides a faster search, but again you feel sorry for space or just want to search more slowly. But there is an SSD :)

    4. Why do you find libraries terribly inconvenient and what would you improve?

    5. Why is native exif search inconvenient for you and why is third-party search more convenient? What parameters do you search for most often?

    The questions are related to the lack of specificity in the statements.

    victor

    Vadim Sterkin: Nikolay Dobrov,
    4. Why are libraries terribly inconvenient for you and what would you improve?5. Why is native exif search inconvenient for you and why is third-party search more convenient? What parameters do you search for most often?

    This is not to say that they are completely inconvenient, but it would be possible to make C:\Users\vic\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\ independent on any logical or physical drive. Then there is no need for backup at all -) Although I already store the libraries on E:\, after reinstalling the OS, the paths have to be changed. This is of course rare and not critical.
    Native search is inconvenient for me because you can’t add your own comment to any file or anything at all from the OS itself - this has been removed, and since I most often use comment search, I usually use Total Commander, and habit also plays a role.

    Alexiz

    Nikolay Dobrov,

    I agree 100% about libraries and other things. For some reason, melkosoft does not consider it necessary to take into account the opinion of people who pay (considerable) money for a product, whether they are satisfied - the users - with the product or not. And as a result, in the next version of the OS, everything is shoveled, functions that are “unnecessary” in the opinion of small software are thrown out, and “useful and necessary” functions, again in the opinion of the company, begin to be introduced. I wonder if small software will come to understand that in addition to the “for boys” option, they also need an option to configure it to the user’s taste...

    semiono

    Have you seen any programmer who would post his content this way:
    C:\Documents and Settings\Ivanov\My Documents\Library\ masm32
    What Library, what are you talking about, the system partition turns into a mess of music, videos, documents and system libraries!

    semiono, the library is not part of the path, i.e. Library in your path is an error.

    semiono: The system partition turns into a mess of music, videos, documents and system libraries!

    User profiles in NT systems have existed for a long time, and they have always been on the system disk. Exactly the same number of Microsoft uses and recommends a model for managing user data and settings that you do not understand. Everything incomprehensible is alien...

    Vitaly

    semiono: What Library, what are you talking about, the system partition turns into a mess of music, videos, documents and system libraries!

    For what? We place the music on D:\Music (the rest is the same), and set up the libraries in this folder. Voila, our music is in the library, but physically lies on a separate disk. But in this case, I still don’t see the point in libraries, because if it’s separate, then let it be, and there’s nothing to throw in a heap.

    semiono

    I really don't know much about Library organization since I went back to XP. But I don’t like it when they suggest storing important files inside other folders, lengthening the paths. Although I found out that in NT 4 profiles were stored in %WinDir% - I just liked this, because for me profiles are an unnecessary folder, the same as, say, Fonts or WinSxS, but then we would have fewer folders. For myself, I fixed this by placing ProgramFiles at the same time in WinDir and now I have one folder on the disk, which is easy to copy or easier to select from other inhabitants of the disk.
    C:\I (WinDir)
    C:\I\Apps (ProgramFiles)
    C:\I\SysWOW64\ Process(My profile)
    I recommend it for Microsoft ;-)

    semiono

    Vitaly: But in this case, I still don’t see the point in libraries, because if it’s separate, then let it be, and there’s nothing to dump in a heap.

    Well, it’s clear, that is, libraries are something like links, a good idea may take root.

    There's a File History feature that caches, or backs up, different versions of documents and other data files, allowing you to go back in time and restore previous or deleted versions of those files.

    This great feature is based on technology that's been in Windows since 2003—long before Apple copied it with Time Machine. “File History” does its job perfectly, but unfortunately, it is disabled by default in Windows 8. So first you need to turn it on.

    I have already talked about this function in the article “”, so read the details there. But in short, File History automatically backs up files from the Desktop and libraries, copies contacts, favorites in IE and files from . If a file stored in one of these locations is deleted, damaged, or modified, you can use File History to restore any saved copy. In this sense, it really helps to keep track of the "history" of the most important files.

    The easiest way to find File History settings is by searching on the Start screen. They are designed like a classic control panel, so you should search with the “Settings” filter.

    Besides the fact that File History is disabled by default, it has another annoying requirement: storing backups requires an external drive (portable hard drive or USB flash drive) or network storage - for example, another computer on the home network or Windows Home Server . You can also use a second hard drive on your local computer, if you have one, but in this case there should not be any libraries on it.

    To set up File History, connect an external drive to your computer. The settings panel will look like this:

    Or use the Use network location link and click Add network location to select the appropriate storage location on your home network. (I'm using Windows Home Server, so I'll use this example to explain.)

    Once you have configured the location, click the “Turn on” button and the system will begin backing up your files. You will also be asked to recommend the selected storage to other computers in your homegroup, if you have one. This way, when you set up File History on other computers at home, you can select the same location and use it as a central location for file backups.

    By setting up “File History”, you can forget about it – the system will work on its own, without requiring user intervention. Of course, when using an external drive to store backups, you should make sure that it is always connected to your computer if possible.

    How to use “File History” is described in detail in the article “”, There is, of course, a description of the most important thing: the file recovery procedure, which takes place in a nice new interface, somewhat similar to Windows Media Player.

    One last note: File History also has an offline cache on the C: drive, which stores some backup copies of files in case you are disconnected from your home network or external drive. This is especially convenient for laptop computers, since File History remains accessible even when you're away from home. By default, the cache uses 5% of disk space, but this can be changed, along with some other settings, in the Advanced Settings section of the File History control panel.