With the Full backup type, all files and folders that you have selected will be backed up. A first backup is always a full backup.
With the Incremental backup type, all files that have changed in comparison to the last backup will be saved.
With the Differential backup type, all files that have changed in comparison to the first backup will be saved.
With the Update backup type, the actual procedure depends on the media on which the backup is made:
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- If you are backing up to a hard drive with the Update backup type, then the data of the previous backup will be overwritten with the changed data. This means that older versions will be erased; access to older backup states will no longer be possible.
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- If you are backing up to the disc on which the last backup was burned with the Update backup type, then the procedure is the same as described for the Incremental backup. In this case a folder will be generated in a new session.
With the three Full, Incremental and Differential backup types, it does not matter which medium you save the backup to. You can, for example, use the disc that you used for the old backup (Nero BackItUp automatically started a multisession disc) as long as there is still space on the disc. You can also back up to a new medium.
Incremental Backup (Above) and Differential Backup (Below)
An example is provided below to illustrate the difference between incremental and differential backups:
Let’s assume that you have 100 photos and are backing them up. The first (full) backup contains the 100 photos. Then you change 25 of the photos and want to back up again. You select an incremental or differential backup (it does not matter which you select for the second backup). The 25 changed photos are backed up. Then you change another 10 photos and want to back up again:
If you select the Incremental backup, 10 photos are backed up, specifically those that have changed since the last backup. (Nero BackItUp compares the current status with the last backup.)
If you select the Differential backup, 35 photos are backed up, specifically those that have changed since the first backup. (Nero BackItUp compares the current status with the first backup.)
This means that incremental backups require less storage space, however usually more backup versions will have been created. The result is that the restore takes longer since many small versions must be restored (and made ready) one after the other.
The opposite is true of the differential backup: It requires more storage space, however only two backup versions (the first and the last) are needed. Consequently, for the restore only two versions are restored (and made ready) because the last version contains all changes made since the first backup.
Data backup distinction between differential and incremental backup
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1
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1st backup
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4
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Data on the computer
White: Original data
Black: Altered data
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|
2
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2nd backup
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5
|
Incremental backup
Data that has been modified since the first backup is backed up
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|
3
|
3rd backup
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6
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Differential backup
Data that has been modified si
nce the last previous backup are backed up |
The following table provides information to help you determine the correct update type for your application:
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Backup type
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Storage space requirement for the backup set
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Effort involved in restoring
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Can older versions be accessed?
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Full backup
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Extremely high
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Extremely low (only the current version is required)
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Yes
|
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Differential backup
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Mid
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Low (current and first version must be kept)
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Yes
|
|
Incremental backup
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Low
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High (all versions must be kept)
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Yes
|
|
Backup update to hard drive
(old versions will be erased)
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Extremely low
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Extremely low (only the current version is required)
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No
|