Best Free File History Alternative for Windows 8/8.1/10
About File History
File History, introduced in Windows 8, creates automatic backups of user data by periodically scanning the file system and copying changed files to a designated storage device. This utility ensures that whenever your personal files change, a copy is stored on the chosen device, providing a safeguard against data loss. If you're looking for an alternative to File History, you can refer to the discussion later, and for now, here's a brief guide to backing up Windows 8 using this feature. A separate tutorial is also available for creating a backup of Windows 10: create backup Windows 10 boot disk.
Firstly, go Control Panel > System and Security > File History.
Secondly, To set up OneDrive, connect an external drive, refresh the page, and tap or click Turn on. Then, tap or click Add network location and enter the address. You can also configure backup settings in Advanced Settings.
This feature will only backup the files stored in libraries, desktop, favorites and contacts folders, instead of protecting the entire system, which may cause some issues.
- It can not back up the entire system.
- The backup procedure does not display any window or interface, preventing user intervention.
- It does not support backup long path files.
- It recommends backing up your data to an external drive, which may require purchasing one for many users.
- Unfortunately, there isn't a straightforward way to configure Windows Backup to include additional locations, such as the D:\YourData folder, in the backup process. However, users can create a new library and add the desired location to it, effectively allowing the new library to be backed up. This workaround enables users to include data from outside the standard backup locations, albeit with a bit more effort.
- You may want to consider whether your external drive needs to be plugged in all the time, as it's a movable device prone to drops and spills, which could cause it to stop working. If you separate the external drive, the backup process will be interrupted.
Some users may experience issues with File History, such as it not recognizing a particular drive, leading them to seek alternative solutions.
Free Windows 8/8.1/10 File History Alternative - Qiling Disk Master
If you want to do a Windows system backup, partition backup, or selective files/folders backup, try the freeware Qiling Disk Master Standard, which offers comprehensive features such as backup, restore, clone, and sync with various subcategories for each.
- Backup types: You can create various types of backups, including file backups, system backups, disk backups, cloud backups, incremental backups, and automatic backups, among others.
- Backup destination: You can backup to multiple locations, including internal/external hard drives, USB flash drives, and NAS.
- Flexible restoration: With the higher editions, you can perform selective file restore using a system or disk image, and dissimilar hardware restore is also available.
This software has a user-"Want to make backing up your settings a breeze? Say hello to Qiling Disk Master, a user-friendly freeware that makes it a snap to deploy backup settings with just a few clicks! No more tedious manual backups - with Qiling Disk Master, you can easily create and manage backups, and even try it out for yourself by downloading the software and giving it a spin!"
How to Backup Files with Qiling Disk Master
Step 1. Install and launch the program, then go to Backup > File Backup.
Tip: You can also use Cloud Backup to backup files, which comes with a cloud drive named Qiling Cloud and 1TB free storage for 15 days after registering a Qiling account.
Step 2. To initiate a backup, click on either the "Add Folder" or "Add File" button. This will allow you to select the specific files or folders you wish to include in the backup process.
Step 3. Select a destination path to store the image file.
Step 4. You can set customized configuration as per your need, then click Proceed.
>> Options: You can enable email notification, choose the compression level for the backup image file, and select between intelligent sector backup or sector-by-sector backup, among other options.
>> Schedule Backup: You can schedule a backup task to run automatically at fixed intervals, such as daily, weekly, and monthly, for added convenience and security.
>> Backup Scheme: Incremental backup is selected by default, but to use differential backup or enable automatic backup cleanup, you need to upgrade to Qiling Disk Master Professional or higher editions.
Conclusion
Qiling Disk Master is an alternative to Windows 8/8.1/10 File History that offers additional features to manage your computer, safeguard data and system, and support Windows 11, allowing for easy backup and restore, and disaster recovery through bootable rescue media creation.
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