Back-ups.

[Aggers]

Reading the current thread on changing to Windows 10 prompted me to ask the following:-

I have an external storage device containing the hard drive taken from my old desktop computer. Very little of the information on it is now of any importance, and I am wondering whether it is possible for me to wipe it clean and then use it for back-up storage for my present laptop. Is this an easy thing to do?

[Workingman]

OK, assuming it is connected via USB.

Using Windows Explorer or My Computer...

You could save any info that you really want to keep by C&P to a folder on your laptop.

To wipe the drive plug it in and R click and from the menu choose Format - accept the defaults.

You now have a clean drive.

To back-up your laptop see this You will be given the option to back-up to your USB drive.

[Suff]

Yep, I would have suggested windows backup too. It's basically a free version of the old Backup Exec built right into Windows.

Although I seem to remember certain versions of home didn't have it.

I tend to use Acronis Trueimage mainly because I have it for imaging. It's not free but it does have two features which are very useful.

1. incremental backups so that it only backs up changes since the last full backup
2. you can mount the backup files so that you don't have to restore the backup to get at a lost file. You just mount the backup, open it in Explorer and copy the file out back to your normal drive.

But Windows Backup is fine for 99% of the required use.

[Aggers]

Thanks my friends.

That all sounds within my capabilities.