What is the difference between an incremental and differential backup?

Question

Might you also be able to explain what "resetting the archive bit" means? Thanks.

Answer 1

Have a look over my backup page at:
http://www.lwcomputing.com/tips/static/backup.asp#backuptypes

In short (and excerpted from my page):
1. Full Backups - They backup every file on the system (in theory). Disk images, such as those created by Symantec's Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image, can be considered full backups. You might also do a full backup of only a drive or a folder.
2. Differential Backups - They backup everything that has changed since the last full backup. Expect that each night a differential is run and there hasn't been a full, the differential will grow larger and larger.
3. Incremental - Backs up everything that's changed since the LAST full OR incremental backup. These backups are often fairly small and consistent in size (assuming your work habits don't change much).

The archive bit is a tiny bit of information every file has attached to it. When the file changes, the bit is turned on. Then, when you run a backup (depending on the exact type of backup you do), the archive bit tells the backup software what needs to be backed up and then resets it to off so it's not backed up next time (fulls backup everything and the archive bit for everything is turned off).

Answer 2

complete backup, backs up all assistance and overwrites all older assistance no remember what. Differential backup will analyze assistance and ought to in basic terms backup if the record has replaced because of the very actuality the astounding backup. All different assistance that are the similar have already been sponsored up and could now not be so decrease lower back till they modify from what's already interior the backup. Incremental backups, i have were given faith are backups done periodically and kept one after the different. as an celebration you do a backup in the present day and it backs each and every element up in a folder categorised 10/8/09 and also you do one a week from now and an finished new backup is kept to a special folder categorised 10/15/09. frequently it is going to in basic terms save a variety of of previous days of backups. Double ensure that very last one, yet i have were given faith that is reliable.

Answer 3

an incremental backup is a backup that reflects a standard period - ie: hourly, daily, weekly, etc.

a differential backup is a backup of those things that are different from the last backup.

I have no idea what "resetting the archive bit" means. Good luck with that one.

Answer 4

Try the help section in your back up program.