Re: (OT) Windows 10 won't back up to an internal HD?

On 2024-06-09, Andrzej Matuch <andrzej@matu.ch> wrote:

On 2024-06-08 5:06 a.m., RonB wrote:

My wife's Windows 10 computer (Inspiron, not my choice) came with a 256GB
SSD and a 1TB hard drive. Stupid me, I assumed that Dell would set up it up
so the program data would save on the TB hard drive and the applications
would run from the SSD. Nope. Everything ran on the SSD and all data was
saved there. The hard drive is just a drone, sitting there and doing
nothing. (I just discovered this.)
 
So after about three years, her computer slowed way down. I assumed she
needed more memory and bought a 32GB SIM (so she now has 40GBs of RAM).
Still slow. Then I realized that she had filled up her SSD. It actually had
only 25MBs free tonight. It's a wonder it ran at all.
 
So I ordered a 1TB SSD, and tonight cloned it in an external enclosure and
installed it. Worked well (the SSD came with Acronis True Disk). I saw that
Acronis had a backup utility as well, so figured I would back up the new SSD
to the practically unused hard drive... and I found out Microsoft doesn't
like backing up to an internal hard drive. Why does it have this limitation?
 
For those of you who use Windows, is there any way to make Windows 10 back
up to an internal hard drive? I've seen something about making the internal
drive a "network drive," which seems kind of convoluted. Is there any
application that overrides this (to me) senseless limitation? And why does
Windows 10 have this limitation — is there a logical reason for it?
(Apparently Windows 7 didn't have this limitation.)
 
Kind of ranting. Sorry. But I would like to see my wife's internal hard
drive set up for backups — if possible.

>
It might be a situation similar to my mother's Intel NUC. There were two
HDs in there, one of which was used exclusively to re-image the SSD in
case of failure. As far as I know, it was write-protected though I have
never admitted to actually use it.

No, the hard drive is just a standard hard drive (it's seen as the D:
drive). You can access it and copy files to it manually, but you can't set
up backup on it (directly from Windows, anyhow). Apparently this changed
with the release of Windows 10, Windows 7 (and, I think, 8) would backup to
internal hard drives. I've got to believe there is an application to do
this, but none that I've found so far specifically say they will work with
an internal hard drive. I really don't quite understand why Windows 10/11
has this limitation.

--
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entrapment to a false and self-created matrix of twisted unreality."
"It was pride that changed angels into devils..."     — St. Augustine