CyberLink PowerBackup
4
Backup Methods
PowerBackup offers three backup methods: Full, Differential, and
Incremental. These backup methods are explained below:
• Full backup: backs up all of the selected folders and files.
• Differential backup: backs up only those files that have been
added or modified since the last Full backup. These backups
are larger, but when you restore from a Differential backup,
you need only the original Full backup and the latest
Differential backup for a complete set of data.
• Incremental backup: backs up only those files that have been
added or modified since the last Incremental backup. These
backups are smaller, but when you restore from an
Incremental backup, you need the original Full backup as
well as each of the successive Incremental backups for a
complete set of data.
Note: Though all three backup methods are available the first
time you back up your data, it is strongly recommended
that you use the Full backup option for your first backup.
On a technical note... The difference between a Differential backup
and an Incremental backup lies in how the program handles the
Archive attribute of the files that are backed up. (To view this
attribute, right-click on a file in File Explorer, then select Properties.
The Archive attribute appears at the bottom of the General tab. On a
remote drive, you must further click Advanced....) During a
Differential backup, PowerBackup keeps the Archive attribute
checked - meaning that PowerBackup will again back up the file the
next time the program encounters it. During an Incremental backup
(as well as a Full backup), however, PowerBackup unchecks the
Archive attribute, meaning that the program will not back up the file
the next time the program encounters it.
The following section contains a number of sample scenarios that
illustrate how PowerBackup handles different backup situations
using the different backup methods over a period of four days.
