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Full Backup Advantages and Disadvantages on a Windows PC

Published/Updated on Tuesday, January 21, 2025

M3 Software author Wilsey Young

Written by

Wilsey Young

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Summary: This post briefly introduces what the full backup is on a Windows PC and lists the full backup advantages and disadvantages. iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows is strongly recommended for performing a full disk backup. -From m3datarecovery.com

full backup advantages and disadvantages

There are different types of data backup for a Windows computer, including full backup, incremental backup, differential backup, File History backup, and more.

This article briefly interprets full backup and elaborates full backup advantages and disadvantages that can help you decide whether it's necessary to perform a full backup.

What is full backup and when to use full backup?

Broadly speaking, a full backup on a Windows computer refers to the process of creating a complete and exact same copy of all the data on the system, including operating system files, installed applications, user files, system settings, and other data selected by users.

In some cases, the full backup represents the full disk backup, which involves duplicating all the partitions and their data, and of course, partition structure and file systems remain the same after full disk backup.

Below are the situations where full backup usually comes into play:

  • When you want to keep a replica of a disk that contains valuable information. 
  • When you want to migrate the Windows system. 
  • When you want to restore your PC or system to a previous state or version. 
  • When you want to upgrade disks. 
  • When you want to replace HDD/SSD.

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Full backup advantages and disadvantages

Weighing the full backup advantages and disadvantages can help you determine which approach is the ideal one for your backup strategy and recovery plan.

Full Backup Advantages

  • Comprehensive Backup: A full backup captures everything and saves them to a backup medium.
  • Simple Recovery: With a full backup, restoring data is straightforward since all files are included. You won't have to worry about restoring incomplete data or dealing with different types of backups.
  • Ideal for Precious Data: Performing a full backup is ideal for individuals or organizations managing sensitive data, which ensures the most recent and complete copy of all the necessary files is available for restoration.

Full Backup Disadvantages

  • Time-Consuming: The process of a full backup can take a large amount of time as the full backup involves copying all the data (or selected data) on a Windows PC.
  • Inefficient Compared to Other Backup Types: Incremental backup or differential backup only saves the data that has changed since the last full backup. Therefore, performing a full backup every time a small portion of the data has changed will definitely waste your time and storage space.
  • Storage Space Requirement: Full backup typically requires a significant amount of storage space.

Bonus Tips: Full disk backup via iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows

iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows is a professional and intuitive disk management tool containing the "Clone disk" feature that can help you copy all data on a source disk to a destination disk with the exact same partition structure and file systems.

Here's how to clone a disk on a Windows PC via iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows:

  1. Download, install, and launch iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows. 
  2. Click "Source disk" to select the disk you need to mirror. 
    iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows
  3. If you want to exclude a certain partition, uncheck the box on the top-right corner of each partition. 
    iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows
  4. Tap on "Target disk" to choose where you would like to create a clone of the source disk.
  5. Check the box next to "Sector-level clone" if you need a 1:1 copy. The "Ignore bad sectors" option can help prevent the interruption caused by bad sectors. 
  6. Click Start > Confirm. 
    iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows

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