A friend of mine wants to delete some of his Windows Vista file backups
because his external hard drive is now full. Best practice is to delete whole
backup sets but he is having problems both with identifying a backup set and
with Vista allowing him to do delete backup files so he has asked for my help.

I'm going over to help him in a few days time but thought I had better take
some advice before I do so. Has anyone ever identified and deleted Vista file
backup sets and if so how?

How do I delete a backup that I created using the Back Up Files wizard?
If your backups are saved to CDs or DVDs, you can discard discs containing
earlier backups, but make sure that you keep the most recent backup of your
files. If your backups are saved to an internal or external hard disk, you
can delete a backup by following these steps:

Open the location where the backup is saved.

For example, if you backed up your files to an external hard disk labeled
"E," connect the external hard disk to your computer, and then open drive E.

Right-click the folder containing the backup you want to delete, and then
click Delete.

Notes
Backups are saved in this format: <backup location>\<computer name>\Backup
Set <year-month-day> <time>. For example, if your computer name is Computer,
your backup location is E, and you backed up on April 2, 2006 at 16:32:00,
that backup would be located in E:\Computer\Backup Set 2006-02-04 163200.
You would right-click the folder named Backup Set 2006-02-04 163200 to
delete that backup.

When you make a full backup, a backup folder is created and labeled with the
date for that day. As you add updates, that date stays the same, but your
backup is not out of date. The next time you make a full backup, a new
backup folder is created and labeled with the date for that day, and any
updates are then added to that new folder. You should not delete the current
backup folder.

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Mark L. Ferguson

..
"Dell Boy" <Dell [email]Boy@newsgroup.nosp[/email]am> wrote in message
news:4E4A9CDA-670B-4451-A3AC-651CF8D90890@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
>A friend of mine wants to delete some of his Windows Vista file backups
> because his external hard drive is now full. Best practice is to delete
> whole
> backup sets but he is having problems both with identifying a backup set
> and
> with Vista allowing him to do delete backup files so he has asked for my
> help.
>
> I'm going over to help him in a few days time but thought I had better
> take
> some advice before I do so. Has anyone ever identified and deleted Vista
> file
> backup sets and if so how?[/color]

Thanks Mark, his backups have filled all his external hard drive and I think
they're proably all in one set although I'll have to verify this myself.

Thanks also for replying davehc. System Restore is a different feature from
Vista Backup which is what we are discussing here.

"davehc" wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> I have the backup and restore feature off. I take care of my software
> through third party methods but , as I understand it, a restore point is
> created everytime you perform a function such as installing a new
> program?
> "You should not delete the current"
> Surely this is the one, therefore, that most needs deleting, as it will
> have, whatever you have been using that has caused a problem, on it?
>
>
> --
> davehc
>[/color]

Hi,

Thanks for posting here, and also thanks for Mark and Devehc's inputting.

May I know if this issue is sovled, or you need further assistance, please
feel free to let me know.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Sincerely
Morgan Che
Microsoft Online Support
Microsoft Global Technical Support Center

Get Secure! - [url]www.microsoft.com/security[/url]
=====================================================
When responding to posts, please "Reply to Group" via your newsreader so
that others may learn and benefit from your issue.
=====================================================
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


--------------------
--->Thread-Topic: How To Delete A Vista Backup Set?
--->thread-index: Ach9akfnx2b3eh8hQCCPXiZ13yb3gQ==
--->X-WBNR-Posting-Host: 207.46.193.207
--->From: =?Utf-8?B?RGVsbCBCb3k=?= <Dell [email]Boy@newsgroup.nosp[/email]am>
--->References: <4E4A9CDA-670B-4451-A3AC-651CF8D90890@microsoft.com>
<davehc.35pao0@no-mx.forums.net>
--->Subject: Re: How To Delete A Vista Backup Set?
--->Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 12:08:00 -0800
--->Lines: 21
--->Message-ID: <1D860437-4A49-4AD0-A42D-53B66C0A7AE5@microsoft.com>
--->MIME-Version: 1.0
--->Content-Type: text/plain;
---> charset="Utf-8"
--->Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
--->X-Newsreader: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000
--->Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message
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--->Priority: normal
--->X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.3790.2992
--->Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
--->Path: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
--->Xref: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
microsoft.public.windows.vista.general:264182
--->NNTP-Posting-Host: tk2msftibfm01.phx.gbl 10.40.244.149
--->X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
--->
--->Thanks Mark, his backups have filled all his external hard drive and I
think
--->they're proably all in one set although I'll have to verify this myself.
--->
--->Thanks also for replying davehc. System Restore is a different feature
from
--->Vista Backup which is what we are discussing here.
--->
--->"davehc" wrote:
--->
--->>
--->> I have the backup and restore feature off. I take care of my software
--->> through third party methods but , as I understand it, a restore point
is
--->> created everytime you perform a function such as installing a new
--->> program?
--->> "You should not delete the current"
--->> Surely this is the one, therefore, that most needs deleting, as it
will
--->> have, whatever you have been using that has caused a problem, on it?
--->>
--->>
--->> --
--->> davehc
--->>
--->

Hi Morgan,

This is resolved.

Many thanks,
Malcolm

"Morgan che(MSFT)" wrote:
[color=blue]
> Hi,
>
> Thanks for posting here, and also thanks for Mark and Devehc's inputting.
>
> May I know if this issue is sovled, or you need further assistance, please
> feel free to let me know.
>
> Thanks and have a nice day!
>
> Sincerely
> Morgan Che
> Microsoft Online Support
> Microsoft Global Technical Support Center
>
> Get Secure! - [url]www.microsoft.com/security[/url]
> =====================================================
> When responding to posts, please "Reply to Group" via your newsreader so
> that others may learn and benefit from your issue.
> =====================================================
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
>
>
> --------------------
> --->Thread-Topic: How To Delete A Vista Backup Set?
> --->thread-index: Ach9akfnx2b3eh8hQCCPXiZ13yb3gQ==
> --->X-WBNR-Posting-Host: 207.46.193.207
> --->From: =?Utf-8?B?RGVsbCBCb3k=?= <Dell [email]Boy@newsgroup.nosp[/email]am>
> --->References: <4E4A9CDA-670B-4451-A3AC-651CF8D90890@microsoft.com>
> <davehc.35pao0@no-mx.forums.net>
> --->Subject: Re: How To Delete A Vista Backup Set?
> --->Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 12:08:00 -0800
> --->Lines: 21
> --->Message-ID: <1D860437-4A49-4AD0-A42D-53B66C0A7AE5@microsoft.com>
> --->MIME-Version: 1.0
> --->Content-Type: text/plain;
> ---> charset="Utf-8"
> --->Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> --->X-Newsreader: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000
> --->Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message
> --->Importance: normal
> --->Priority: normal
> --->X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.3790.2992
> --->Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
> --->Path: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
> --->Xref: TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl
> microsoft.public.windows.vista.general:264182
> --->NNTP-Posting-Host: tk2msftibfm01.phx.gbl 10.40.244.149
> --->X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
> --->
> --->Thanks Mark, his backups have filled all his external hard drive and I
> think
> --->they're proably all in one set although I'll have to verify this myself.
> --->
> --->Thanks also for replying davehc. System Restore is a different feature
> from
> --->Vista Backup which is what we are discussing here.
> --->
> --->"davehc" wrote:
> --->
> --->>
> --->> I have the backup and restore feature off. I take care of my software
> --->> through third party methods but , as I understand it, a restore point
> is
> --->> created everytime you perform a function such as installing a new
> --->> program?
> --->> "You should not delete the current"
> --->> Surely this is the one, therefore, that most needs deleting, as it
> will
> --->> have, whatever you have been using that has caused a problem, on it?
> --->>
> --->>
> --->> --
> --->> davehc
> --->>
> --->
>
>[/color]