Backup Questions (Using WD Smartware)

My Cloud OS 3 Personal & Network Attached Storage My Cloud
1

I just did a backup on my Win10 system using WD Smartware to my new My Cloud drive. Is this a full system backup or just files ( I was not in the File Backup tab)?

Also, the number of GB in the system "box"on the OS side of the display and the Additional Files on the WD side of the display started out the same. Both crept up in volume as the back up continued. About 3 GB on the OS side and a little over 2 GB for the other. Is that normal?

Thank you

2

You may want to read the Smartware User Manual (http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartware/um.asp) if you haven’t done so already. It explains what the software is capable of and how to use it.

Generally the Smartware program only backups the files you instruct it to backup, either during initial installation or post installation.There isn’t an emergency recovery disc option (AFAIK) with Smartware like there is with other backup programs. Generally one has to install the Smartware software in order to recover or read the file backed up with Smartware.

There are a number of free backup programs that may better suited for disaster recovery, like the entire hard drive dying and one needs to recover with a replacement hard drive. Here are a few third party free backup/mirroring programs some of which have an option to create a recovery disc.

EaseUS Todo Backup Free: http://www.easeus.com/
Macrium Reflect Free: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
Paragon Backup and Recovery 14 Free: http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/download.html
Free File Sync (in Mirroring mode): http://www.freefilesync.org/

3

You need to open up WD Smartware, click on the Help tab and read the information under Backup.