A 125GB main drive is small in today's world. 512GB and even 1TB SSD's are more common. I would seriously consider upgrading the drive. I recently did a clean install on my desktop system, Win 10 Pro, MS Office and a few utilities and I've used 119GB of disc space (not a problem as I have a 1TB SSD).
On backups, you really don't want to use the system drive. If it were to fail you have lost all your backups and data. Only backup to a separate drive (e.g. your 1TB drive). I don't use the Dell backup, I make frequent full drive (all partitions) backups (Disc Images) with the free (and popular) Macrium Reflect. If I have a problem or failure its easy to recover all of the drive with Macrium.
Many thanks for your undoubted knowledgable reply, which I wholly agree with and is advisable; however, if at all possible, I would rather not upgrade anything at present. My preference would be to allow Dell Backup Assistant to function = is it possible to change the backup destination drive from C to D, or is there anything that will have come pre-installed by Dell, or be component software parts of Windows 10 setup, on C that can be moved to D to significantly free up C?
It is dumb to backup to any internal drive on your computer. If the computer hard drive crashes, the backup is gone too. You have to backup to external media. Buy an external hard drive for backups. See this from MS-- Back up and restore your PC (microsoft.com)
Thank you for your advice and I will back up my files onto an external hard drive for the reasons you give. I do have one. It is just that there clearly is Dell Support backup software integral to the Inspiron 5680- I have recently been getting notifications in the pop-up side bar that the programme could not back up due to lack of disc space. I confess ignorance as to what is being automatically backed up (possibly system files?) - presumably so in the background unbeknowns to me over the past year since I purchased the desktop. I do not know exactly what is being backed up - how crucial it might be because it cannot function right now; hence whether it is possible to change the destination drive and this so in turn because I don't want to move my personal files onto D to free up C unless absolutely necessary. Sorry to be a nuisance like this.
The best option is the Macrium Reflect disc imaging software and the external drive you have. Most of the techies that I know use Macrium Reflect, not the built in Windows backup or the Dell backup. Actually best to do backups and alternate backing up (full disc image - all partitions) between the internal hard drive and the external. If one of the two drives fails you still have the other. I'm a retired Network and Hardware Help Desk manager and the alternate full drive backups (disc images) is how it was done in our nationwide network.
And I still suggest you upgrade the system drive, at bare minimum to 256GB drive. And considering the relatively cheap price for SSD''s I would go with a 512GB or even 1TB SSD.
fireberd
9 Legend
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33.4K Posts
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December 11th, 2020 03:00
A 125GB main drive is small in today's world. 512GB and even 1TB SSD's are more common. I would seriously consider upgrading the drive. I recently did a clean install on my desktop system, Win 10 Pro, MS Office and a few utilities and I've used 119GB of disc space (not a problem as I have a 1TB SSD).
On backups, you really don't want to use the system drive. If it were to fail you have lost all your backups and data. Only backup to a separate drive (e.g. your 1TB drive). I don't use the Dell backup, I make frequent full drive (all partitions) backups (Disc Images) with the free (and popular) Macrium Reflect. If I have a problem or failure its easy to recover all of the drive with Macrium.
Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free
Ste27
3 Posts
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December 11th, 2020 04:00
Many thanks for your undoubted knowledgable reply, which I wholly agree with and is advisable; however, if at all possible, I would rather not upgrade anything at present. My preference would be to allow Dell Backup Assistant to function = is it possible to change the backup destination drive from C to D, or is there anything that will have come pre-installed by Dell, or be component software parts of Windows 10 setup, on C that can be moved to D to significantly free up C?
Mary G
4 Operator
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20.1K Posts
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December 11th, 2020 09:00
It is dumb to backup to any internal drive on your computer. If the computer hard drive crashes, the backup is gone too. You have to backup to external media. Buy an external hard drive for backups. See this from MS-- Back up and restore your PC (microsoft.com)
Ste27
3 Posts
0
December 11th, 2020 10:00
fireberd
9 Legend
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33.4K Posts
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December 11th, 2020 11:00
The best option is the Macrium Reflect disc imaging software and the external drive you have. Most of the techies that I know use Macrium Reflect, not the built in Windows backup or the Dell backup. Actually best to do backups and alternate backing up (full disc image - all partitions) between the internal hard drive and the external. If one of the two drives fails you still have the other. I'm a retired Network and Hardware Help Desk manager and the alternate full drive backups (disc images) is how it was done in our nationwide network.
And I still suggest you upgrade the system drive, at bare minimum to 256GB drive. And considering the relatively cheap price for SSD''s I would go with a 512GB or even 1TB SSD.