Windows 7 Backup Utility Performance

Question

I'm in the middle of my second attempt to create a backup using the Win 7 backup utility, and after 12 hours it is slowing cranking along at 24 percent complete. The first attempt was even slower, at 18 plus hours it was at 27 percent. The backup is of about 800 GB on C drive.

My computer is an XPS 9000 with 12 GB RAM. The backup is directed at a brand new Seagate GoFlex 2 TB external hard drive which is connected via a USB 2.0 port at the rear of the computer.

There are other Win 7 backup utility threads on the Dell Forum, but I can't find the issue of speed discussed.

Thanks in advance.

Larry Rood · Answer

My question/concern is probably obvious to all, but should it take that long?

kirkd · Answer

800 GB is a lot of data, Why not try Macrium Reflect? It's free and faster than Windows. It will also allow you to easily select what to backup, and can also save a drive image.

bacillus · Answer

I have never used the windows backup but that time seems excessive. Is the system hdd using udma transfers as it sounds like it's running in the slower pio mode.

Larry Rood · Answer

Thanks.  What is udma transfers and how do I check to see if that is the case?  At this point after 19 hours the progress for the Win 7 backup is 28 percent.

bacillus · Answer

Thanks. What is udma transfers and how do I check to see if that is the case?

At this point after 19 hours the progress for the Win 7 backup is 28 percent.

You will need to look in device manager under ide ata/atapi controllers> ata channel 0 (assuming that your hdd is on that channel)>properties>advanced settings.

First check that the enable dma box is checked then look at the devices on the channel. Your hdd should be listed as UltraDMA Mode 5 or 6 ddepending on your hdd.

Larry Rood · Answer

Thanks. I can not find any way to determine if dma is enabled. Followed your instructions precisely and could never get to "advanced settings." Also did a search as to how to check from Device Manager and got what you see below. I followed that procedure exactly with the same result. Under IDE ATA/ATAPI there are no items with the word CHANNEL so there was nowhere else to look. Again, never could get to advanced settings.

On a previous XP computer I went through the procedure to enable dma, but can not get it done here.

Turn Direct Memory Access (DMA) on or off

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.

Direct memory access (DMA) is usually turned on by default for devices such as hard disks and CD or DVD drives that support DMA. However, you might need to turn on DMA manually if the device was improperly installed or if a system error occurred.

Click to open Device Manager.‌ If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
Under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, for each item that has the word Channel as part of its label, right-click the item, and then click Properties.
Click the Advanced Settings tab. Under Device Properties, select or clear the Enable DMA check box, and then click OK.

Windows General

Windows 7 Backup Utility Performance

Turn Direct Memory Access (DMA) on or off

Was this post helpful?