Backup is full, Not Full Backup

[Bender]

I am trying to figure out what to do when my backup location can no longer
accept new backups because it is full.
I tried to do a search but the "full" just brings up references to the Full
Backup you can do with Windows Vista Ultimate.
Any one know where I could find out best practices for doing backups.
For example, do I reformat the drive my backup is on so I can do another
backup? Or do I buy a bigger drive, and continue doing this as the months go
by? Do I swap for another drive to continue doing my backups, and just keep
buying more drives as they get filled? Do I hope that Moore's Law also
applies to hard drive storage?

 

[Falcon]

I am trying to figure out what to do when my backup location can no longer
accept new backups because it is full.
I tried to do a search but the "full" just brings up references to the Full
Backup you can do with Windows Vista Ultimate.
Any one know where I could find out best practices for doing backups.

Yeah, pony up $50 a year and do unlimited backup on Moxie or
Carbonite. Stop stressing.

 

[...winston]

Are you using Vista SP1(if so were the Sp1 Help files installed- separate download)

Entering Backup in the Vista Help and Support Center brings up 30 items..
The second item is 'Backup and Restore: Frequently asked Questions'

Are you using Windows built in backup Tool(Orb/Accessories/System Tools/Backup and Configuration)
If so, accessing Backup and Configuration provides an option to determine/change the location of the backup.
The backup can be viewed in Windows Explorer.
Backups using this Tool are dated.
To delete prior backup files to create additional space(Notes: see the last paragraph on what should not be deleted)
<qp>
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.
<qp>

 

[Bender]

Well I have 30 GB left on my 160 GB external drive that I have been using
for backups. It was full, but I moved and deleted all folders not part of
the backup to get maximum space for my weekly incremental backup.
I have found SyncToy 2 from Microsoft to backup other folders that are
located on D: drive that is not part of my Vista backup locations. It also
backups .exe files for my downloaded utilities etc. that the vista backup
would not backup.

I do have a 1,000 GB external My Book, but it is full of recorded TV. I do
not bother to backup recorded TV.

 

[On Request]

What I do: Let my once per week automatic backups to my external hard
drive continue until it gets full; then I delete the entire backup folder
and start over with a new, full backup. I usually get about three months on
my
160 GB external drive between cleanouts. I use that 160 GB drive only for
backups.