Windows 10: How to view files within laptop backup on external hard drive

Discus and support How to view files within laptop backup on external hard drive in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade to solve the problem; So, I had a 9yo Toshiba laptop, the screen stopped working a couple years ago, long story short gave up and got a new one, and backed up the old one... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade' started by Laea-, Jun 14, 2020.

  1. Laea- Win User

    How to view files within laptop backup on external hard drive


    So, I had a 9yo Toshiba laptop, the screen stopped working a couple years ago, long story short gave up and got a new one, and backed up the old one onto an external hard drive. I've now got said hard drive plugged in to the new laptop, and I was hoping I'd be able to just view all the files from old laptop and take out what I wanted. But I click on the file and it's asking if I want to restore the backup. Does this mean it'll automatically restore old laptop onto new laptop and override everything on it, or is there a sort of selection option past that where I can choose what I want to go on? I don't want to risk erasing the new data also, it's W7 going onto a W10 OS -- not sure if that helps. If that is what will happen, is there a way I can dig into the backup and retrieve the individual files? Sorry if this is a real amateur question but this stuff isn't my strong suit in the least.


    Cheers

    :)
     
    Laea-, Jun 14, 2020
    #1

  2. saving and viewing files on an external hard drive

    Hi Sam,

    We appreciate you for being part of Windows 10.

    Yes, you may format the external hard drive. Follow the below steps.


    • Connect the external hard drive to Windows 10 computer.

    • Press Windows + E keys on the keyboard to the keyboard to open the file explorer.

    • Locate the external hard drive on left navigation pane in File explorer.

    • Right click on the external hard drive and click on
      Format
      .

    • Click Start and follow on screen instructions to format the hard drive.
    I hope the above information helps. Kindly let us know if you need any further assistance with Windows. We are glad to assist you.

    Thank you.
     
    Kiran Kishore, Jun 14, 2020
    #2
  3. Remon Ont Win User
    External Hard Drive

    Hi John,

    We suggest that you try the troubleshooting steps below:

    • Open your External Hard Drive file in File Explorer.
    • Type the name of the file you want to search on the search box and click Enter.
    The file will show up in Search Results and you will be able to move it to the correct folder.

    Let us know if you need further help.
     
    Remon Ont, Jun 14, 2020
    #3
  4. smee Win User

    How to view files within laptop backup on external hard drive

    Hard Drive / External Drive + Backups Configuration?

    Hey all,

    So I'm thinking of changing around my hard drive configuration on my main comp.

    At the moment I've got:
    1 Internal 500GB (OS, programs, file storage)
    2 External 500GB (not really doing much)
    1 External 320GB (for my Lightroom photo library)

    What I'd like to do, is ditch the 320gb photo drive (its a 2.5").
    I'd use one external 500GB for Video files, the other 500GB for Photo files.
    Then I'd want two more to backup those files, and have them backed up on our NAS Server.

    I'd also have an external 1-2TB drive for OS hard drive backups and such, but thats not part of what I'm going to ask.

    So my question for you guys is this:
    Should my 500GB Video and 500GB Photo drives be internal? Or External?
    If I put them inside the computer, will I get faster speeds?
    If they're external, is eSATA/USB 2.0 going to be sufficient for Video editing? (Using full HD video files, editing in Adobe Premiere Pro)

    Either way I will have two backup drives (one for video, one for photo) and they'll both be backed up on the server.

    So, to have 4 External drives or to have 2 internal and 2 external? That is the question.
    What are the benefits of having them internal? What about having them external?

    For me, being able to bring my Photo or Video drive with me isn't really a big deal, I probably will never do it. If I would need to though, I could just take one of the external backups.

    Also, second question. What kind of backup software do you recommend that would basically make a complete clone of my HD's?

    Does any of this make sense?
    Any help is appreciated. *Big Grin How to view files within laptop backup on external hard drive :D
    ~Smee
     
Thema:

How to view files within laptop backup on external hard drive

Loading...
  1. How to view files within laptop backup on external hard drive - Similar Threads - view files within

  2. External hard drive backup

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    External hard drive backup: Hi everybody, I would like to back up an external hard drive. To this day at the end of the day I launch a backup program with which I save everything to another external hard drive. Due to a malfunction a few days ago I risked losing data both on the main hard disk and on...
  3. External hard drive backup

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    External hard drive backup: Hi everybody, I would like to back up an external hard drive. To this day at the end of the day I launch a backup program with which I save everything to another external hard drive. Due to a malfunction a few days ago I risked losing data both on the main hard disk and on...
  4. External hard drive backup

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    External hard drive backup: Hi everybody, I would like to back up an external hard drive. To this day at the end of the day I launch a backup program with which I save everything to another external hard drive. Due to a malfunction a few days ago I risked losing data both on the main hard disk and on...
  5. Viewing Video Files From External Hard Drive

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    Viewing Video Files From External Hard Drive: I am looking to view video files on my XBOX 1 and smart TV's that I have stored on a external hard drive that is connected to my windows 10 PC. I can view the files that are on my PC from these devices but cannot view the files contained on my external hard drive. I have...
  6. Viewing files on external hard drive

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    Viewing files on external hard drive: I'm trying to view the files on my external hard drive My Passport for Mac using a Windows 10 laptop. I can see the drive and the Properties but I can't view the files. It is telling me to right click the hard drive icon but that doesn't help. What is the easiest way to...
  7. backup to external hard drive

    in Windows 10 Customization
    backup to external hard drive: The backup to external hard drive will not perform. All kinds of errors and it says it did not backup. What? Am I so stupid that I cannot tell it what drive to back up to? It wants to choose for me and then does not like it's choice. Where are the real settings so I can...
  8. Recovering files from a backup on an external hard drive

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    Recovering files from a backup on an external hard drive: Hi there. Since my desk top PC, running Windows 10, started misbehaving a couple of years ago I've been using a laptop for day to day work. I've given up on the old desktop and now want to recover various files - music, photos and Office documents from the 1TB WD Elements...
  9. View the files within a backup file without restoring the files?

    in Windows 10 Backup and Restore
    View the files within a backup file without restoring the files?: I found a backup file from an old PC earlier today.. I forgot all about this and I was wondering if I might have some old documents or pictures etc on it that I could extract. It's showing as 0 files and 0 bytes but this might just be because it's a backup file and not , for...
  10. Can't view backup hard drive in file explorer

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    Can't view backup hard drive in file explorer: I have a G Drive Mobile device that I used to backup a Mac. I'm am transferring to a Windows 10 laptop. When I plug in the device into one of the USB slots, the laptop makes a noise like it has recognized a device, but it doesn't show in File Explorer. It DOES show when I...