Any computer user should know what archiving is in Windows 7 or other similar systems. Many people underestimate this tool of the system, and in fact it allows not only to save user data, but sometimes even restore the OS itself with all the programs installed in it. Just do not confuse archiving with archiving. The terms, although very close in meaning, nevertheless differ quite strongly.
What is archiving in Windows 7 or any other similar system?
To begin with, we consider the issue purely from a theoretical point of view. Archiving data in Windows 7 or in systems of a rank higher or lower generally refers to the toolkit for creating copies of absolutely all information that can be stored on a user PC.
The similarity to archiving when using the appropriate packer is that the system does create a kind of archival copy of the data with a decrease in size. True, it is completely incomparable with the initial volume. What can I say? A copy of a 200 GB hard drive will take about 150 GB minimum, while the archiver can produce maximum compression two or more times.
On the other hand, file archiving in Windows 7 and other systems, unlike archiving programs, saves all the working parameters of the OS itself and installed programs. This is, in fact, an image of a system or hard disk from which all data can be restored in a few minutes.
Do not confuse the standard system rollback tool with archiving. Windows resuscitation after critical failures and errors is based on restoring the registry. Therefore, programs installed up to a certain point (a recovery checkpoint) will not work, they will simply disappear from the system, although user files and folders are not affected.
Data archiving in Windows 7: how does it work?
As it turns out, this tool of the system is far from being as perfect as it was originally supposed. After all, what is archiving in Windows 7? The usual creation of a working copy of a system or disk with all the information that is best stored on removable media, and not in a logical partition due to the large volume. An external USB HDD can be used for this.
However, in the case of saving a copy of only the system disk on which the operating system is installed, there are no questions about saving backups in logical partitions.
True, even when setting the schedule, when the saved copy will automatically change in a certain time period, there are also disadvantages. Here the problem is that Windows constantly saves not the same copy, but different ones. Therefore, the space on the same virtual disk can decrease at a catastrophic rate.
Archiving Options
But if you enter the usual "Control Panel", you can use several options for archiving. For example, you can choose to save a copy of only user data, or you can create an image of the entire system or hard drive.
In the first case, the place, as a rule, will not have to be especially spent. But if you leave the choice to the system at the preparation stage, then you can be sure that you will need almost as much space as the system partition or the entire hard disk takes (well, the maximum you can count on is a compression ratio of 1.5, nothing more) . But what if the hard drive is 2 TB or more, and the file systems HDD and USB HDD are different (one of them has the GPT format)? You will have to partition the disks using the conversion to MBR and NTFS, but the saved copy on them may not fit. Therefore, you should establish your own choice.
Service shutdown
In general, by and large, in order not to waste disk space, you can create a copy once, save it on removable media or in the system partition, and then simply deactivate this service.
Disabling archiving in Windows 7 or in another OS can be quite simple. You must use the services section (services.msc in the Run menu), find the WMENGINE client there, double-click to open the parameter editing menu, stop the process, set the startup type to disabled and save the changes.
After that, through RMB, on the notification icon in the system tray, you need to select the “Support Center” line, configure it and remove the check from the archive. Then a reboot follows, after which creating copies (even in virtual storage) will no longer bother you. To clean up disk space, you can delete copies yourself, but it is better to use the disk cleanup tool called through the properties menu for the selected partition. You can also use the backup and restore section in the "Toolbar".
What else do you need to know?
What is archiving in Windows 7, figured out. It remains to answer the most urgent question regarding disabling this function. There is nothing wrong with its deactivation. By and large, you can make it once and save a copy on the external HDD. But for small hard drives, disabling this service will be very significant in terms of saving space. Only in this case, you will need to create a recovery disk or flash drive. But, as already clear, it will be possible to reanimate only the operation of the OS itself, and certainly not the installed user programs, not to mention the preservation of personal files. So here you have to make a decision on your own, putting all the pros and cons on the scales.