[SOLVED] How do you add only recently edited files to a cloned HD without manually sifting through files?

[saowens117]

I have my primary hard drive and a clone. I want to add only recently created/edited files to the clone but don't want to sift through all the files manually. What's the best way to do this?

 

[USAFRet]

I have my primary hard drive and a clone. I want to add only recently created/edited files to the clone but don't want to sift through all the files manually. What's the best way to do this?

No.
You just recreate the clone.
What are you using the clone for? As a backup?

If so, that is the wrong usage. A clone is for swapping to a new drive right now. Not for storage for later use.

What you're probably looking for is an Image.
I use Macrium Reflect for this. And with that, you can add files to an already created image.
But there are better ways to do even that.

 

[saowens117]

So I read up on imaging vs cloning and cloning does seem to be recommended for upgrading a hdd/ssd and imaging for "backing up" files. Although it seems like the only difference is that an image = a large file that is essentially a clone. Either way, I formatted the clone and created an image of my original hd instead.
I set up a schedule to do a "full backup" once a month with differential backups every day so that new/edited files get added to the image daily. If my understanding is correct, The backup hdd will eventually be filled with as many images as it can hold and then the oldest images will be deleted to make room for new ones?

I was hoping to have just one image file that I could add only newly created/edited files to rather than have to fill the backup hdd with images but this works similarly.

 

[USAFRet]

I was hoping to have just one image file that I could add only newly created/edited files to rather than have to fill the backup hdd with images but this works similarly.

Read up on Full, Incremental, and Differential images.

A Full is just that...everything at this time.
Then, on intervening days, an Incremental or Differential.

An Incremental contains only the changes since the last Full or Incremental
A Differential is all the changes since the last Full.

I do this every night.
An Incremental is small, and only contains 'changes'...new or changed files. Easy as pie.

My C drive is currently 263GB consumed.
A Full Image and 30 days worth of daily Incremental images only takes 380GB.