How to ensure your scheduled backup is working under Windows 10

Like many of you, I have upgraded recently to Windows 10, since the upgrade is free for the first year. Soon after however, I have noticed that my nightly photo and media backup has stopped working. Since backing up my photos automatically is crucial for my peace of mind I became concerned because my backup software (SyncBack) kept showing error in the backup status. So, I started investigating…and found the answer.

My Windows 10 nightly backup setup

The program I use for my media backup (SyncBack) allows me to schedule a backup task that runs around midnight every night. This way all my changes during the day are being backed up to my external drive. This setup has been running perfectly for years under Windows 7.

However, Windows 10 has changed the way scheduled background tasks are being run. Windows 10 requires more permissions to run background tasks, and when these permissions are not granted the background task is set to ask for them. So, instead of simply running my backup, Windows 10 would start popping up confirmation windows when I would try running the task manually.

The solution is simple. I need to give more privileges to the background task. Once I did that, my nightly backup task started working normally without giving any errors.

Find your task in the Windows 10 Task Scheduler

One of the new features I like in Windows 10 is the search bar on the bottom left of the screen. You simply type something to search and Windows 10 searches your computer and the Internet as well.

The really cool thing is that you can simply type a program’s name and it comes up in the result list.

1. In the windows 10 search bar on the bottom left of the screen type Task Scheduler. Click on the Task Scheduler program in the results list. Task Scheduler will come up and it will look like the picture below.
2. In the panel to the left find Task Scheduler library and expand it. Inside you will find a folder called 2BrightSparks (which is the maker of the SyncBack software I use). If you use a different program…it will appear here.
3. Expand this folder until you get to the actual backup task. Then select the task.

Find your backup task in Windows 10 Task Scheduler

Give highest privileges to the background task

Once you found the backup task, you need to change one setting. Follow these steps to give highest privileges to your scheduled backup task.

1. Double click the scheduled task. This will bring up a new window with task properties.
2. Check the box that says “Run with highest privileges”. Click OK and then close the Task Scheduler.

Set your Windows task to run with highest privileges

Should you be concerned about backing up your photos?

Absolutely yes! Everyone should invest in a cheap external hard drive and have a local backup task run every night. Then you should use a program that allows you to setup an automatic backup task. Once you do that, make sure that your setup is still working even under Windows 10.

Essentials for organizing your digital photos

Here are the essential products and services I have come to rely on for many years to keep my media collection organized and safe. Even though these are affiliate links, I wholeheartedly recommend them.

Excellent Lightroom and Picasa alternative. If you need a cheaper and simpler photo manager then ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac (save 50% until Nov 8th) or ACDSee Photo Studio Professional for Windows (new version) is my preferred solution for organizing all my media. It has a very fast browser, great image editing and it's simple to use.

If you do a lot of image editing like I do, I recommend using Adobe Lightroom Classic CC via the annual Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. Lightroom has best photo editing capabilities even though it comes with a steeper learning curve. If you do image editing, Adobe Lightroom is my favorite.

I recommend Backblaze Personal Cloud Backup for affordable & reliable unlimited cloud backup. I have been using Backblaze for backing up all pictures & videos for more than 5 years now. All my invaluable digital memories are safe and secure. This is the best solution especially if you have a large quantity of media files.

Use a reliable & affordable external hard drive for backing up everything on your computer. It is absolutely essential for keeping all your memories backed up and safe.

Start organizing now using detailed, step-by-step instructions and videos:
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Reference book Basics book Picasa book

YOURS FREE! 10 crucial steps most people miss when organizing their digital photos

Most people want to just organize their digital pictures and ignore these crucial steps right at the beginning...when they are shooting and transferring their digital pictures. Then they wonder why they can't organize their digital photos! Avoid most people's mistakes and start on the right track!

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