Q on backup software on external hard drives

NW25

I currently have a desktop computer running Windows 7 so am planning to upgrade to a modern desktop computer. I backup my desktop onto a HP external hard drive that came with Backup Software -- HP SimpleSave – so that when I connect it with the USB it evaluates what has changed since the last backup and lets me confirm I want to back up those items (divided by photos, documents, video, web files, etc). Similarly if I select the Restore option I can pick which files I want to restore.

I would like to purchase a new external hard drive that I will use first to backup my existing desktop with Windows 7 and then use to restore the info to the new computer (Windows 11 most likely). While I have tested my current HP external hard drive to confirm I can restore files (using my husband’s Windows 11 laptop for the test), I thought it best to get a new external hard drive to make a new backup of the old computer and then to use for the installation onto a new computer.

My question is: do currently available external hard drives still come with software to do the backups already installed? OR is it set so that a program within Windows 11 runs the backup and one just selects an external hard drive as destination thereby having no programs on the external hard drives themselves and no way to do a “backup” off Windows 7 (looking for something other than just manually copying a bunch of files to the ext hard drive)? In this case would I need to get a 3rd party software to do a backup off the Windows 7 computer?

My personal thought of best case scenario is an external hard drive with backup software pre-installed that works with both Windows 7 and Windows 11. Any advice on if that even exists?

Thanks!

PowerSpec_MikeW

@NW25

Vendors like Seagate and WD still have backup software for this, but generally it backs up data, not the programs that are installed. Same with Windows Backup (File History). If you want to move programs you might be better off with a software like Laplink PCMover. They do offer that feature, and it'll run over a local network from your old PC to the new one.

NW25

OK thanks. Do you know if the Seagate and WD ones' have backup software that will support BOTH Windows 7 and Windows 11?

PowerSpec_MikeW

@NW25

Looking at it, I don't believe the included backup software on those drives is going to support Windows 7 at this time. Might have to rely on file history in the OS for that. You can recover data from a File History backup on 7 in Windows 11. Data only.