Windows User Backup & Restore Tools

PowerShell scripts for fast, reliable user data backup and restore using Robocopy with recovery features and merge capabilities.

Features

Backup Tool (UserBackup.ps1)

• Interactive prompts for user selection, storage device, and backup folder
• Smart filtering - backs up user data including OneDrive synced folders
• PST exclusion - automatically excludes large Outlook PST files
• Resume functionality - continues interrupted backups with exact file-level tracking
• Progress tracking - visual progress bar with ETA and real-time status
• Time estimation - calculates estimated backup time based on data size
• Multi-threaded copying - uses Robocopy with optimized thread count for reliability
• Detailed logging - creates backup_log.txt with full operation details and progress markers
• Enhanced error handling - detailed exit code interpretation and retry logic

Restore Tool (UserRestore.ps1)

• Target user selection - choose which user to restore data to
• Backup discovery - automatically finds backup folders on storage devices
• Single restore - restore one backup to a user account
• Merge functionality - combine multiple backups into one user account
• Smart folder mapping - correctly maps OneDrive folders back to OneDrive locations
• Size estimation - calculates restore size and time before starting
• Progress tracking - visual progress bar with ETA and real-time status
• Enhanced conflict resolution - detailed file comparison with smart merging options

Remote Execution

Backup Script

powershell -Command "iwr -useb 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iEdgir01/windows_tools/main/UserBackup.ps1' | iex"

Restore Script

powershell -Command "iwr -useb 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iEdgir01/windows_tools/main/UserRestore.ps1' | iex"

Local Execution

Backup Script

.\UserBackup.ps1          # User backup with resume functionality

Restore Script

.\UserRestore.ps1         # Restore with merge capabilities

Parameters (Optional)

Backup Script

You can skip prompts by providing parameters:

# User backup
.\UserBackup.ps1 -Username "JohnDoe" -BackupLocation "E:" -BackupFolder "Backup_2024"

Restore Script

# Interactive restore (asks about conflicts)
.\UserRestore.ps1 -TargetUser "JohnDoe" -SourceLocation "E:" -BackupFolders @("Backup_2024", "Backup_2023")

# Automated restore with conflict resolution
.\UserRestore.ps1 -TargetUser "JohnDoe" -SourceLocation "E:" -ConflictResolution "IfNewer"

ConflictResolution Options:

• "Ask" - Interactive prompts for each conflict (default)
• "Skip" - Keep existing files, skip conflicts
• "Overwrite" - Replace all conflicting files
• "IfNewer" - Only overwrite if new file is more recent

What Gets Backed Up

Standard User Folders

• Desktop
• Downloads
• Documents
• Pictures
• Videos
• Music

OneDrive Synced Folders (when present)

• OneDrive\Desktop
• OneDrive\Documents
• OneDrive\Pictures
• OneDrive\Videos
• OneDrive\Music

What Gets Excluded

• PST files - Outlook data files (*.pst)
• Application data (AppData)
• System files
• Shortcuts
• Temporary files
• Program files

Robocopy Features Used

Backup Operations

• /MIR - Mirror directory (complete copy, creates dirs, deletes extras)
• /COPY:DAT - Copy data, attributes, and timestamps
• /XF *.pst - Exclude PST files
• /MT:8 - Multi-threaded copying (8 threads for stability)
• /R:5 - Retry failed copies 5 times
• /W:30 - Wait 30 seconds between retries
• /SKIP:SL - Skip symbolic links to avoid issues

Restore Operations

• /E - Copy subdirectories including empty ones
• /COPY:DAT - Copy data, attributes, and timestamps
• /MT:8 - Multi-threaded copying (8 threads for restore)
• /R:5 - Retry failed copies 5 times
• /W:30 - Wait 30 seconds between retries
• /SKIP:SL - Skip symbolic links to avoid issues
• /IS - Include Same files (used in merge operations for consistency)
• /IT - Include Tweaked files (used in merge operations for overwrites)
• Smart merge handling with explicit conflict resolution

Restore Workflow

The restore script provides flexible options for data recovery:

1. Target User Selection - Choose which user account to restore data to
2. Storage Device Detection - Automatically detects and lists available drives
3. Backup Discovery - Scans for folders containing backup data structure
4. Restore Options:
   • Single Restore - Restore one backup folder to the target user
   • Merge Multiple - Combine data from multiple backup folders into one user account
5. Smart Folder Mapping:
   • Standard folders (Desktop, Documents, etc.) → C:\Users\[TargetUser]\[Folder]
   • OneDrive folders → C:\Users\[TargetUser]\OneDrive\[Folder]
6. Progress Tracking - Real-time status updates and completion reporting

Merge Functionality

When merging multiple backups, the script processes them in the order selected:

1. First backup - Copied normally to the target user
2. Subsequent backups - Conflicts are detected and user chooses resolution:

Interactive Conflict Resolution

When file conflicts are detected, you choose how to handle them:

1. Skip conflicts - Keep existing files, don't overwrite anything
2. Overwrite all - Replace all conflicting files with new versions
3. Keep newer files only - Smart date-based replacement (newer files win)
4. Review individually - Decide file-by-file with enhanced details:
   • Enhanced date display: Shows exact timestamps and file age
   • Clear newer indicator: Highlights which file is more recent and by how much
   • Multiple options per file: (O)verwrite, (S)kip, Keep (N)ewer, (A)bort, or apply to (A)ll
   • Apply to all remaining: After reviewing one conflict, apply the same decision to all remaining conflicts

Enhanced Conflict Display Example

Conflict: Documents\ProjectPlan.docx
  Existing: 2,450,123 bytes
            Last modified: 2024-01-15 09:30:22 (25 days ago)
  New:      2,551,890 bytes
            Last modified: 2024-01-20 14:22:15 (20 days ago)
  → New file is NEWER by 5 days, 4 hours

(O)verwrite, (S)kip, Keep (N)ewer, (A)bort folder, or apply to (A)ll remaining?

Benefits of Enhanced Resolution:

• Safe merging - No accidental overwrites of important files
• Informed decisions - See exact dates, file sizes, and age comparisons
• Flexible handling - Different strategies per backup or folder
• Batch decisions - Apply same choice to multiple conflicts
• Smart newer detection - Automatically identifies which file is more recent
• Abort option - Stop if conflicts are too complex to resolve

Resume Functionality

The backup script includes advanced resume capabilities:

Automatic Resume Detection

• Detects incomplete backups on startup
• Analyzes existing log files to determine progress
• Offers to continue from where backup was interrupted

Exact File-Level Resume

• Tracks individual files copied for each folder
• Creates dynamic exclusion lists for already-copied files
• Avoids redundant file copying during resume operations

Progress Preservation

• Saves progress markers to log files in JSON format
• Maintains accurate progress tracking across resume sessions
• Displays clear status of missing vs incomplete folders

Requirements

• Windows PowerShell 5.0 or later
• Administrative privileges may be required for some user profiles
• Sufficient free space on backup destination (for backup operations)
• Sufficient free space on target user profile (for restore operations)