Overview
What is Device Replacement in inSync?
Device replacement in inSync allows users to replace an old device while retaining its backup data and configuration on a new device. This ensures a seamless transition, with all backed-up data, settings, and restore points from the old device available on the new one. The device metadata of the old device stored in inSync cloud ensures that the new device shows the same data during restoration, which was present on the old device.
During Device Replacement, the latest snapshot of the replaced device shows data from the previous device (additional drive) which does not exist on the replaced device.
Why do we see snapshots from previous Device
If a folder is configured for backup and the backup is successful, it is shown in the latest snapshot. Subsequently In the next backup, if the folder is deleted from the machine, it is still shown in the consecutive snapshot and it is as per the design of the product.
🔗 Replace a device linked with your inSync account
Considerations for Windows Device Replacement
When replacing a Windows device, inSync maintains continuity in data protection. For example:
If the old device had multiple drives (e.g., C and D) configured for backup, the data from both drives remains securely stored in the cloud.
If the new device only has a C drive, the restore wizard will still display both C and D drives.
This allows users to restore files from the old D drive to the new device, ensuring no data loss.
📝 Note
This behavior is observed only when replacing a device as an existing device. It does not occur if the device is added as a new device during the replacement process.
How to Identify the old Drive:
The old drive would be showing an older date modified on the UI.
This clearly shows if the drive is from an old device or from the new device.
Workaround to Hide Old Drive Data in Restore Wizard
If we prefer not to show data from the old drive in the restore wizard, there is a workaround:
Switch the user’s profile after device replacement, and then switch the user back to the original profile.
This action refreshes the device metadata of the new device, and the restore wizard will then display only the drives available on the current device.
Storage Consumption:
No additional storage is consumed for displaying the old drive (e.g., D:) in the restore wizard, as the same data is stored on the cloud before with one of the Recovery Points. This feature is purely for user convenience and does not impact overall storage usage.