Patent ID: 8560501

Claim:
A system for backing up a source storage device comprising: a personal computer having a processor; a first storage device, where the said first storage device is a primary storage device for said personal computer; said first storage device storing a first list of files that will not be arranged in groups, with each group comprising a first criteria indicative of plural files, and an associated indication of remaining capacity of a backup storage device associated with said first criteria; said first criteria comprises names representing part or all of a name of files or names of directories and subdirectories or file extensions denoting types of files; said processor running a first software program that operates to format said backup storage device as mirroring those portions of said first storage device including: master boot record and associated sectors referenced by said master boot record, and said first storage device's file system structure making said backup storage device bootable prior to initially backing up files from said primary storage device to said backup storage device; said first software program subsequently backs up files from said primary storage device to the backup storage device and then checks a remaining capacity of the backup storage device based on files from said primary storage device having been transferred to said backup storage device and when the remaining capacity is determined as being less than at least one of a percentage of remaining capacity of said backup storage device listed in at least a first group of said first list of files, purging those files residing on said backup storage device from said backup storage device which match the first criteria.