How to back up files when a PC has two users

by John Smith Technician

Q: I have two users set up on my Windows 10 Pro desktop PC. Can I, and how do I, back up the Documents, Pictures and Music libraries for both users to OneDrive? Do I just log into a user on my PC and follow the instructions in your Jan. 5 column to sync for that user? Will they automatically have library names in OneDrive that identify which user they are related to so the source user is obvious and the syncing process is not confused?

Also, can I then go to my Win 10 Pro laptop which has access to my OneDrive account and selectively sync only some of my own user folders on OneDrive to my laptop? I only want to sync selected folders, not whole libraries on my laptop. It has a smaller disk drive and I don’t want all the OneDrive files physically stored on it.

A: If you’re trying to set up a backup of multiple users’ data files to OneDrive you’ll want to have separate OneDrive accounts for each user. As you suspect, OneDrive won’t distinguish which user is syncing which folders and files. What’s more, each user’s files will only be synced with OneDrive when that user is signed in.

As for syncing only a subset of folders you have on OneDrive to a specific computer — yes, you can do that. Only the folders that you specify to sync to that computer will be saved locally. Of course, you can still access your other OneDrive folders that aren’t synced locally by logging into OneDrive using a Web browser.

Q: When Windows 10 was installed on my computer it came with Windows Defender Security Center. I also added Malwarebytes anti-malware. It seems the Malwarebytes supersedes the Windows Defender virus protection. Is that how this works, and is that OK? Also, is Windows Defender better than Norton in your experience? Would I want to replace the Windows Defender with my former Norton (Norton.com/setup) Security Suite? What about Malwarebytes? It is all rather confusing. Hope you can help give me some clarity.

— Norm Arkins

A: I know it sounds like a cop-out, but I don’t recommend specific products unless I’ve recently done a detailed comparison of them. That said, yes, you can acquire malware even with a program such as Norton Antivirus installed.

For my part, I run Norton Security Suite, in part because a free subscription comes with my Xfinity internet service. I had also been running Malwarebytes anti-malware, though I uninstalled it after I found it chewing up computer resources and slowing down my computer. That doesn’t mean, by the way, that Malwarebytes will have the same impact on your computer. It may just not be interacting well with other software running on my computer.

My recommendation is to scan recent comparative reviews of anti-virus and anti-malware programs to make your selection. After that, it’s a matter of seeing if there is a noticeable negative impact on your computer’s performance.

Oh, and yes, anti-virus and anti-malware programs can cause conflicts with each other. The newest version of Malwarebytes anti-malware includes anti-virus protection, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it conflicted with Windows Defender. If you really want to run two such programs together you may be able to do so by specifying files each program should ignore in its scans, though you’ll need to consult with each manufacturer for details on which files to exclude.

Finally, be aware that the best protection against malware is simply to be very careful about what you download from the internet, which websites you visit, and the links in emails you click on. Having good anti-virus and anti-malware protection is important, but it doesn’t mean you should feel free to take chances in browsing and clicking.

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