What type of backup copies all files and system settings?

A full backup is the process that copies all files and system settings from a computer or server to a backup medium. This includes all data, such as documents, applications, system files, and settings, ensuring that a complete copy of the system is available for restoration. This type of backup is pivotal for disaster recovery, as it allows for the entire system to be restored to a previous state with all configurations intact.

A full backup is comprehensive and straightforward because it creates a single complete snapshot of everything that is selected for backup. While it requires more storage space and time to complete—compared to other types of backups—it provides a thorough security net for data recovery.

In contrast, incremental backups only capture changes made since the last backup (either full or incremental), making them more efficient in terms of time and storage but less comprehensive. Differential backups save changes made since the last full backup, which is more efficient than full backups but does not cover the entire system in a single operation. Mirror backups create an exact copy of the data at a moment in time, but they do not store historical versions of files, which can lead to loss if files are deleted from the source after the backup runs.