The Windows XP Backup UtilityBackup your PC now! Do you have a current Windows XP backup of your computer files? Think for a moment about the documents, digital photos, letters, etc. on your computer right now. Do you have a recent copy of these items stored somewhere other than your computer? Are you sure? But wait.. I've got more good news for you: Your computer is going to crash! That's right, it will! When? I don't know. That's the problem. Sooner or later ALL computers will crash, old ones, new ones, it doesn't matter. They're all doomed. Why? Because hard drives are mechanical devices, and devices break down sometimes. Have you ever had car trouble that left you stranded until help arrived? I think most of us have. Something on the car wore out, or broke suddenly, and the car stopped. It's that simple. Machines break eventually. Especially machines that are not well maintained. If you value what is stored on your computer, do yourself a favor and run the Windows XP backup utility and get it copied as soon as possible. For a more detailed explanation on the types of backups available to you, click the link. Windows XP Backup or Restore Wizard The Windows XP Backup is a built-in utility that you can use to archive your system data. You can run the utility using the wizard screens, or if you are fairly savvy on a PC, there is an advanced version which contains more settings and options. For the average home-user the wizard screen will work just fine. The utility can be found by clicking on the START button in the lower left-hand corner of your desktop. From the resulting menu click on ALL PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES(usually at the top of the program list)>SYSTEM TOOLS> and then BACKUP. Note: Unfortunately, the Windows XP Backup utility is not included in the Windows XP Home Edition’s default installation. The Windows XP Backup Utility is included on the Windows XP Home Edition CD-ROM. You must install the utility from the CD. When you open the Windows Backup wizard you’ll be presented with the welcome window below. This is where you can click on the Advanced Mode link if you want to go that route. You can also check or uncheck the “Always start in wizard mode” checkbox. Click the Next button to begin.
In this window you’ll select to do a Backup or a Restore. Click Next to continue.
Here you specify exactly what you want to archive. Click Next to continue.
Here you’ll first choose a place to save your copied data. You can use a CD (about 700MB) or a DVD (3 or 4 GB) if you have a burner, and if your completed backup file will fit on the disc. I’m using an external hard drive that shows up in My Computer as drive letter E:. *External hard drives are coming down in price and I highly recommend getting one to use for your backup storage. I recently bought an external hard drive that uses a USB 2.0 connection and does not require an additional power source. It gets its power from the USB connection. It gives me 160GB of space for backups and storage and it was only $60. Next, I'll give my backup file a name. I like to use the year, followed by the month, followed by the date (if you want), and then the computer name. Click Next to continue.
This window will recap your selections for final approval. You can also click on the Advanced button which will take you through several more windows of options, such as choosing one of the five types of backups (see link above), or scheduling a certain time for the process to begin.
When you click Finish, the windows backup process begins according to your specifications.
When the process is complete, this window appears. You can see a detailed report by clicking on the Report button. Click Close when ready.
That’s it. You now have a secure copy of your personal data using the built-in Windows Backup Utility. Congratulations on backing up your computer data! You are far ahead of most people who do not take the time to do so. But before you get too proud of yourself, remember: Just because you now have a backup of your valuable computer data does not mean you can just forget about it from now on. Like anything else, your backup must be maintained. Let's say you do nothing as far as backups for the next two years. What about all the photos, music and documents that you have added to your computer over the last two years? None of it is backed up!! You need to get in the habit of regularly backing up your data. I would say, create a new backup at least once per month or whenever you add files to your computer that are important to you. Return to PC Security
|
