How in the Tech

Windows 7 provides a simple and effective Backup and Restore

By Adam Myers ⋅ February 26, 2010 ⋅ Tags: System Administration, Windows 7

We all know we should backup our system and files regularly in order to avoid any disastrous results yet a small minority of us actually do. The cliched saying that they are two types of computer users, those that backup and those that never lost anything is blunt and to the point – it’s only a matter of time before you transition from one class of users to another. The painful irony to it all is the built-in backup utilities in Windows were generally poor – were because in Windows 7, Microsoft has finally revamped the entire process.

The backup process is kick-started by searching for backup off the Windows 7 Start Menu Search and choosing Backup and Restore.

Select Set up backup.

The first real decision is selecting where you wish your backups to be saved; they can reside on a second hard drive, a removable device, or even on a network share.

Logically, we must now decide what files should be included in the backup set. I generally appreciate absolute control over processes so I would tend to select the files manually but Windows can choose logical folders itself.

Check any and all folders or files to be backed up.

Review your settings and selections – take note of the ability to automate the backup routine by defining a schedule for the task to follow. The usefulness of backups is greatly diminished if they are not current!

If you are happy with everything click Save settings and run backup.

While Microsoft’s built-in Backup and Restore feature isn’t the Rolls Royce of backup applications – I’d like to see the notion of incremental or differential based backups for example – it is more than enough, and most importantly, simple enough to convince users on the importance of backups.