Even less experienced users know that file backups are important in case of hard drive failure, but many people wonder exactly how to store important documents. How to protect your data from permanent loss? Just create regular backups. This article covers the Backup and Restore feature, which can help backup your personal files and save you trouble.
The easiest way to create a backup copy of important data or the Windows operating system is to use system tools to create and restore backups. Let's see how to do it.
Windows Backup and Restore
System tools for creating and restoring backups are ideal for novices who do not want to experiment with additional software. The whole process runs smoothly, reliably, and seamlessly.
1. In order to run a backup tool, click the Control Panel, and then open Backup and Restore Center.
2. When the Classic View opens, click on Configure the backup option. From this point, select where to store the backed up files. You can choose from local drives such as a second hard drive, a DVD, or a recovery partition on your current hard drive. It is recommended to create local backups on an external drive or another PC that will have no connection with the local drive, in case something bad happen. At worst, we can select a partition without an operating system. Backing up data on the system partition doesn’t really make sense.
3. Once you specified the destination disk, click on Next. In the new window you can select the components of backup copy. Choosing the automatic mode will create a copy of the entire system and of all files stored in libraries, on the desktop and the Windows default folders. If you want to manually select specific files and folders to backup, click on the second option - Let me choose.
4. In the next window you can select the files or folders that you want to backup. We also include an image of the system drive, which is necessary to run Windows after a crash. If you do not want to create a backup of the system, tick off this option and then click on Next.
5. Once you have chosen all the data that you want to save, click the Save Settings and run backups. After a while, the backup process starts. The length of the process depends on the number and weight of files and can take several minutes.
6. After you save the backup copy, it will appear at the pre-defined disk.
Restoring a backup copy in Windows
If your computer stops running completely, you can restore it using the entire computer backup. Restoring previously created backups is easy and intuitive. Simply open previously created backup by double-clicking the mouse.
1. When you open the backup file, a new window appears with three options. Choosing the first one, opens another window where you can select specific files you want to restore and destination folder.
2. The second option is responsible for restoring backups of all users of the computer, while the third one allows you to check how much disk space the created copy occupies.
Tips and advice
The primary principle of backing up your data is that we need to save a backup on an external hard drive, which at any moment can be unplugged from the computer and the saved copy can be restored on another device. Of course, we can save a copy on DVD, but you should be aware of a number of limitations and problems you can encounter. First of all, DVDs are unstable and can be easily damaged. Besides, backups usually take a lot of space, and even dual-layer discs cannot hold them. We can save a backup copy on the partition without an operating system as a last resort.
Creating multiple backups is a good policy. Having one backup is not enough and please remember that any important data should exist in two or more physical locations at once. Maintaining a cycle of two or three different backups is also a good idea. It is recommended to define how often you want to back up your files. If you are a casual user, a weekly backup may be sufficient.
