Computer Maintenance: Creating a Backup
Ok so we finally made it to life saver number 1. That’s right. If it came down to it and you lost all your data one way or another, it’s a backup file that is going to keep you sane. We are going to cover 2 types of backup here today. First I am going to tell you about creating a backup disk. This will be the case if you ever have to reload the OS on the current drive, or even a new drive. And secondly I will talk about creating a system backup for system restore. This is incase you do something to the computer after a backup is made, that doesn’t kill the PC, but has undesirable effects. If that is the case we just want the computer to return to its “previous” state.
(I am doing this section based on Windows XP. Other OS may differ slightly but the concept is the same)
Creating a backup disk!
This is the diehard worst of the worst. If you need your backup disk then something bad happened, and this disk is going to make it more bearable.
After doing some reading, Microsoft recommends you do something like this once a week, I don’t think it’s that necessary, but to each their own.
First drop a black CD or DVD into the tray of your CD/DVD burner and let it close. This will open an explorer window that will be empty. This is where you will then drag and drop all your personal files you have saved to the computer. Anything you do not have elsewhere or you want saved in case your hard drive decides it doesn’t want to work anymore.
This is just a backup of personal files. I recommend you do this at least 2 times a year, just because the system restore doesn’t save files such as these, it is more… system oriented.
You may need a few CDs or even a few DVDs. To help with space issues I recommend an external hard drive to hold things such as photos, or music, as they can take up a lot of space. Maybe burn all your photos to CDs and store them somewhere. All up to you. Just remember to do it at some point.
Doing a system restore backup!
Now this is a cool feature that XP has and I believe the new versions of Windows share as well. It’s called system restore.
To start we need to create a restore point. So make sure your computer is in the state you want it in if it were ever to be “reset” and let’s begin.
• First we need to open the system restore window. Here is the easiest path:
o Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
• This will open up the following menu.
• Click “Create Restore Point” and click Next
• Type in a name for the restore point click Finish
Now should you do something to your PC that causes undesirable effects you can chose the same path and click “Restore my computer to an earlier time” and pick the restore point you want to backup to and click Finish.
So now that you have your lifeline in hand, venture forth knowing you are protected. Ok that was dorky, but really there is nothing bad about having frequent backups. At least once a month would be recommended for systems restore purposes (it can be automated from “Scheduled Tasks” inside your Control Panel), maybe twice a year to create a backup disk. Just think how long you would want to be backtracking if you ever lost all your current data on the PC. That’s how often you need to do a backup.
Whew… that was a doozy. If you need some help on this, or have a question or comment for the site please feel free to contact me directly.
Until next time!
~Geoff
