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VistaBackupFiles

How to Backup Important Files in Vista

This guide shows you how to protect your pictures, video, music, documents, and many other files from getting lost from an accidental deletion, virus, or crash by setting Windows Vista to back them up periodically using Vista’s Backup and Restore Center Back up Files feature available on most versions of Windows Vista. This method will not backup the complete operating system as this is another topic.

Backup Basics

• You can’t save a backup on the same drive being backed up. Example: If you backup your C: drive, the backup can’t be saved on the C: drive.
• A backup can be saved on a separate partition on the same hard drive as the drive being backed up. Example: If you have a C: and an E: drive, for example, which are both located on one physical hard drive, the backup of the C: drive can be saved on the E: drive.
• Backups can (and should) be backed up on a networked computer, USB/FireWire attached hard drive, NAS device, CD/DVD, or a tape drive.
• It is not recommended saving a backup on a separate partition on the same physical hard drive as the drive being backed up. If the hard drive crashes you’ll not only lose the files, but you’ll lose the backup also because it was on the same physical hard drive that crashed.
• Regularly check to make sure your backups are kosher and doing what they should as many people make the fatal mistake of automating backup and leaving it only to find when disaster strikes, for some reason, the backup has stopped working!

Backing up Files in Vista

The Backup Files feature of Windows Vista’s Backup and Restore Center is a great way to keep your important files backed up.

What Files Will Be Backed-up?

Pictures, Video, TV Shows, Music, Documents, Zipped files, E-mail, Contacts, and other various files.

What Back up Files Will Not Backup

EFS encrypted files, System files (Windows), Programs (Microsoft Word), files in the Recycle Bin, Temporary Files (temporary internet files), and User profile settings.

If you need these files backed up as well, you need to see about creating a Complete PC Backup (only available in Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise).

How Files Are Backed Up In Vista

Files are backed up incrementally (only files that have changed since the last backup are copied) on a schedule after the first full backup. Changed files are copied and not deleted from the backup. Up to 64 changed copies of a file will be kept. Once 64 versions of a file have been reached the oldest copies are deleted to make room for the new ones. When the backup has reached its maximum size limit, the oldest copies of the backup are deleted to make room.

Create Your First Backup

Before you can create your first backup, you must be logged in as a user that has administrative rights.

1. Open the Control Panel (Start, Control Panel).
2. Click 'Back up your computer under System Maintenance if you are in the Control Panel Home view or double-click Backup and Restore Center if you’re in the Classic view.
3. Click the Back up files button.
4. If you’re saving the backup on a local device like a hard drive, USB/FireWire hard drive, or CD/DVD, select it under On a hard disk, CD, or DVD. If your backup will be saved on a network location, check off On a network, and then browse to the location.
5. Check off all the types of files you want to backup and then click Next.
6. Setup how often, when, and at what time your computer will perform incremental backups from now on.
7. Click Save settings and start backup to start your first backup.
8. The backup will take place and it’ll let you know when it’s finished.

Conclusion

Vista has many variations of its product i.e. Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, Vista Ultimate. Backup is not included in Vista Home Basic and this article covers the Vista Home Premium Backup facility. The ideal backup system is to have a Full weekly backup, then incremental until the day before the next full backup which will be Differential. The difference is Incremental backs up any changed file since the last backup, Differential backs up any changed file since the last full backup and Full backs up everything. Doing it this way balances the ability to retrieve files quickly.

References

MAXIMUM PC Guides Retrieved on 25 May 2008

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
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