Backing Up Files and Data

Backing Up Files and Data

Backup And Restore saves your files as a secure, compressed archive called a Virtual Hard
Disk (VHD). Backup and Restore can be very useful if you don’t want other people looking
through the files you’ve backed up. However, if you will eventually want to access these files
on another computer—for example, if you want to save the backup to a network-attached
storage drive on a home or office network, or to an external USB hard disk for working in
different locations—you won’t be able to access them. If you want to save your backup to
an external hard disk, you should consider a third-party backup solution instead of Backup
And Restore, and I will cover some of these solutions later in this chapter.
Microsoft has renamed the Backup And Restore option that was offered in Windows 7 to
Windows 7 File Recovery. To access it, perform the following steps:

1. Open the Control Panel and click Windows 7 File Recovery.
2. In the Backup Or Restore Your Files window, click the Set Up Backup link.

The Set Up Backup dialog box appears with a list of locations on which you can store
your backup. This list includes any hard disks and partitions on your computer. You
can also choose to save your backup to a network by clicking Save On A Network.
3. Indicate a location for your backup and press Next.



4. Decide what you want to back up. If you want to assign that task to Windows, select
Let Windows Choose. If you want more control over what is backed
up, select Let Me Choose.
You should note that the default option will also create a full backup of your Windows
8 installation. If you have already done this separately, you should select Let
Me Choose.

 5. Choose what files and folders you want to back up. the item in bold (Mike Halsey’s Libraries) includes all of your standard
shell user folders for documents, music, photos and pictures, and videos. Select and
clear the check boxes as appropriate to indicate which items to back up. Also note
that you can choose whether Windows performs a system image backup of your
Windows 8 installation. When you have finished selecting the files you want to back
up, click Next.

A list appears of what you have chosen to back up and the schedule to which the
backup will be performed. You can change the schedule to suit your own needs and
preferences by clicking Change Schedule.
6. When you are ready to perform the first backup, click Save Settings And Run Backup.