Windows Vista Backup

Although vista has been criticized a lot people are really starting to notice that Windows Vista has many great features that XP did not have with it. One such feature is the Windows Vista backup and restore center. With the backup center you can schedule an automatic backup to run whenever you want. It is recommend you use an external hard driver just in case your main one crashes.

Because most systems do not ship with a Windows Vista CD anymore it is also important that you create a full backup of your computer as well. By creating a full image backup you will not have to re-install any programs or re-do your system settings in case of a computer crash. This will save you many hours of frustration.

Now for the bad news! Only Windows Vista Business and Ultimate have the full image backup features. The rest do still have a backup but it will only take care of documents and not the programs or operating system. All is not lost however. Many companies such as HP have a one time image back that you can use. We will attempt to go over the different backup methods in the article and give you multiple options so you can choose what works best for you. Having a full image backup is a must! You will hate your self later on if you do not do this.

(HP only) To use the HP One time image backup simply click the Windows start button and browse to the “PC Help and Tools” folder. Then select “Recovery Disc”. This will create a full backup of your computer including programs. Keep the discs in a safe spot and read on for further info.

The Windows Vista Backup features for the Business and Ultimate addition are easy to use. Simply click the windows start button and in the search box type “backup” There you will see the backup and restore function. Simply open it and create a full system backup. This will be your recovery image. Do this at least every 6 months so you have a new fresh copy of your system.

For the rest of you use the above method but you will notice you can not create a full backup image. You should still create and schedule a backup of “My Documents” and any other files you have on your system. I would set the backup to run once a week.