The Windows back up most often forgotten

Backing up your computer is important. Ideally, you'll back up important files to more than one place: perhaps a network server and a tape, CD or dvd. Today, choices like dvd-ram and Iomega REV drives are inexpensive and quite suitable for small data sets. A DVD-RAM disk can hold about 9 GB of compressed data, and capacities will be increasing soon. Iomega's rev drive is a little more expensive, but can store up to 90 GB.

Be careful buying DVD drives: modern versions can read and write cd's and dvd's, but you need to make sure you have not bought just a reader.

There is one Windows backup that is seldom done but can really help in the event of a disaster. You'll find it in Windows XP under Accessories->System Tools, and it's called the File and Settings Transfer Wizard.

Its ordinary purpose is the transfer to a new computer: you save data from your present computer using this tool, and restore it to your new system. It works very well, and of course is extremely convenient.

If you experience a disaster and lose your current computer, or it just dies in a puff of smoke, you'll be buying a new computer. If you have a File and Settings Transfer file stored on your network on on other media, you can be up and running again in minutes. This backup is the easiest and simplest way to recover from a complete computer loss. Don't neglect this one; do it today and remember to refresh it every now and then. It doesn't replace your normal backups, but it sure can give you a great head start in the event of total loss.

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Tue Dec 23 18:43:02 2008:   anonymous


After a crash and data loss, how does the process of recovery start?
Is it by installing first a fresh XP, and then starting the wizard? Or is there some sort of boot media, which you can start and thus avoid installing Windows all over again?



Tue Dec 23 18:44:57 2008:   TonyLawrence


Fresh install and run the wizard.

There are obviously better backup methods - this is just quick, free and simple.

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