"Backup Your Data on Windows XP"
By Ralph Moore (c)2004

If you have moved to the Windows XP operating system, but
have yet to take that important step of backing up your
data, here is a simple way to insure that your information
will be safe.

Windows XP Professional includes an excellent backup utility
that is installed by default.

(Here is yet another reason that I recommend to my all of my
customers that they always opt for the professional version
of any Microsoft operating system.)

For some reason, the folks at Redmond have decided that if
you're not running a business, then backing up your data
must not be all that important to you.

To install the included backup utility on the Windows XP
Home edition installation CD, navigate to the following
folders: "VALUEADD" / "MSFT" / "NTBACKUP". Then double
click "NTBACKUP.MSI" and follow the directions in the
wizard.

If you are still running Windows 98 (and many people are)
you can follow this procedure to install the MS backup
utility:

Click "Start" / "Settings" / "Control Panel". Double click
"Add / Remove Programs" and click "Windows Setup". Next,
click "System Tools" / "Details", then click "Backup"
and finally click "OK" twice.

Once you have installed the utility, it is a simple process
to begin backing up your data to a safe location.

To backup your files, go to "Start" / "(All) Programs" /
"Accessories" / "System Tools" / "Backup".

You can choose to backup everything or just select some
individual files. You can also set up a schedule to make
regular backups.

I recommend a combination of both. Set up a schedule to
make backups of important files on a regular basis, and
then backup your entire system from time to time.

If you happen to have a second hard drive on your computer,
then that is the first place that I recommend using for
your backups. Or if you have another machine on your home
or business network, that would be my second choice.

You can also elect to back up to CD, DVD, tape, ZIP or
even floppy drives if the size of the media will hold the
files to be backed up.

I do NOT recommend backing up to a separate directory on
the same hard drive where the source files are located.

Doing this will only assure that you will lose everything
whenever the hard drive decides to fail. And remember, it
WILL eventually fail.

Since large capacity hard drives are now available at such
low prices, many people are starting to use them instead of
tape drives for their primary backup media.

If you often need to move large amounts of data to a remote
location, you might want to consider an external hard drive.

Another option for backing up several computers is the use
of an external CD or DVD writer. Just remember that all of
the machines need to support the method of restoring your
files should the need arise.

In other words, if you backup one machine to DVD, you will
need to have a DVD reader installed on the other machine in
order to read the disks.

Whenever you are making backups, one thing to consider is
that sometimes a backup may contain corrupt files. In order
to insure that you always have access to your data, you
need to keep multiple backups and if possible keep at least
one copy of your data "off site" to prevent loss due to a
fire or other physical loss, such as water damage or theft.

The most important part of any backup system is that it is
easy enough to do that you will actually take time to make
the backup on a regular basis.

And the second most important part of the system is your
ability to restore the data when necessary. I highly
recommend testing your backup system from time to time,
by restoring a file from your backup and testing it to
see that the data can be read.

With Windows XP's backup utility and built-in scheduler,
there's really no excuse for not taking the time today
to protect your data.

Invest a few minutes today, to avoid spending thousands of
dollars tomorrow, recovering the critical information that
lies at the heart of your successful business.