How To Create and Use Backups Using the Backup and Restore Center [Windows]

Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions include Backup and Restore Center. You can use this nifty tool without investing into third-party tools to automate backups and to create a complete backup of a computer.

Windows 7 can automatically create both personal data backups and system image backups. Personal data backups includes your personal pictures, music, videos, e-mail, documents, and other types of important files. While system image backups the system drive, boot drive, and other drives required for Windows to run. Use the personal data backups to restore your data and use the system image backups to restore the computer incase it doesn’t work normally.

How to Configuring Automated Backups?

To configure automated backups, follow these steps:
1. Open Control Panel, under the System And Security heading, click on the Back Up Your Computer link.
Back Up Your Computer
2. If you haven’t previously configured automated backups, click Set Up Backup. Otherwise, click Change Settings.
Set Up Backup
3. On the Select Where You Want To Save Your Backup page, use the options provided to specify a backup location on a local disk, a CD/DVD drive, a USB flash drive, or the network, and then click Next. With CD/DVD drives, if the backup doesn’t fit on one disc, you need to be available to insert discs when prompted.
Select Where You Want To Save Your Backup
4. On the What Do You Want To Back Up page, select from one of the following and then click Next:
What Do You Want To Back Up

  • Select Let Windows Choose if you want to back up all personal data in user profile folders and libraries and also create a system image.
  • Select Let Me Choose if you want to select personal and system data to back up.

5. If you selected Let Me Choose, use the options provided to select personal data to back up. You can expand the Data Files and Computer drives to select specific folders and libraries. By default, the Include A System Image check box is selected to make sure that system image backups are created (which is what you’ll usually want to do).After making your selections and clearing unwanted options, click Next.
Let Me Choose
6. On the Review Your Backup Settings page, click Change Schedule. Use the options provided to set the backup schedule, and then click OK.
Change Schedule
The How Often list lets you choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly as the run schedule. If you choose a weekly or monthly run schedule, you need to set the day of the week or month to run by using the What Day list. Finally, the What Time list lets you set the time of day when automated backup should occur. Click OK.
Change Schedule
7. If you are creating the first backup and saving the backup schedule, click Save Settings And Run Backup to save your settings and then have Windows create the first backup. If you’ve already created the first backup for the computer, you’ll see the Save Settings And Exit option instead.
Save Settings And Run Backup

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