Some of this information may seem overly involved, however we thought all of it was necessary for the discussion.  Microsoft has a good article on backing up, click here

Backup your data - often! 

Before proceeding:

• GoBack, Windows ME and XP "System Restore" should not be relied upon for data backup!  With these, you cannot pick and choose what to backup/restore and they use the computer's drive as the destination! More later...
• When doing a backup, don't bother backing up applications or the operating system as most must be reinstalled and cannot be restored.  This is due to the fact that when originally installed, most applications add files to many different folders including the Windows and Windows\System folders, additionally there are registry entries that may be date sensitive.  Restoring files there could cause a general system failure. 
  • On the other hand, older DOS based applications can probably be backed up then restored.  More later...
• Applications such as accounting programs offer built-in backup capabilities.  This type of backup is generally designed to make a backup to floppy drives but may be able to utilize other devices.  Of course, this backs up only that specific application's data.

Some applications now have built-in, "automatic" backups.  When you open a document, the application creates a duplicate of that particular document before you begin working with it. 

• Microsoft Word for example (if the option is enabled) will make a duplicate file with a name like ~W1234 or ~$filename.  These are hidden files and (should be) automatically deleted when you successfully save and close.
• Quicken, CorelDraw and many other applications make a simpler backup of filename.BAK.  They do not hide these file nor do they automatically try to recover them but none the less, a backup is available.

You can also make your own backups before working with most any data file.  This is good idea if you are experimenting with data: 

• Using the Windows Explorer (My Computer), find the file of interest, right click, drag and drop to the same folder.  This creates a second file named "Copy of Filename."  
• Open the application, e.g, Word, then open a document but before you do any work, "Save As" and give the file a new name.  Doing so effectively closes the original file and allows you to edit this new, second document..

 But none of these are the type of backup we are addressing here.  We want you to backup to a different device, not the computer's hard drive!

The above mentioned backup processes use the computer's hard drive as the destination, but some day your computer's hard drive will fail, it's just a matter of time!  Because these backups are on the computer's drive, all of your data including these backup files will be lost.

Drive failure

This is the reason you need to backup your data.

Drive failure is not exclusive to PCs, specific computers, manufacturers or even certain uses of a computer. Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) are mechanical devices and like any mechanical device, they have a maximum life span. Western Digital for example, rates their drives for a life span of five years but offer a maximum extended warranty of only three years.  (That should tell you something.)

Over the previous decade of servicing computers it has been our experience that HDDs will fail within the first few months of owning a new computer or shortly after the fourth year (Laptops are more unpredictable.) So it has always been our recommendation to replace any "necessary" computer every four years. This is especially important for businesses!

Typically HDDs fail during the boot process and in many cases, without any prior notice**. It doesn't seem to matter if your computer is always on, or if you shut down each night. However, power surges and brownouts significantly lower the life span of computer components.  But enough said about that...

** If you ever get a boot message indicating a problem with the drive or see an "error reading or writing to drive C:", that is a warning that should not be ignored!!!

Because this is such a huge subject, we have broken it into multiple files:

• Before it is necessary to restore.
• Determine what/where your data is.
• Hardware required.
  • Floppy drive.
  • Tape backup.
  • CD Backup.
  • HDD backup.
  • Web based.
• Methods.
• The Process.
  • MSBackup.
  • Veritas and other third party software.
  • Burning CD's with Windows XP.
• Restoring.
  • Testing your backup.
  • Special information regarding databases and accounting data.
  • Disaster Recovery.

Before it becomes necessary to restore...

You can make backing up and restoring a whole lot easier if you can centralize your data files location.  Most data (should) reside in the My Documents folder (but a lot does not.)  

If you are setting up a new computer, it's the ideal time to make these changes.  Even if it's not new, you may want to do some housecleaning and rearranging.  Here a catch: Before you move any data, back it up! (Sorry.)

The My Documents folder

A central location for all data.

Not familiar with folders?  click here 

You will probably find some subfolders within the My Documents folder such as My Pictures, My Music, etc., but we suggest taking My Documents subfolders a lot further.  For example: 

• Under My Music you may want to add subfolders to group and store music by decade, by type, by artist, etc.
• Under My Pictures subfolders for Scanned Images, Photos, Family, Business, Clipart, etc.

Other suggested My Document subfolders:

• Accounting folder(s).  
• Application specific folders
  Such as Word processing, Spreadsheets, Databases, etc.
• Downloaded files and perhaps deeper folders yet:
  • Updates
  • On-line Software purchases
  • E-mail attachments, etc. 
  • Knowledgebase and troubleshooting articles.
  • Manuals.
• Organizations or other volunteer work. 
• Saved newsletters or other similar information .
• Taxes (add deeper subfolders for each year?)  
  
  Special note to TurboTax users: for whatever stupid reason the manufacturer decided to save the data files directly to the root, e.g., c:\Tax98, c:\Tax99, etc., then in later versions, somewhere under the Programs Files folder.
  When backing up, don't forget to look there!

The introduction on multiple users on one computer further confused backing up and restoring because there are now multiple My Document folders.  Additionally depending on user rights, some My Document folders may not be accessible to other users but more on that later. 

Centralizing your data (single computer)

If you are starting out with a new computer this process should be very easy.  As you setup each application, make sure you assign the My Documents as the default data location.   Some Microsoft applications allow you to set the location for your data files.   Word; look in Tools > Options > File Locations (TAB).  If it is not set to My Documents, click the Modify button then select the My Documents folder. Excel; Tools > Options > General (TAB) but unlike Word where you can browse for and select the folder, you'll have to manually type in the folder name.   PowerPoint; Tools > Options > Save (TAB) again you must manually type in the folder name.  See our hint->  Non-Microsoft applications, look for an Options or a Preferences menu.

Hint:  The Windows Explorer allows you to see and copy the full address which could then be pasted as needed. Can't see the address? Click here for that setting.

The My Documents concept is great but even Microsoft doesn't use the concept to it's full advantage.  

Applications such as Outlook, Outlook Express and others (almost) hide the data from you in a deep folder somewhere on the drive:  

Outlook's PST data file

Depending on the version, how it was setup and the (options selected), Microsoft Outlook will store all data in one "PST" file.  This typically resides under your personal folders, e.g., C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook...  

The easiest way to move the Outlook data is to search the computer for "*.PST" and when found, right click and "cut" the file.  Open the My Documents folder then right click a blank area then "paste." 

Warning: "Cutting a file" can have disastrous results if you intended to, but fail to "paste" it someplace or the computer shuts down before you paste the file.  It is safer to copy the file then go back and delete the original file.

The next time you open Outlook you will receive a message that the PST file is missing.   You are then prompted to Create a new PST or locate and Open the file.  Click on the look-in field and from the list, select the My Documents folder. There you should see the PST file.  Double click to finish the process.

Outlook Express

You are pretty much stuck with the "identities" folder stuck way down in ...\Documents and Settings\username\Identities...  

Simple Microsoft Access databases 

Can be moved nearly anywhere you want assuming: they are standalone databases, they do not rely on attached tables and/or they will allow you to "locate" the attached tables file.  Check with the manufacturer of the front-end software before trying to move Access data files.

Non-Microsoft applications

QuickBooks and Quicken will use their own folder such as C:\Program Files\Intuit\QuickBooks Pro\.  In this case you can move the data file(s) from their original location to the My Documents folder and when you use the application you will need to "open a company."  When prompted, browse to the My Documents folder using the Look-in field previously mentioned.  Be careful to move only the QB data file(s)!

Specialty and proprietary software will likely require a phone call to support. 

Although very esoteric; ArcMap, CAD and other applications may store data in their own folder under Program Files and/or just off the root (C:\) which may not be movable.

Accounting applications and databases may have hard-written the data location during the initial setup process and changing that location may be difficult if not impossible.  In some cases, having the data in a non-standard folder such as My Documents may even require you to purchase a multi-user license and/or a network version (even if you want the data on the same computer.)

Skip to data Locations if you do not have a server.  Although small businesses should read this...

Centralizing your data on a Server

Related information: Doing your own networking?  Click here.

Running a network with more than just a couple computers?  You should really consider setting up a server!  Contrary to what you may think, (small business) server hardware is inexpensive but when researching a server, be aware the price shown will be without the operating system.  A little information on servers:

Concurrent Server

Many small businesses run a peer-to-peer (P2P) network which shares files and printers between all individual computers.  Whereas "computer A" can access and change files on "computer B" (and visa versa.)  In this situation, if computer "B" is used to store data and is used by someone to run applications, it is considered a concurrent server.

The problem with a concurrent server is they can be slow!  Not only to the person using it but also to the rest of the network.  This is especially true when the concurrent server is running data intensive data queries, printing, accessing the floppy drive, burning a CD, etc.  

Another potentially destructive aspect of a concurrent server is; if the user of the concurrent server reboots while someone elsewhere on the network has file(s) open, those file(s) could become corrupt!  An especially bad situation with accounting packages and databases.  Although this issue can occur if a dedicated server is rebooted, the need to reboot a dedicated server is far less frequent.

Dedicated Server

To avoid network slowdowns and corrupt files, install a separate PC on the network.  Move all data files to that computer and do not use it as a workstation.  Notice we said install a "PC"; a plain, no frills computer will work fine as a server for a small network of a few machines.  

For a network with less than 10 computers; the ideal machine is a server product from Dell or Gateway running Windows 2000 Professional.  Ideally the server will have a separate physical drive for the data.  You can if you want, take a server to a higher level of protection by having three drives: One for the operating system and the other two as RAID data drives.  Want the technical information on RAID? Click here.

If however you have a network with more than about 10 computers you almost have to consider a dedicated server true server software.  But be aware: Server software is expensive and is sold by (and limited to) a specific number of users that will connect.  Windows Small Business Server 2000, 5 user for example is slightly over $1,200 and that's just the software!

In either case, concurrent or dedicated

The server should have a separate physical drive for the data and on that drive you will create folders.  There should be at least one common folder for shared files of which all users are allowed to access.  

Far too involved to discuss here but you may also consider setting up private folders for each user.  Making these folders available to only the Administrator, Backup Administrator and the specific user.  

You should reassign each computer's My Documents folder to be on the server.   This is easily done by right clicking the My Documents icon, selecting Properties then click the Move button.   After clicking the Move button, click the plus sign next to Network Neighborhood (or Places) > the server > the server's data drive and finally the folder in which you want to store that users My Documents folder. Note: We suggest making folders on the server ahead of time.   Examples: As viewed across the network: \\server\mydocs\steve, \\server\mydocs\kelly, etc. Viewing these directly from the server would appear like d:\mydocs\steve and d:\mydocs\kelly.  Click here for more on server addresses.

Continue to: Data Locations

Data Locations

First a word on files and extensions...

Applications like word processors, spreadsheets and others allow you to create data files. Each application uses a specific three-character file extension to help identify the file. Windows uses this extension to associate certain files with a certain application; e.g. the DOC extension tells Windows a file with that extension is a Word document. Since Windows knows this association, double clicking a DOC file will launch Word and then that file.

Pick and choose what to back up

What you need to backup are your data files, i.e., the files that contain information you change.  The operating system and applications themselves can (and should be) reinstalled from their original source if necessary, i.e., (with few exceptions) never try to restore the OS or an application!  

When viewed from the Windows Explorer (My Computer) application files are files with the extension of EXE, COM, BAT, DLL and PIF but this list can be greatly expanded by Microsoft's "Level 1 Unsafe Extensions" article. 

In addition to these "application" files there are dozens if not hundreds of application support files.  To illustrate this a little further; Microsoft Word's application files reside under the C:\program files\Microsoft Office\Office... folder in which you will find many subfolders and hundreds of files, but since none of these are changed directly by you, they do not need to be backed up.  The only Word files you are concerned with are those found (ideally) in the My Documents folder and have a DO? (DOC, DOT, etc) extension.  These are your data files.

Not familiar with folders?  click here

Note: If you cannot see file extensions when Exploring your computer: Open the Explorer (or My Computer) and from the Tools menu, select Folder Options.  Click to the View (TAB) and modify the settings shown here: Note: Depending on your Windows version, Folder Options my be under the Folder menu and the options shown here are worded slightly differently.

So, with all that out of the way

A few examples of data files to backup (and a few of the popular file extensions): 

• CAD 
  (DWG, DFX, DGN, CAD, ADI, ASV)
• word processing 
  (DOC, DOT, WPS, RTF, WKB, WPA, WPD, WS#)
• spreadsheets 
  (XLS, WB#, WK#, WKQ, WKS, WQ#, WRK)
• databases 
  (MDB, MDW, WKD, MB, MPD, DB)
• music/pictures/graphics 
  (WAV, MP3, WMA, AMF, CAP, MID, TIF, JPG, BMP, WMF, CRD, PPS)
• accounting files
  Note: Even though you may be able to identify one or more individual files, many accounting applications require the backup and restoration of all files. 
• address books and messages (see transferring email...)

Here are two resources for the identification of (almost all) file extensions:  Whatis and Filext.

But where is that elusive data?

Note: If you have a computer with multiple users such as Windows XP, see the bottom of this page for potential problems. 

The following is a partial list of likely places your data will be found.  Individual applications may store data under the application’s folder, e.g., QuickBooks Pro defaults to: C:\Program Files\Intuit\QuickBooks Pro\  

Check sheet for common data file locations:

o                 C:\specific application folder

o                 C:\Quicken or C:\Quickenw

o                C:\My Documents (and all subfolders within)

o                 C:\Documents and Settings\________________________

o                 C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator

o                 C:\Documents and Settings\Default User

o                 C:\Documents and Settings\All Users

o                 C:\Documents and Settings\specific user's folders

o                 C:\Documents and Settings\specific user's folders\Favorites

o                 C:\Program Files\specific application folder

o                 C:\Program Files\Common Data\___________________

o                 C:\Program Files\Works\ or MSWorks

o                 C:\Windows\All Users

o                 C:\Windows\Application Data\_____________________

o                 C:\Windows\Application Data\Identities

o                 C:\Windows\Favorites

o                 C:\Windows\Local Settings\_______________________

o                 C:\Windows\Profiles\specific user's folders

o                 Log files? C:\__________________________________

Notes: 

• Over the years we have found many computers on which data has been accidentally saved to the root so make sure you use the Windows Explorer and look there as well.

• TurboTax users: for whatever stupid reason the manufacturer decided to save all of the data files just off the root, e.g., c:\Tax01, c:\Tax02, etc.

What about your data?

One way to find out where your data resides is to open each application you use, open one of your data files then go to the File menu and select Save As.  

There you should be able to see the default Save In folder location. Open the Save-in pulldown as shown here and record the folder name/location.

Another way to find out where your data files are: 
Start > Find (or search for) Files > Date (tab) “All files modified in the last xx days”.  Be forewarned, this method will also result in many files you do not need to backup/restore.

Again, never attempt to move/copy/backup/restore any boot files, Windows files, Windows System files or application files.  Always reinstall applications!

The twist with multi-user computers

While the concept of multiple users is great, the logistics of backing up and file access is poor at best.   This is especially true if users have passworded and "protected" their files.  In this event, if one user attempts to open another user's folders, even for the purpose of backing up, they may be denied access.  This means each user is responsible for their own backups.   Note: MSBackup apparently will backup all information but we have not tested this possibility.  See The Process/XP later in the series Even if the other user's folders are not protected, simply finding the data can be a nightmare!  Just look at our example to the right.   Unless you specifically setup the computer up differently, each user has their own individual My Documents folder. Expanded and shown here are the two data locations for the "Administrator" and "Default Users".   Do you logon as either one of those names?  Probably not so that means your folders and other users have their own private folders elsewhere in the tree. One way to resolve this problem may be to create a MyDocs folder on the root (C:\Mydocs) and under it, create deeper subfolders for each user, e.g., c:\Mydocs\steve, c:\Mydocs\kelly, etc.  but while locating the files and backing them up is easy with this configuration there would be no individual user security.

Continue to Hardware required

Hardware

There are many backup devices available.  Currently the best choices are in bold:

• Floppy  This if fine for individual who need to backup their checkbook but it is typically impractical.  Even a checking account application backup may require many disks.  Floppies are unpredictable so you may find out (the hard way) that you backed-up to a bad disk, making restoration impossible.
• Tape drive
• CD drive
• HDD
• Web based but this is so impractical for even high speed user's, we're not going to address it.

Tape Drives

A tape unit is by-far the best choice for speed, reliability and storage capacity but they can be very expensive.  There are many tape formats but the two common ones are: 4mm/DDS and Travan/QIC, which are capable of storing 2 to 40 gigabytes (some store even more.)  

Travan/QIC

These are typically the lower end tape drives that can be installed in most computers.  They share the IDE or SCSI connections with your hard and CD drives.  (Current) pricing for the average drive is around $350 and tapes around $30.  Their transfer speed is typically 1-3 megabytes per second.  

Unlike DDS tapes, it has been our experience that the Travan tapes fail prematurely. 

4MM/DDS

A much better choice but also more expensive.  These generally require a special SCSI card and cable.  (Current) pricing for a good drive is about $1,600 (with the SCSI card and cable.)  Tape pricing is about the same as the Travans.  Transfer speed is typically 3-6 Mbps.  

CD Backup

CD-RW devices will run you around the $100+ range and are capable of writing around 7 megabytes per second.
For more information on CD speeds, see 11-03. 

Small business and home users (using Windows XP) can can manually drag and drop data to a CD, which is an easy, reliable and inexpensive way to go, however...  

While dragging and dropping to a CD is quick and easy, it is a manual task.  We have found scheduling an overnight backup to a CD is at best, an unpredictable operation.  We have tried many different software packages in efforts of backing up to CD but as of yet, we have not found any package that reliably backs-up each night (scheduled backups.)  Inevitably they error out unable to write to the CD, they simply do not start the process or you have a message in the morning prompting you to over-write the current media. 

CD-R and CD-RW

CDs are limited to about 650 megabytes of information which may be enough for the average home user but it is far too little for businesses.  If you have more than about 650Mb of data the backup process will span multiple CDs and this is simply too time consuming.

DVD

Can hold about 4.6 gigabytes which is sufficient for most small business (or home users with teenagers).  Better DVD devices will run you around the $280 range and are capable of writing at about 5.4  megabytes per second. 

HDD

Hard Disk Drive and for the purpose of this information, a removable drive.  The huge drawback is there is only one backup media.  So if you happen to drop and damage the removable disk and have your computer's drive failed, you have nothing!  

Continue to Methods

Notes: 

• Methods discussed here refers mainly to tapes but may apply to CD-RW and other media.  
• This discussion is closely tied to The Process (which follows this page.)

Backup Methods

Depending on the backup device, you may be able to "copy" files from the computer to the device or, you may make a "backup": 

Backing-up is different than copying.  When you do a "backup", the software creates one large, compressed file (containing all backed-up files).  If you were to view the backup device's contents you would likely see only one or two individual files and certainly nothing you would recognize.  You cannot directly view or open any individual file that was backed-up.

While backing-up makes viewing the backed-up files difficult, it can save a great deal of time and storage space.  Additionally, restoring is very simple as long as your restore options are set correctly.  Because the backup software kept track of what was backed-up and from where, it knows where those files need to be restored to, i.e., you do not need to be familiar with the computer's disk structure and folders.

Copying is just as it sounds, you have a like-for-like copy on the computer and backup device.  This method is more applicable to "dragging and dropping" to CDs and removable drives, i.e.  If you were to view the backup device's contents, you would see an exact duplicate of your hard drive (or at least those files you selected to backup).  You may even be able to open a backed-up file directly from the backup device.

While copying makes backing up and viewing the backup device's contents easy, restoring is a more of a challenge.  To restore you must know exactly where the files need to be restored from and more importantly, where they need to be restored to, i.e. you must be familiar with the computer's disk structure and folders.

There are two important terms used during the backup and restore operations, they are "Source" and "Target" (sometimes referred to as the "Destination".)  These refer to your hard drive and backup device.  When backing up, the source is the computer's hard drive and the target is the backup device (CD, tape drive or whatever.)  When restoring these two terms are inverted so the backup device is now the source!

Backup Options

Under a true backup system such as a tape unit, there are different options but first a little needed information...  

Every file has certain properties such as a date created, date modified, size and so on but of relevance here, all files have an archive-bit property.  The archive-bit is a true/false setting of the file.  When this setting is true, it means the files needs to be backed-up, i.e., the file has changed since the last backup.

This archive-bit allows backup applications to skip files that have not changed but there's a potential problem relying on the archive-bit.  More on that problem shortly but first; here are the different backup options available with tape or similar devices and how the archive-bit plays a role:

• Copy: backs-up all selected files (regardless of the current bit setting) but does not clear the archive-bit.  
  Even after a backup, the file will appear (to the backup software) as if it was not backed-up.
  .
• Normal (or Full): backs-up all selected files (regardless of the current bit setting) and clears the archive-bit.
  The file will appear to the software as being recently backed-up.
  .
• Differential: backs-up all files that have their archive-bit set but does not clear the archive-bit.
  The file will appear to the software as if it was not backed-up.
  .
• Incremental which backs-up all files that do not have their archive-bit set, then clears the archive-bit.
  The file will appear to the software as being recently backed-up.
  .
• Daily which backs-up only files that change that day then then clears the archive-bit.  
  The file will appear to the software as being recently backed-up.
  Warning: This option may skip files during the backup process if you skip a day in the tape rotation. 

The above options are all based on a beginning normal backup.  

Media rotation

It's very important to get some sort of media rotation going to include an off-site copy.  

One method is to do a Normal/Full backup on Monday then on that same media, do a differential/incremental backup-up the rest of the week.  The media should then have five individual backup sets.  The problem with this method is; if the building burns down on Thursday, your most recent available backup is the prior week-ending.  

Another method similar to above:  Change medias and do a normal/full backup on Monday and Wednesday and differential/incremental backups the other days.  Some schemes even say to change medias Monthly (but that's way too long for our comfort).  

Whenever the media is switched; take the recently recorded media off premises.

Notes for above methods (dependant on the software and options): 

• Some schemes recommend labeling the media as the date the media was initially put in service, other recommend Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.  
  
  By "labeling", we are not referring to the hand written label but rather the name of the media as imprinted on the media during the initiation/format.  Discussed more under the Process. 
  .
• Differential and Incremental backups may rely heavily on this media label!  So if you initially prepare a media labeling it "Monday" and use it for a normal/full backup.  The Differential/ Incremental backup done the rest of the week may fail if the "Monday" media is not in the device.
  
  Keep your rotations in order and externally labeled exactly the same as the imprinted label.  
  .
  Note: If you loose track of which is which, most backup software offers a "media view" option that will show you the label and other information. 

The best method in our opinion:  

Get a backup device with plenty of capacity and do a normal/full backup each and every day whereas you have at least six medias available.  To start the rotation create a pile of  medias with the plan of the oldest backup on the top of the pile.  

The first night a full backup will be done.  Then the following morning take the media out of the device and immediately put it in your car, (replacing it with the media on top of the pile.)

The third morning (and then on) bring the media in from you car, place it at the bottom of the pile, put the media at the top of the pile in the device and again, the one that came out... to your car.

This is simple, straight-forward and there is no need to label anything (as long as the pile stays straight.)  

Continue to The Process

The Process

Burning CDs? Click here

Backup Software

There are many software packages available.  The three popular ones are Veritas (Backup Exec), HP and NTBackup a.k.a., MSBackup.  These packages are generally used for large sessions and network servers but some can be used on smaller systems.  These are designed almost exclusively for tape backup systems and will not backup to a CD-R.  They may (or may not) be able to use  CD-RW or removable drive devices.   

These are all very good packages but each have their own little drawbacks/glitches.   

• The is the best option for individual users and small businesses is NTBackup.  It is free with the operating system is reasonably easy to use but is very limited when it comes to it's options.  
  .
  Note: Under Windows 2000, NTBackup has major problems with scheduled backups.  There are many articles at the Microsoft Knowledgebase regarding problems with scheduled backups.
  .
• HP Disaster Recovery is a very good application for servers but cannot span the network to backup data on other computers.
  .
• Veritas is a very good package but is like HP's software, is expensive!  This software requires true server software and will not even load on Windows XP Pro, Home, 2000 Pro or earlier versions.  But scheduling, options, reports and error handling is extremely good.

Since all of these packages operate about the same way, we will use NTBackup for or discussion and examples.  

Note: If NTBackup is not available from the Accessories > System Tools menu it will have to be installed from the original Windows CD.  See the appropriate article for installing it:  Windows 95 and 98, Windows ME, XP Home.

NTBackup other than Windows XP

This is the intro screen to NT back (although we believe the ASR option at the bottom is new under XP).

To initiate a backup without using a Wizards, click to the Backup tab (top) and you will get this screen:

In the left pane place a check mark in those folders you want to backup.   This is the source.

Bottom left will default to the tape drive if present or A:\Backup.  Since you probably do not want to backup to the A: drive, click browse and select the destination whatever that may be; the tape unit, a removable hard drive, a folder somewhere on the network, etc. 

Note: NTBackup does not recognize and will not list CD burner as a destination.

After you have select all the folders and select the destination, click the Start Backup button.  You will then see this dialog box:

Notice you different options: Append (add this backup to existing backups on the same media) or Replace the data on the current media.  You can also schedule the backup for whatever days, times and intervals desired.

Here is where that label we talked about is set.   Remember how important that label may be when it comes to Differential/Incremental (click here if you missed it.)  Rather than the default, keep it simple like Mon, Tue, Wed, etc and label the outside the tape identically.  If you will be doing normal/full backups all the time, consider labeling all of tapes the same, e.g., NewTape.

NTBackup with Windows XP

The Windows XP backup wizard appears to allow backing up of "all users" documents but we have not tested to see if this works when users have "protected" their files. It also appears to offer a disaster recovery backup of-sorts but again, is untested by us.   If you select the "Let me choose..." option or cancel the Wizard, the process will be identical to the processes discussed above

Continue to Backup- Restoring

Burning CDs

Having problems burning?  See this article.

Third-party software

Most third part CD burning software operates the same as software discussed in the process whereas you are presented with an explorer looking screen.  The top is your computer, the bottom is the proposed CD.  Simply drag the files and folders from the top section and drop to the CD root (typically a "label" such as a serial number).  Repeat this drag and drop for all folders then click the burn button.

Windows XP

First thing we would like to mention is if you are using Windows XP, you really don't need a third-party software especially if you are simply making data CDs such as backups, pictures, etc.  In-fact, the XP Wizard has a few interesting features you should check in to but having said that, burning music CDs under XP is almost difficult and using RW CDs is not even possible. 

If a CD is going to be your primary backup device, we recommend Roxio version 5 or better.

CD-R

CD-R disks are dirt cheap but they can be used only one time.  If an error occurs during the burn process you must throw that CD away and try another one.  One more issue; no application will recognize a CD-R (even a blank one) as "valid media".  If you have ever tried to save a file or backup an application directly to a CD-R you will get an "unrecognizable (or similar) error message.  

Windows XP makes burning CDs real easy!  Place a new CD-R disk in the drive but do not close the drive door yet (our suggestion). Right click the file(s) you want on the CD and select "send to." .
Once those are ready a little balloon will pop-up telling you there are files waiting.  Click on that balloon message. Or open the CD drive from My Computer. .	.
Don't close the CD drive door yet... Click the "Write these files to CD" link. and then...	.
when you see this message, close the drive door and the process will begin automatically. We suggest this method of not closing the drive door until this point because, on occasion we have seen where the door reopens before the burn process gets started.

CD-RW

If you want to use RW discs, which can be reused you will first need to format the new disk.  Windows XP will not format a CD so you must have a third party software.  We suggest Roxio.

Using Roxio's "Project Selector" select Data Project then Format CD (top of the Roxio screen.)  If your CD did not come with Roxio, we suggest checking with Roxio to see if it will support your specific drive and if so, purchase Roxio.   

Otherwise you probably have INCD or some other freeware that came with the drive.  Check the software's user's manual on formatting RW disks.

Once the CD-RW is formatted, using it is the same as using a CD-R (Windows XP above), the only difference is you will have one more option available.  If the CD-RW already contains data an "erase this CD" option will appear.  

The big advantage to a formatted CD-RW is; most applications will allow you to save to, or backup directly to the CD.

Continue to Backup- Restoring

There are two important terms used during the backup and restore operations, they are "Source" and "Target" (sometimes referred to as the "Destination".)  These refer to your hard drive and backup device.  When backing up, the source is you computer's hard drive and the target is the backup device (CD, tape drive or whatever.)  When restoring these two terms are inverted so the backup device is now the source!

Testing your backup 

The only way to really know if your backup is operating correctly is to restore from the backup but do this test before it becomes necessary!  Yes a somewhat time consuming process but it's the only way to know for sure.

Restoring

First, never, ever blindly trust your backup media (tape or disk.)  Always backup to multiple medias and occasionally, do a test restore.

Restoring is basically the reverse of backing up.  Instead of saving to backup, the computer will copy files and folders from backup and replace the files and folders.

Check the options before restoring:  There are generally a few settings: 

• Prompt
• Replace older files
• Replace all files.  

If you must restore files, the replace all is the option you will want.  Prompt is as useless option in our opinion since you will first pick and choose the desired folder/files before restoring.  

When you do restore you may consider restoring to an alternate location such as a temporary folder:

• Copy the target folder to another location on the hard drive (just in case something goes wrong during the restore.)
• Restore to a temporary location then review those restored files. 
• If they are what you really wanted, copy them to the target folder replacing all files.

This method gives you a second copy of the current data and the chance to undo the restoration in the event something goes wrong.

Disaster Recovery

Throughout we have mentioned that backing-up/restoring applications and the operating system is not practical but we have to clarify a little.  There are devices and software that can restore everything including all applications and even the operating system.

Applications like HP Disaster Recovery and Norton's Ghost can create an exact "image" copy of a computers drive.  This makes it possible to restore the entire drive's contents.