Backing up your data and computer files
Very useful book: PC Upgrading and Troubleshooting Quick Steps by Kirk Steers.
Very useful magazine: Smart Computing
Once installed you should find Backup on Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup.
It is my understanding that in Widows 98 the back up utility does not install with the default installation. However you can add it later via Windows Setup in the Add/Remove Programs option of the Control Panel. In the Components window, double-click System Tools. Select the box next to Windows Backup, and click OK.
To install Microsoft Backup in WinMe, insert your installation CD into your optical drive, browse to the Add-ons/MSBackup folder on the CD-ROM, and then double-click the Msbexp.exe installation file.
In Windows XP home it has to be installed from your installation disc as described below. It comes pre-installed in Windows XP Professional and Media Center Edition. After it is installed you should find it you'll find it by clicking Start, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools.
Windows XP Home free backup software: Insert the Windows CD into the CD-ROM drive and click Perform Additional Tasks on the Welcome Screen. Then click Browse This CD, then double-click ValueAdd, Msft, Ntbackup, Ntbackup.msi.
Windows XP Backup Made Easy--Read this article from Microsoft for step-by-step instructions for using their Windows XP backup utility. Be aware that this article was written in 2003 and some of the links in it may not be useful now, but the info on backing up is good.
Another very good article on How to Backup Files & Folders using Windows XP Backup
Using Windows 98SE Backup Utility
Deciding what to backup
In WindowsXP you might choose C:\Documents And Settings\username (replace username with your user account name). This folder contains an enormous amount of data. It includes your desktop and Start menu settings, your My Documents folder, your Favorites, and other configuration settings. One backup plan is to restore your data files from here (if that's where they are) and restore your program files from their original CDs.
What to Back Up in Windows 98 according to an article on About.com:
Include List(For Windows 98): C:\My Documents C:\Windows\All Users C:\Windows\Application Data C:\Windows\Desktop C:\Windows\Favorites C:\Windows\Local Settings C:\Windows\Profiles (you only need this if more than one person uses the computer) C:\Windows\Sendto C:\Windows\Start Menu
How to back up and recover Outlook Express data--from Microsoft
How to manage .pst files in Outlook 2002 and in Outlook 2003--from Microsoft. Use this free tool from Microsoft to backup your Microsoft Outlook information.
Important Definitions (from Wikipedia):
Full backup--A backup of all (selected) files on the system. In contrast to a drive image, this does not included the file allocation tables, partition structure and boot sectors.
Incremental backup--A backup that only contains the files that have changed since the most recent backup (either full or incremental). The advantage of this is quicker backup times, as only changed files need to be saved. The disadvantage is longer recovery times, as the latest full backup, and all incremental backups up to the date of data loss need to be restored.
Differential backup--A cumulative backup of all changes made since the last full backup. The advantage to this is the quicker recovery time, requiring only a full backup and the latest differential backup to restore the system. The disadvantage is that for each day elapsed since the last full backup, more data needs to be backed up, especially if a majority of the data has been changed.
Disk image--A method of backing up a whole disk or file system in a single image. Since the underlying data structures are what is actually backed up, this method does not allow for file level control over what is selected for backup or restore.
Read an entire article on Backup from Wikepedia--the FREE encyclopedia
Acronis
Acronis True Image 10 Home run on can be run under the following Windows operating systems:
 | Windows Vista |
| Windows XP Professional x64 Edition |
| Windows XP SP 2 |
| Windows 2000 Professional SP 4 |
Acronis True Image 10 Home Key Features
Frequently asked questions about
Acronis True Image 10 Home
Backing Up With Windows Vista
Window's VISTA Image-based Backup Tool--If you choose Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise editions you will get the Complete PC Backup and Restore features that provide a comprehensive, image-based backup tool to help you out of a tight spot if you need to recover your entire system. This feature probably eliminates the need to buy third party backup software.
Basic File Backup and Restore--Vista Home Premium does not provide the image-based backup tool, but it does include the Basic File Backup and Restore tools that allow you to automate the entire backup process using a simple wizard.
Backup Software Reviews and Articles
Data Backup Software Review--From TopTenREVIEWS, Inc. From this page you will find reviews and comparisons of the leading backup software and some helpful articles too.
Backup Software Reviews--from Tech Support Alert
More articles on backing up--from GRSoftware (Italy)
External Hard Drives
External Hard Drives have become a very popular choice for backups. There are many on the market and many of them come with their own bundled backup software. Buy the biggest you can afford--at least two or three times larger capacity than the space you are planning on backing up. This way you will have room to keep more than one full back up, etc.
If it comes configured with FAT32 you may want to reformat it to NTFS. FAT16 and FAT32 file systems have a 4GB file size limit. A hard drives capacity (and probably even just your My Documents folder) can be much larger than 4GB. It only takes a few minutes to reformat (just make sure you pick the correct drive or you will wipe all your whole computer). Right click on the external hard drives volume letter in My Computer, choose Format, NTFS/Quick Format.
Some Online Backup Services
Mozy Online Backup--get 2 GB 100% free backup space
MediaMax--web site states you can have 25GB of FREE online storage space
Xdrive: Secure Online Storage--web site states you can have 5GB FREE space
SOS Online Backup--Provides continuous always-on data protection
IBackup--Online Backup, Online Storage and Data Sharing
Store It on the Web--PC World article from July 2006 reviews 17 free and low-cost services that allow you to back up and share your files online.
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