- Vista / XP System Backup Question -

I hope I have posted this in the right section...here it goes.

Iâ€™ve been trying to figure this out all day but I still canâ€™t get how to do it so I thought Iâ€™d ask you guys.

What I want to do is the following:-

1. Install Vista and activate it on my spare computer,

2. And then I plan to make an image/backup of the system so that if the computer crashes (which it has a tendancy to do) my girlfriend can just put the DVD in the computer and restore the computer without having to do anything (i.e. ask for keys/details).

Iâ€™ve no idea how to do this so I was wondering if anyone could tell me how/if itâ€™s possible to do please?

Thanks
Lee

Well there is a secret official tool in Windows XP for backing up, and some third party tools. Installing Vista will just need an upgrade for you that you can cet from your local PC store or on the internet, just make sure its the right edition for you and you can choose at the vista official site.

You can make a disc image in Windows Backup, as there is a really good option to include all data on the computer, and create a recoevry CD or DVD Disc to restore windows and all of your files and settings, or you can just restore every user accounts documentsand settings.

Heres how to find the backup tool, and use it

Windows XP includes its own backup program, although you maneed to do some digging to find it. You can also take your pick of third-party programs (listed at the end of this column) that add bells and whistles you won't find in the basic Windows XP Backup utility.

If you use Windows XP Professional, the Windows Backup utility (Ntbackup.exe) should be ready for use. If you use Windows XP Home Edition, you'll need to follow these steps to install the utility:

1.  Insert your Windows XP CD into the drive and, if necessary, double-click the CD icon in My Computer.

2.  On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP screen, click Perform Additional Tasks.

3.  Click Browse this CD.

4.  In Windows Explorer, double-click the ValueAdd folder, then Msft, and then Ntbackup.

5.  Double-click Ntbackup.msi to install the Backup utility.

For more information, see How to Install Backup in Windows XP Home Edition.

With that chore out of the way, you're ready to begin backing up. By default, the Backup utility uses a wizard that makes the process straightforward. To start Backup:

1.  Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup to start the wizard.

2.  Click Next to skip past the opening page, choose Back up files and settings from the second page, and then click Next. You should see the page shown in Figure 1, which represents your first decision point.

Figure 1 Decide What to Back Up

You might be tempted to click All information on this computer so that you can back up every bit of data on your computer. Think twice before choosing this option, however. If you've installed a slew of software, your backup could add up to many gigabytes. For most people, the My documents and settings option is a better choice. This selection preserves your data files (including e-mail messages and address books) and the personal settings stored in the Windows Registry.

If several people use your computer—as might be the case on a shared family PC—select Everyone's documents and settings. This option backs up personal files and preferences for every user with an account on the computer.

If you know that you have data files stored outside your profile, click Let me choose what to back up. This option takes you to the Items to Back Up page shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Select the My Documents check box to back up all the files in your personal profile, and then browse the My Computer hierarchy to select the additional files you need to back up. If some of your files are on a shared network drive, open the My Network Places folder and select those folders.

This option also comes in handy if you have some files you now you don't want to back up. For instance, I have more than 20 GB of music files in the My Music folder. To keep my data file backup to a reasonable size, I click the check box next to the My Music folder. This clears the check box from all the files and subfolders in My Music.

Decide Where to Store Your Backup Files

On the Backup Type, Destination, and Name page, Windows asks you to specify a backup location. If you're one of those exceedingly rare individuals with access to a backup tape, the Backup utility gives you a choice of options in the Select a backup type box. No tape drive? No problem. Backup assumes you're going to save everything in a single file; you just have to choose a location for that file and give it a name.

By default, Backup proposes saving everything to your floppy drive (drive A). Although that might have made sense 10 years ago, it's hardly a rational choice today. You'd need dozens, perhaps hundreds of floppy disks to store even a modest collection of data files, especially if you collect digital music or photos.

Instead, your best bet is to click Browse and choose any of the following locations:

Your computer's hard disk. The ideal backup location is a separate partition from the one you're backing up. If your hard disk is partitioned into drive C and drive D and your data is on drive C, you can safely back up to drive D.

A Zip drive or other removable media. At 100-250MB per disk, this is an option if you don't have multiple gigabytes to back up. Unfortunately, the Windows Backup utility can't save files directly to a CD-RW drive.

A shared network drive. You're limited only by the amount of free space on the network share.

An external hard disk drive. USB and IEEE 1394 or FireWire drives have dropped in price lately. Consider getting a 40 GB or larger drive and dedicating it for use as a backup device.

After you've chosen a backup location, enter a descriptive name for the file, click Next to display the wizard's final page, as shown in Figure 3, and then click Finish to begin backing up immediately.

There are some third party tools, but you have to pay for those, and they are not official. Drive imaging tools like
R-Drive Image 2.0 can take a virtual snapshot of your disk, compress it to a single file, and save it for quick recovery later. R-Drive Image 2.0 looks really good, with a 15-day fully functional trial, so Id recommend that

http://www.drive-image.com/

I hope all that helps!

Thanks for the guide Sam I really appreciate it.

I tried your guide (using XP) and it worked but it used up to much space so I looked into the 3rd party drive imaging tools and I managed to get Acronis True Image.

With this I managed to install/activate Windows Vista Home Premium on her machine and make a 4gb backup of it...now she just needs to insert a backup disc when the computer needs reinstalled

Thanks again Sam