How to use Vista's Complete PC Backup and Restore
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- How to backup your computer to a Complete PC Backup and Restore image
- How to restore your computer from a Complete PC Backup and Restore Image
- Conclusion
Introduction
Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise come with a more advanced backup
and restore utility called Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore. This program
allows you to create an entire backup of your computer that can be used to restore
your computer in the case of system-wide failure. Unlike the standard backup and
restore feature that comes with all the versions of Windows Vista, Windows Complete
PC Backup and Restore allows you to not only restore your data but also the complete
operating system and other critical system files.
This Vista disaster recovery option works by creating an image of the selected
hard drives and saving this image to either multiple DVDs or to another hard
drive. In the event that your computer is no longer able to boot into Windows
Vista, you can then restore these snapshots using the Windows Recovery Environment.
How to backup your computer to
Complete PC Backup and Restore image
To create a Complete PC Backup image for your computer you need to enter the Backup
and Restore Center. To begin please follow these instructions:
- Click on the Start button to open your Start Menu. The
Start button looks like this:
- Click on the All Programs menu option.
- Click on the Maintenance folder.
- Click on the Backup and Restore Center icon.
When you click on that icon, the Backup and Restore Center will open as shown
in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1. Vista Backup and Restore Center
From this screen, you would be able to see the last time you
performed a Complete PC Backup and where it was saved to under the Back
up files or your entire computer category. As this is the first time
you are making a Complete PC Backup, you will not see this information. To
start the Complete PC Backup utility you need to click on the Back up computer
button. When you press that button, if a User Account Control prompt may appear
you should click on the Continue button. A new screen will appear asking
where you would like to save the backup image.
Figure 2. Select the location to save the backup image
You have two options as to where you can save the backup image; a hard
drive formatted using NTFS or a writable DVD. I suggest when making
backups that you save the image to a DVD or to an external backup hard
drive. If you save the image on a system hard drive, and that drive
fails, then you no longer have access to the image to restore it. On
the other hand, if you save the image to a DVD or external hard drive,
then you can store it in a safe place and use it to restore the computer
when needed. For this example, I am selecting the On a hard disk
as I have an external drive plugged into the computer. If you had selected
the On one or more DVDs option you would be able to select the
drive letter for your DVD writer. When ready, click on the Next
button.
If the destination that you have chosen does not have enough free space
to store the image, or if it requires multiple DVDs, then the Windows
Complete PC Backup wizard will show you a screen where you can select
the drives that you would like to backup. An example of this type of
screen can be seen in Figure 3 below. Please note that the screenshot
below was taken from a different computer, so does not reflect the actual
back up we are doing. The screenshot is only shown so that you understand
what this window is when it is shown.
Figure 3. Select disks to backup
For each disk that you would like to backup, put a checkmark next to
it. Those disks that are considered system disks will automatically
be checked and cannot be unchecked. It is important to note that you
cannot backup a drive that is being used to save the image. When you
have selected all the disks you want to backup click on the Next
button. If your selected backup device has enough free space to store
the image, or after you press Next in the disk selection
screen, you will be presented with a summary screen for the backup you
are about to perform.
Figure 4. Confirm your backup settings
To start the backup you should now click on the Start Backup
button. When you press this button, Vista will start the backup and create an
image on the media or hard drive that you specified. The status of the backup
creation will be shown in a window similar to Figure 5 below.
Figure 5. Creating backup image
When the backup is finished being created you will see a message
stating so as shown in Figure 6 below.
Figure 6. Backup image successfully created
Your computer has now been successfully backed up and you should store the media
or external drive in a safe location in the event that you need it in the future.
In the future when you make further Complete PC Backups to the same drive, it
will only backup the differences between your last backup and the current state
of your computer allowing the backups to complete much quicker.
How to restore your computer from a Complete PC Backup and Restore Image
Once you have made a Complete PC Backup
you can restore that backup at any time. When restoring a Complete PC Backup
it is important to know that the restore process will erase all of hard disks
and all of the user data and programs will be erased and replaced with the data
and programs from the backup. If you understand this warning, and feel that
you need to restore a backup, then continue reading. If you have any doubts
at all about how this process works, please ask us in the Windows
Vista help forums. It is better to be safe than sorry when there is a chance
you may lose all of your data.
If you still want to perform the restore, then you need to start
the restore process from the System Recovery Options menu in the Windows Recovery
Environment. Instructions and information on how to access the Windows Recovery
Environment and the System Recovery Options menu can be found in the following
tutorial: Using
Windows Complete PC Restore to restore your computer.
Conclusion
Now that you understand how Complete PC Backup and Restore works, it is advised
that you create your first Complete PC Backup and store it somewhere safe. This
provides peace of mind because you know that if there is a problem in the future
you have a perfect installation that you can easily restore. As always, if you
need help with or want to talk about Complete PC Backup and Restore, then feel
free to ask us in our Windows
Vista Help Forums.
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