This post as you might tell from the title deals with making a backup of  your data on a Windows XP machine.

There is a Backup utility that comes on the Windows XP installation CD. However you need to explicitly install it as its not installed by default. To check if you have the utility installed press the start button in the bottom left hand corner of your windows screen, then click run. In the field provided type ntbackup.exe then hit enter. If its installed it will start, other wise you will need to install this utility from your installation Windows XP CD.

Once you have got the utility started click the advanced mode option. Its possible the backup wizard may start in which case follow the onscreen dialogues. Other wise continue with this guide.

Click the backup tab. Then on the JOB menu click NEW.

You can now either select individual files and folders or an entire drive to backup by selecting the check box next to the item. You can increase and decrease the folder and files with the plus sign next to them.

Select the System State check box that is located under My Computer in the navigation pane.

Note If you want to back up system settings and data files, back up all the data on your computer and the System State data. The System State data includes the registry, the COM+ class registration database, files that are under Windows File Protection, boot files, and other system files.

The most common data files for a user, are in the Documents and Settings folder. Remember your email backup at this point. You may have to search or use google to locate the exact place you need to backup so you don’t lose any data.

If the Backup destination list is available, click the backup destination that you want to use.

Note If you selected File in this step, type the full path and file name for which you want to back up data in the Backup media or file name box.

You can specify a network share as a destination for the backup file. Typically, backup files have the .bkf file name extension. However, you can use any file name extension that you want i.e. Backup_<date>.bkf

Click Start Backup to open the Backup Job Information dialog box.

Under If the media already contains backups, do either of the following:

• If you want to append this backup file to previous backup files, click Append this backup to the media. This option adds the new backup to the existing backup file so that you can maintain all previous backups in one file. This option is useful if you ever want to restore a backup from a specific day. Be aware that the size of the backup file will grow with each new backup. You might want to monitor the file size to make sure that it does not fill up your hard disk over time. If the file becomes too large, you might consider saving the file to an external hard disk. Or, if you are concerned about the file using too much hard disk space, select Replace the data on the media with this backup instead.
• If you want to overwrite previous backup files with this backup file, click Replace the data on the media with this backup. This option is useful if you only want to maintain the current backup and do not care about keeping the previous backups. Or, use this option if you are concerned about the file using too much hard disk space on your computer.

Click Advanced.

Select the Verify data after backup check box.

In the Backup Type box, click the kind of backup that you want to create. For a description of each backup type, click the backup type and the description appears under “Description.” You can select any of the following backup types:

Normal

Copy

Incremental

Differential

Daily

Click OK, and then click Start Backup. A Backup Progress dialog box is displayed, and the backup starts.

When the backup is complete, click Close.

On the Job menu, click Exit.

This is all that required for a basic backup. It sounds a lot to do and a bit complicated. However I can assure you once you have done it once its very easy to do.

I would suggest a regular backup at least once every two months for a normal family computer. On a business system a more regular backup such as a weekly or bi-weekly would be fine.

To restore a backup its very easy. I will detail this process in a future posting. An important step is to regularly test a backup process  to confirm a backup has been created successfully.

S.M.A.R.T.  is a tiny utility that reports in real-time the health of your hard drive using the built-in features of your hard drive. The idea being that having a real-time  monitor running in the background of your computer. You will get alerted to any issues which might effect your data such as a build-up of bad sectors due to a mechanical failure or the spindle overheating due to excessive use.

A free utility such as this can save you not only money on future data recovery charges but also on the headache and frustration of the idea you could of lost your valuable data.

There are many S.M.A.R.T. tools available and a simple google search result displays many. In my personal opinion there is no significant value is purchasing a util of this type when the free open source tools are fine for the task.

The S.M.A.R.T. utility I use on my own machines, both personally and for my work is available for download here. Its full of information about temperatures and error tries etc… But rest assured if there is an issue raised you will know about it. Don’t get put off by the layout of the information. After all this util runs in the background quietly.

DOWNLOAD LINK : http://www.gelkin.net/downloads/utility.smart.2.21.eng.zip

The main backup of course being the actual photo that was typically preserved in a hard covered photo album. You can still buy these today even in the age of the digital camera revolution.

So whats the solution for backing up a digital image. Its prone to so many points of failure it really is worrying. A hard copy on printed paper is always best. As place the picture in a photo album with a dvd of the “negatives” in the photo album also.

There is no real need to save 10,000 pictures of your wedding cake. However as a memory the art of selecting the best images, and having them printed and put into an album is highly recommended.

For the person that must have every image possible saved then a hard disk or memory stick could be a solution. These storage solutions do have there own long term problems however. A burned DVD or CD over the span of 20-30 years might need to be “upgraded” so equipment of that time can read and display the data correctly.

In all I am still an advocate of if the image is really worth a lot then having it printed and framed in a photo album.

50-60% of the time the backup process of testing a recovery from a backup has never or at best very seldom done. The backup task is completed with military precision and care. However the precious end archive is too valuable to test (in case it breaks everything).

My best advice for any person running a backup process. Is to schedule regular tests of the archive you are backing up.

This blog post is to verify for EmpireAvenue that its a real blog that I own. Hopefully i’ll start to get some eaves or special something for this

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