What's the most important thing about a computer? Data, of course. The very files and documents that have been created and collected for a long time, and the loss of which often means wasted time and effort. The reasons for the loss of important information can be different, from viruses and software failures to equipment breakdowns. Data backup services that are available in any modern operating system will help to save yourself from unpleasant surprises. Let's consider the algorithm for setting them up using the example of Windows 7.
Necessary
External storage capacity from 8 to 32 gigabytes
Instructions
Step 1
Open the "Start" menu, find "Control Panel" and click on it with the left mouse button. A window will appear with a list of categories of actions with the system, for example, "System and Security", "Network and Internet". Or a list of specific sections of the control panel: "Autorun", "Color Management" and others.
Step 2
Left-click on the "System and Security" menu item, the "Computer data archiving" sub-item. If you have a detailed list of Control Panels, find and select Back Up or Restore.
Step 3
The File Backup or Restore program window appears. Here click on "Configure backup". A window will appear to select the location where the backup will be saved: one of the logical drives of the computer, flash drive, external hard drive or DVD. The most convenient way to store a backup is a flash drive or external hard drive. Slightly worse is the use of DVDs. The least robust way to break down your computer is to back up your data on the D: or E: drive, which is another section of your storage device. However, this method is the fastest. Select a location to back up your data and click Next.
Step 4
The next window of the backup wizard will open, in which you can choose what exactly will be saved: the system image along with your data and programs as a whole or individual folders. If you know what exactly and where you want to back up, click "Give me a choice." If you don't know, leave the choice for Windows, this option is selected by default, it will save all user folders (i.e. My Documents, My Pictures, etc.), as well as the operating system and installed programs. After choosing the option that suits you, click "Next".
Step 5
The last step is to check the backup conditions. You will see what exactly will be included in the archive, you can click the "Back" button to change the archive parameters. If there are no changes, click the "Save settings and start archiving" button at the bottom of the window.
Step 6
You can also set up to automatically back up important data on a schedule. To configure the backup schedule, click Change Schedule before starting the backup. A window will open in which check the box next to the "Perform scheduled backups". Then choose how often to back up: once a day, once a week, once a month. To do this, there are three lines with drop-down lists, from which you need to select the day of the week or month in which the archiving will be performed, as well as the start time of this operation. Click "OK" after you finish selecting options.
Step 7
So, all the actions have been completed, you have chosen what, where and how often will be archived, the archiving is started, it remains to wait for the completion of the process. During this time, do not turn off the power of the computer and it is best not to perform any operations on it. The creation of a backup copy takes from 15 minutes to several hours, depending on the amount of information. Do not interrupt this process.
