Backing up your PC with
Windows XP's built-in Backup program
I admit it. I hadn't bothered to back up any of my computers for more than ten years.
Sure, I'd pop in a CD or floppy every once in a while to save some really important stuff. And shortly after setting up my first network, I occasionally copied important files from one computer's hard drive to another. But I never bothered to set up an automated backup system that backed up my files every night. Until a few months ago, that is, when I finally find a backup method that was both easy and reasonably cheap.
First, I went shopping on Amazon for an external hard drive. You want one that plugs into your PC's USB 2.0 or FireWire port. Don't have a USB 2.0 or FireWire port? You'll find instructions for adding one to your PC in both PCs: The Missing Manual and Upgrading and Fixing PCs For Dummies, 6th Edition.
I plugged my new external hard drive into my USB 2.0 port, and plugged the hard drive into the wall's power outlet.
Windows XP quickly recognized the Maxtor as a new drive, and automatically assigned it a drive letter.
Next, I fired up Windows XP Backup, the freebie backup program included with Windows XP Pro and hidden in the retail version of Windows XP Home. It's certainly not the most elaborate backup program, but it's free.
Then I told Windows XP to copy my entire "C:\Documents and Settings" folder, including subfolders, to my new hard drive. Those essential folders contain just about all the data files used by every user account on my computer: everybody's "My Documents," "My Pictures," and "My Music" folders, along with their Desktops, their Internet History and Favorites, and the settings used by many popular programs.
Finally, to make everything run automatically, I told XP's Backup program to backup all those files every Sunday morning at 3 a.m. On every other evening, the Backup program does an "incremental" backup, copying only the files that have changed since Sunday's backup.
The backup plan has worked flawlessly every night since I set it up, automatically copying the important files from my PC to the portable hard drive.
I never have to lift a finger. And if the house ever starts to burn down, I can grab the hard drive and run. It probably will never come to that, but just knowing that everything is backed up makes me feel good inside -- just as if I've been eating right and exercising every morning.
If you've been feeling guilty about not backing up your work, today's inexpensive portable hard drives and XP's free backup program mean there's really no excuse to wait any longer.