Protecting The Windows XP System and Data
As I think back to the
very first backup I did of a computer, memory serves that it took
about 50 floppy disks to back up everything; operating system,
programs, and data. I won't even go into how long it took to
complete the procedure or how boring it was shuffling diskettes in
and out of the drive and applying the little adhesive labels. If I
was to use the same methods today it would take approximately 98,000
diskettes to back up the computer I'm using to type this article.
While we don't use diskettes for major backup procedures anymore, a
lot of the thinking that goes into a backup is pretty ancient.
I don't believe any
users actually set out on a given day to destroy a functional
operating system, but you know as well as I do that it happens. A
little tweak here, a registry edit there, a power surge or perhaps a
badly behaved application that trashes the computer. We've all been
there and when it happens I can almost guarantee you that if you
listen closely you'll hear something approximating, "Damn. I meant
to _______." Fill in the blank with whatever task related to backup
you put off until another day.
In this article I'm
going to take a look at the different aspects related to backing up
and restoring a computer. Some of the items you'll find in this
article have been touched on in different sections of this site, but
I wanted to gather them all together in one place for easier
reference. Just skip over the sections that don't apply in your
situation.
I think it's time to
separate the operating system and programs from the data when it's
backed up. All three components; operating systems, programs, and
data have become huge over the years. In most cases, lumping them
into a single backup is a waste of time, especially for home users.
Map Out A Backup
Plan
Before you actually
back up anything you need to ask yourself some questions. The
answers you give will determine in large part your backup strategy.
How will the backup
be saved?
Many of today's
computers come with devices that are suitable for backups; 3.5"
floppy drives, CD-R and CD-RW drives, tape drives, removable
cartridge drives, and even a second hard drive can be used to store
backups. With the exception of the second hard drive any of those
mentioned can be removed from the site where the system is located,
and even the hard drive can be relocated by using specialty cradles
that allow it to be plugged in and removed easily. There are a
number of web based hosting services that can be used for offsite
storage for a monthly subscription fee. Business users normally back
up to a company server, be it local or remote, and the IS department
takes over from that point.
Which is the best
option for saving backup data?
Each option has weak
and strong points, but human nature being what it is, the best
system is the one that you're going to use. If you have the
discipline to mess with the disks, cartridges, or CD's, then a local
machine solution will work fine depending on how much data you need
to back up. For those who prefer not to deal with the mechanics of
backing up, the offsite solution might be the best choice. If you
travel and generate data on the road the offsite backup solution is
ideal. Of all the options mentioned, the only one I really don't
endorse for home users is tape. It's cheap, but it does require a
dedicated tape drive that is better suited to business situations.
Where will the
backup be stored once it's created?
The theory is that if
fire, flood, or theft should strike where the system is located, the
backup will be available from another location to restore the system
and data files. Unfortunately, storage of the backup, especially for
home users not using an off-site service is usually a problem. On
the bright side, most of the situations involving loss of data are
caused by our mistakes rather than a natural catastrophe. Safety
deposit boxes are often mentioned as being an ideal place to store
backups, but let's be realistic. Are you going to take a backup to a
safety deposit box every week? No, and neither am I. If you don't
use an off-site service, consider storing your backups in one of the
small fireproof chests that can be purchased at most any department
or office supply store. Everything will be in one place and if
disaster does strike you can grab the chest and take it with you if
you have to flee.
What files should be
backed up?
Here's where the
discussions about backing up usually get heated. At the beginning of
this piece I mentioned the 50 floppy disks I used years ago and the
98,000 it would take to do a full backup of everything on my system
today. At one time, it was accepted, if not almost reasonable, to
back up everything on a system at one time. But the amounts of data
and the size of applications make that procedure very outdated.
Perhaps the best way to look at backing up is to break it into two
distinct categories, the first being System Files.
-
System Files
- For the average user there is no need to back up your
operating system files. What 'is' important is to protect the
original media, i.e., the Windows XP CD and all of your program
installation discs. Windows XP comes with System Restore that
backs up all of your system files automatically or you can
create a restore point whenever you'd prefer. System Restore is
specifically designed to act in concert with the operating
system to restore it in case of a system problem. In Microsoft's
Help and Support Center, they state:
|
System Restore is a component of Windows XP Professional
that you can use to restore your computer to a previous
state, if a problem occurs, without losing your personal
data files (such as Microsoft Word documents, browsing
history, drawings, favorites, or e-mail). System Restore
monitors changes to the system and some application files,
and it automatically creates easily identified restore
points. These restore points allow you to revert the system
to a previous time. They are created daily and at the time
of significant system events (such as when an application or
driver is installed). You can also create and name your own
restore points at any time. |
Would I place
exclusive trust in System Restore to restore a damaged or
malfunctioning XP installation and ensure all my data was also
going to be available afterward? No, and neither should you, but
what I am willing to do is give System Restore a chance at
getting XP back to that previous state. With some registry
tweaking you can save restore points for a year or more,
eliminating the ones of lesser importance along the way. For
those who don't like or trust System Restore there are a number
of programs available that image the system and allow you to
reinstall in a fraction of the normal time. Ghost by Symantec is
one of the popular choices.
The second category is
Data Files and I like to break that into Archive Files and Current
Data Files.
-
Archive Files
- These are files acquired through any number of methods,
either downloaded or created by you that don't change once they
have been created. Image and audio files are good examples in
this category. They are looked at and listened to for enjoyment
but as a rule they seldom if ever receive any modification once
they have been added to your system. To back up these same files
repeatedly is a waste of time and storage space.
-
Current Data
Files
- Of everything on your system, these are the files you want
backed up and protected on a regular basis. The list of included
files will vary by user, but a few examples are text documents,
spreadsheets, financial records, databases, e-mail, internet
favorites, Personal Information Managers (PIM's), website
projects, and generally any type of data you create and work
with or modify on a regular basis.
Can System
Organization Aid the Backup Process?
Absolutely. How you
organize the system can make backup a relatively painless process.
Structuring the system so the data files discussed above are
organized in one area facilitates pointing the backup program to one
area rather than having to gather files from widespread locations.
In Windows XP, the My Documents folder is an excellent choice for
this purpose. Many programs default to saving created files in this
location, Office XP being a good example.
Programs that don't use
My Documents by default can often be redirected through their
Preferences option to save files in a new location. If that's not
possible, using the Save As command will allow selection of any
location on the system or creating a new location. If My Documents
isn't your preferred choice, create a folder anywhere on the system
and use it as your default data storage location. Whatever location
you choose, the important point is to use it for all the data you
create and work with or modify on a regular basis that will be a
part of the backup.
Systems with multiple
hard drives are becoming quite common. The extra space they afford
can be also be used for backing up any of the three categories
mentioned above. If you have a second hard drive and still want to
use My Documents it can be relocated to the second drive. Right
click My Documents, select Properties and click the Target tab.
Click the Move button and select the drive where it's to be
relocated.
I mentioned disk
imaging and the Ghost program earlier. On my personal system I use a
small (20GB) fast (7200 RPM) drive for C:\ and load it only with the
system files and programs. Nothing else. I keep a Ghost image of
that drive and if anything does happen to the system it can be
reloaded in a matter of minutes. The data is in no way compromised
because it resides on a totally different drive. Even if you don't
add additional drives, the principle can be applied to a system with
one drive that is partitioned to keep system/program and data files
separated.
It's a fact of life
that some users simply don't need to back up their system. If you
surf the web and send a few occasional e-mails that you'll never
refer to again there really isn't much point in backing things up.
That's not to say you don't want to consider a program like Ghost
that will create an image of your system for a quick reinstall, but
establishing a routine data backup isn't always necessary.
One of the first things I hear when
discussing backups is how long the process takes. Sure it does,
especially when you're backing up things that have no reason to be
backed up. Take Quicken for example, a very popular personal
financial management program. Most people just check off the Quicken
directory and forget about it after that. Why? Why would you back up
the entire program when the only relevant items are the files that
hold your personal data? Lack of planning, pure and simple. As a
matter of fact, there are very few programs that require much backup
other than for the data specific to your personal use.
What it all boils down to is how
much losing your data scares you. If the thought of losing one days
work makes the hair on the back of your neck stand upright then
you'd better have a tightly structured backup plan and ensure that
it's adhered to without fail. If you have a computer full of spam
and Freecell stats it doesn't make much difference when or if you
back up.
Types of Backups
I intended to begin
this section by saying that in the twenty plus years I've been
fooling around with computers, one area that has remained consistent
is the type of backups that are used to safeguard systems; Full,
Differential, and Incremental backups. All three are still around
and viable, but XP has five types of backups and uses different
terminology for them. Since this site is about XP, I'll defer and
use Microsoft's descriptions to avoid confusion.
-
Copy Backup
- Microsoft Description: "A copy backup
copies all selected files but does not mark each file as having
been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is not
cleared). Copying is useful if you want to back up files between
normal and incremental backups because copying does not affect
these other backup operations."
- My Description: This is basically the same as a Normal Backup
with the difference being whether or not the archive attribute
is cleared. If you're going to go full bore in your backup
strategy this type of backup can be useful to provide an up to
the minute backup.
-
Daily Backup
- Microsoft Description: "A daily backup
copies all selected files that have been modified the day the
daily backup is performed. The backed-up files are not marked as
having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is
not cleared)."
- My Description: About the only use I can see for this is if
you use it as the very last thing before you shut off the
computer for the day.
-
Differential
Backup
- Microsoft Description: "A differential
backup copies files created or changed since the last normal or
incremental backup. It does not mark files as having been backed
up (in other words, the archive attribute is not cleared). If
you are performing a combination of normal and differential
backups, restoring files and folders requires that you have the
last normal as well as the last differential backup."
- My Description: The Differential Backup, used in combination
with the Normal Backup, is in my opinion the safest and easiest
method for backing up a system. Since the archive attribute is
not cleared, Differential Backup will always look at the Normal
Backup and if the files vary add them to the current
Differential Backup.
-
Incremental
Backup
- Microsoft Description: "An incremental
backup backs up only those files created or changed since the
last normal or incremental backup. It marks files as having been
backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is cleared). If
you use a combination of normal and incremental backups, you
will need to have the last normal backup set as well as all
incremental backup sets in order to restore your data."
-My Description: Far more trouble than it's worth, especially
considering the number of backup sets that have to be dealt with
if you do have to restore.
-
Normal Backup
- Microsoft Description: "A normal
backup copies all selected files and marks each file as having
been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is
cleared). With normal backups, you need only the most recent
copy of the backup file or tape to restore all of the files. You
usually perform a normal backup the first time you create a
backup set."
- My Description: The first type of backup you should
perform. Even if you do nothing else toward backing up this will
give you some measure of protection.
The Backup
Utilities in Windows XP
While it isn't
absolutely essential to have a utility specifically designed for
backing up a computer system it can make life easier. Both Windows
XP Home and Professional come with what Microsoft calls the Backup
and Restore Utility, better known as NTBackup. Unfortunately for
Home users, Backup and Restore is not installed by default nor is it
as fully functional as the version installed by default in XP
Professional. Supposedly, the reason it's not installed by default
in Home is because Home does not support Automated System Recovery
(ASR) that is a part of Backup and Restore. This in no way prevents
you from making a full backup in Home Edition, but it does limit the
recovery or restore options. Bottom line; if you have Pro you're
ready to go. If you have Home, follow the directions below:
To Manually Install
the Backup Utility in Windows XP Home Edition
-
Insert the CD Rom
and navigate to CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP
-
Double-click the
Ntbackup.msi file to start the wizard that installs Backup
-
When the wizard is
complete, click Finish.
A few years ago I
wouldn't even have had to add this paragraph, but a trend I heartily
dislike has been gaining a foothold in the computer industry. That
trend is the supplying of 'Restore CD's' by PC manufacturers. These
useless little circles of plastic are used to restore a PC to
factory specifications. What does that mean, factory specifications?
It means it basically wipes your system clean and reinstalls XP
along with all the other garbage (read: commercial sweetheart deals)
that PC manufacturers use to sweeten their coffers while depriving
you of an unadulterated copy of a Windows XP installation CD.
Unfortunately, if you fall into this group and have XP Home, you
will have to buy a third-party backup program. Short of that, borrow
a real Windows CD from a friend and install backup on your system.
The backup utility is something you should have received to begin
with. OK, kicking my soapbox back under the desk and moving on ---
Using NTBackup
Microsoft does love its
Wizards and NTBackup is no exception. The first time NTBackup is
launched from Start > All Programs > Accessories> System Tools >
Backup, the program will open to the Backup or Restore Wizard by
default. There is nothing wrong with using the wizard as it does
streamline the process, but for total control of the backup process
the opening screen has an option to dispense with the wizard. Rather
than make this page any longer than it already is I've put together
two backup walkthroughs. Both walkthroughs are graphic intense and
will take extra time to load, but I do think the screen captures can
be very helpful.
Step by Step NTBackup Using the Backup or Restore Wizard
Step by Step NTBackup
Using Advanced Mode
[ Both links are graphic intense and take
extra time to load on dialup connections ]
There are a few items
XP users should be aware of regarding NTBackup that I'd be remiss in
not mentioning.
-
NTBackup and
CD-R / CD-RW Drives - This really should go under a "You
Gotta Be Kidding" category, but NTBackup does not allow you to
back up directly to a CD-R or CD-RW drive. I know; the
supposedly best, most stable and advanced operating system
Microsoft has offered and no CD burner support in backup. The
only solution is to back up to an alternative drive and then
copy it to CD. There are many alternative backup programs
available that do support direct backups to CD-R and CD-RW. The
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article addressing this issue is
here.
-
Restoring a
Backup
- When a backup is created the data is not saved in the same
way you see it in the backup window where you select the files
and folders. A backup is a single file that has to be broken
apart during the restore process. To do so, it's necessary to
use the same program that created the backup file to restore it
to your system. Normally this is not a problem, except in one
special circumstance. Restore will want to return your data to
the location it occupied during the original backup. For
example, if you backed up data from D:\ and no longer have a
drive D:\ when you want to restore, the process will fail.
-
XP Home,
NTBackup, and Automated System Recovery (ASR) - Windows XP
Home Edition does not support Automated System Recovery. I've
been told this is why NTBackup is not installed by default in
Home, but if that's the case why include the item on the Home CD
in the value-added directory. Whatever the reason, it's
something you need to be aware of in spite of the option for ASR
appearing in NTBackup when installed on a XP Home machine. XP
Professional users are good to go with ASR.
Final Recommendation
Bear in mind that this
is just my personal opinion based on what works for me and what I've
seen work for others. Unless you have a specific reason for wanting
to get involved with the NTBackup utility I suggest you spend some
time organizing your directory and file system so your current and
archive data files reside in separate locations. Copy the
directories to a hard drive, CD-R/CD-RW drive, or cartridge media on
whatever schedule you feel is sufficient to safeguard your data. For
the casual user, full, incremental, and differential backups are
time consuming and confusing. System Restore serves to safeguard the
XP system, and even if you did have a total system failure my
experience has shown that a reformat and full install or using an
image restore program is far more satisfactory than using a full
system backup that can easily and quickly lead you back into the
situation that caused the initial failure.
|
