Few users of Windows 7 know about such a very useful feature as creating a copy of the reserve of the installed OS. What is it and how to make a backup of Windows 7, we will analyze here and now.
What is this function?
Backup is a function of the operating system that, using archiving tools, can create a backup copy of user information and the OS as a whole. There are a lot of benefits from it, since with its help you can make an OS image, thanks to which you can then restore the damaged OS. This will become a real life buoy if the recovery point is not created, and rollback is impossible to do. Of course, it is also advisable to make a recovery point in case of damage to the OS, but there are different situations in which the good old rollback will not help. For example, when the system does not start, and the disk on which Windows 7 is recorded is not at hand.
Why not roll back?
Unlike a rollback (the restore function is different), which simply returns the system to a previously saved state, the backup saves the user settings and the image of Windows 7 as a whole. The benefits of this are enormous. For example, reinstalling Windows 7, you get the opportunity to restore all user data that was erased during the reinstallation.
And in case the OS fails, it can always be returned to its normal state using a backup copy, in addition, drivers, programs and personal data will also be restored (saves and profiles in games, etc.)
How to backup Windows 7?
Creating a copy of the OS carry a fairly large number of utilities. In addition, Windows 7 has enough functionality for this. Before you back up Windows 7, you need to do the following movements.
We go to the "Start" menu, where in "All Programs" we look for the folder "Service". We find and click on the "Backup and Restore" item in it. There are also a couple of alternative ways to open this function:
- open the "Start", enter in the search line "Backup and Restore" and go when it appears;
- we go to the control panel, where the section "Backup and Restore" immediately catches your eye.
It does not matter which opening method will be chosen, the main thing is that the window with this service is open. There you can use three functions:
- set up backup;
- create an OS image;
- create a disk designed to return to the normal state of the system.
Perhaps, we will begin with how to create a backup copy of Windows 7, after we will consider the other two functions.
Backup
To do this, in the "Backup and Restore" window, click on the "Configure backup" hyperlink highlighted in blue. The backup settings window appears. At this point, you have to wait a bit. Patience will be rewarded by the appearance of a window called "Backup Settings", where you will be offered the choice of where to save the copy. Of course, you can create a backup on disk D, for example. But in case all data from the hard drive is deleted or damaged, then there will be no sense in the backup. Therefore, it is best to store the backup on an external hard drive. In addition, if you connect an external hard drive, the system will offer nothing more than a backup of the Windows 7 system on it. When the choice is made, move on using the "Next" button.
In the next window you need to choose whether to leave the selection of files for archiving Windows or choose for yourself what data will be archived (individual files, folders, disks). By the way, this feature can help in how to backup Windows 7 drivers.
If there is no trust in the operating system, and it was decided to distribute the data manually, in the window that appears, you must click "Enable disk system image: (C)" so that you can restore the failed system using the reserve, and also mark the necessary data with the birds. By tradition, we click on "Next". Before making a backup of Windows 7, we check the correctness of all the settings. After - "Save and run."
Create an OS image
This time we click on "Creating an image" instead of such a point as making a backup copy of the Windows 7 disk. In this case, an image is created that includes the disks necessary for the normal operation of the OS. We are in the window for choosing where to save the future image. It is best to prefer a portable (i.e. external) hard drive, since an image can weigh several tens, or even hundreds of gigabytes. Next, the disks from which the image will be created are selected. In the next window, we check once again the disks that will be in the image, and then click "Archive".
Create a recovery disk
This is done there, instead of such an item as making a backup of Windows 7, only it is located next to the image creation button. True, this step is not necessary for those who have Windows 7 on the disk, and who with its help can return the system to normal. For those who do not have such a disk, it is useful to go through this procedure, because in case of serious damage to the OS, there will be something to restore it from.
To do this, you will need an empty DVD or CD, as the recovery files will weigh approximately 150 MB. In the "Backup and Restore" window, click on "Create a system disk". We insert the disk into the drive, select it from the list and click on the "Create Disk" button. We wait until the process of creating a disk comes to an end, after which we take out the disk.
Now this disk can be used if the operating system orders to live for a long time, and it will be impossible to enter it even from safe mode.