How to Copy a Dell Laptop Hard Drive
If you're like most people, your computer stores a lot of important and irreplaceable files. The best way to protect against lost data due to computer crashes, hard drive failures or damaged computers is to periodically back up your data. Dell makes this easy with their Dell Backup and Recovery tool. This tool allows you to copy all of the information on your hard drive to an external storage device so you can easily restore your data if and when necessary.
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Instructions
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Connect your external storage device to your computer. This can be an external hard drive, flash drive, DVD or Blu-ray disc. You must have a DVD or Blu-ray burner if you are burning to disc. Also, make sure that the storage media is large enough to store all of the contents of your hard drive.
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Open the Dell Backup and Recovery tool from the “Start” menu of your computer and select the “Backup System” option.
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Enter a name for your backup file and select the location, whether it is a DVD or external storage device. If you are using an external storage device, select it from the drop-down menu.
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Click “Start” to move to the next screen.
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Check the option to “Make Backup Bootable.” This is not necessary, but it is recommended so you can boot from your backup file to restore a new or repaired hard drive with all of your old files. You will need to clear all of the data on your external hard drive and format it to select this option. Click “Next” to continue.
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Click “Start” to start the backup process. Your computer will be rebooted into the Windows Recovery Environment and your backup will be made. If you are backing up to a disc, you may need to insert multiple discs to store all of your data.
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Click “Finished” when the backup is complete to return to your Windows desktop.
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Tips & Warnings
While performing a backup on your laptop, it is recommended that you are connected to a power outlet so the backup process is not interrupted by a dead battery.
