How Can I Back Up My Hard Drive?

Hard drive failure is a leading cause of data loss.

Back up the hard drive on any computer running the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system to prevent data loss and ensure safe recovery from crashes. Backups can be stored on blank optical discs or a secondary hard drive for easy access. Create a full system image for the best protection from hardware crashes, theft or disaster. Protect valuable data from permanent loss by taking a few minutes to create a backup before it's too late.

Things You'll Need

• Blank DVD discs or secondary hard drive

Instructions

1. Click "Start" (Windows Orb) and "All Programs."

2. Click "Maintenance" and "Backup and Restore" to launch the backup utility.

3. Click "Create a System Image" from the action panel on the left.

4. Click the radio button next to the desired destination for the system image, which cannot be on the hard drive that is being backed up. Use the pull down menus if necessary to choose between multiple options. Click "Next" to continue.

5. Click "Start Backup" and insert a blank disc into the optical drive when prompted if using DVDs for the image. Insert additional discs as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• Typically the optical disc drive is used with blank discs but the operation can also be performed on an external or secondary hard drive.

• Label each blank DVD with the sequence number to enable identification when performing a recovery. Use a felt tip pen to label the disc.

• Label the blank disc prior to inserting it in case the disc gets damaged during the labeling process.

References

• Microsoft Windows: What is a System Image?
• Microsoft: Back Up your Programs, System Settings, and Files

Resources

• Microsoft at Home: How to Back up Files and Recover Data
• Microsoft Windows: Back Up Your Files
• Microsoft: Check Your Hard Disk for Errors
• Microsoft: Delete Files Using Disk Cleanup