Automatic Incremental Backup in Windows 7

Windows 7 offers vastly improved full-disk backup and emergency restore for purchasers of all (retail) versions, including those getting upgrades and those getting full new installations.

In Windows Vista, only users of the Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise versions were able to do full-disk OS and data backups. Users of the lesser versions of Vista got lesser versions of Windows Backup. It only backed up user data, not executable files and not the OS itself. That version could not provide a restorable full-disk "image" of the hard drive and was not much use at all.

That's all changed in Windows 7. Buyers of all versions get the same full-disk and OS backup to external and internal hard drives and to CD/DVD. Professional and Ultimate users still get a perk- they can back up and restore to a network.

Since local backups (and Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional) will be more common, that's what we'll address here.

The best target device for your backups is an external hard drive, especially as these have come drastically down in price in the last year or so. I suggest getting one as large as, if not larger than, your current hard drive.

To start setting up Windows 7 Backup, press the Windows button or click the Windows 7 start orb. Type in "backup" and it should offer you "Backup and Restore" at the top of the list. Note that it's also offering "Restore data, files, or computer from backup," "Create a restore point," and "Backup your computer." This is nicely improved usability from our friends at Microsoft.

This will also open the Backup and Restore Center, which will warn you that "Windows Backup has not been set up" and "Windows could not find a backup for this computer."

Clicking "Set up backup" will start Windows Backup. After scanning the storage devices on the PC, it will ask you to "Select where you want to save your backup," and the most likely target will be highlighted.

In order of preference, Windows Backup will choose an internal hard drive, an external hard drive, a DVD/CD, and an external flash drive. A complete backup of a Windows installation is called an "image." Not too many folks will have a Flash drive capable of saving a complete image, but some 128 and 256 GB models do exist on the market now.

Windows Backup then asks what you want to back up. The choices are "Let me choose" and "Let Windows choose." Whole-disk backup is automatically included (if adequate disk space is available) when Windows chooses, but it's also an option when the user makes the selection.

Before continuing, it's a good idea to create a bootable restore disc, just in case you need to actually use the disk image to restore your computer someday.

This ability was completely lacking in Vista, leaving many folks scratching their heads wondering how to create a bootable disk in order to use the backups they were able to create. Oddly, this capability was removed from Vista sometime during the beta period. In Windows 7, it's back.

To create your bootable repair disc, go back to the Backup and Restore Center and click "Create a system repair disc" in the left-hand column. Be sure you have a writable CD or DVD in the drive, and then make sure it's showing your drive and click "Create disc."

A default installation of Windows 7, by the way, comes with a bootable emergency repair disc image on the hard drive. If Windows Backup finds it, it will use it and the process will be relatively quick. If the image is not found, it will ask for a Windows 7 install DVD. Be warned.

Next: Running the First Backup, Setting Up Automatic Incremental Backups, and Restoring Discs, Folders, and Files