Posted by Nikoletta Ventseslavova

Read if: you want to learn the best ways to back up your Windows 7 machine

Cost:$0- $50

Lost data can be a nightmare and backups shouldn’t be put off. Microsoft used to bundle bad backup programs with their operating systems and the company was accused of monopolistic behavior. The image of the software giant has been totally transformed with the release of its latest operating system, Windows 7, which offers an impressive consolidated backup utility center: Backup and Restore.

It does image (an exact copy of everything on the hard drive) backups for system protection and file backups for regular data protection for the Home Premium, Business and Ultimate editions. Windows 7’s Backup and Restore program defaults to backing up the most important: libraries, application data, documents, etc. and lets you tell it to back up additional folders you want to protect. One of its main strengths is the “Shadow Copy” ability which restores previous versions of individual files or folders and makes only iterative backups when necessary – if a part of a huge file has changed, only that part gets transferred and copied over. It also supports backup to shared network space and external drives. It restores the most recent backup by default, although versioning is also available – you can save several versions of a file and then pick up which you would like to restore.

How to back up your Windows 7?

Organize your important files and shut down any programs that are using the data you want to back up. Then click the Start button, select Control Panel and then choose “Back up” your computer from the System and Security panel.

 If you have not set up a backup before, click Set up Backup and let the wizard guide you. It will ask you what do you want to back up – you can select either “Let Windows choose” or set up manually the files to back up via “Let me choose”.

Schedule regular backups, depending on your needs, choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. Then Windows will immediately start the backing up process. Wait until it is complete and make a copy of it somewhere off-site.

How to create a system image in Windows 7?

Go to Getting Started and Select Back up your files.

Choose “Create a system image” and then decide the place where the image will be saved (external drive, network location or DVDs). You can also include other drives as well, but this means bigger size of the final image.

Next comes the confirmation screen – look carefully the amount of space the image will take and go back to adjust settings if something isn’t right. The progress will begin; its length depends on your system and on the place you are backing up to.

When the process is complete, you will have the option to create a system repair disk (which is highly recommended). After that, when you want to restore the image, use the System Recovery Options to get your system appearance back.

Other options for Windows 7 back up

As PC World reviewers say, Windows 7 Backup and Restore is not perfect. The con is that the program lets you to pick up the drive to backup to, but does not allow you to pick up a folder in that drive. In addition, it is fastidious when it comes to image backup. For more flixibilty, it is better to choose some of these options:

Rebit is PCMag’s choice for “simple full-disk back up and restoration software”. It can be loaded on any external hard drive. The program is designed for real time, around- -the- clock system backup. It ensures data recovery as soon as you change it. It is a perfect solution for digital and media files. It is not necessary to keep it plugged in all the time, as this will be at risk of power surges and malware. You can plug it in once a day and it will back up every change since you last had attached it. It also offers drive rotation (it backs up to multiple drives and rotates them offsite for additional disaster protection) and direct and network backup to hard drives connected directly( like USBs ) or networked. The company recommends buying a 25% larger drive than the one you want to back up. Recovering with this program is easy – we have to right-click a file in Windows Explorer, select My Rebit and choose a version of the file from your backup, or simply double click its system tray icon for the Windows Exlorer.

Another highly recommended tool for data back up is Acronis True Image Home 2012 – the Gold Award Winner for disk imaging software. It is fast, error-free and simple to use. You can store, access and share huge amounts of data. It allows file synchronization with other computers, regardless of their location. It enables us to share files between home and office computers via local area connection (LAN). In addition, through Internet connection you can synchronize files with other computers in different locations. Other option available is online data storage on the Acronis server, integrated into the main Acronis application. With it, you will effectively copy your entire hard drive, as well as separate files and email messages. With the numerous backup and copy settings, including:  disk cloning, backup scheduling, backup copy reservation and several privacy tools you can mix and match your settings perfectly for any situation. Some of these features include:  File backup, Disk cloning,  Smart scheduling,  Privacy tools, Incremental and differential backups,  Live backup, Try&Decide, Nonstop Backup, Online backup capabilities

The installation is easy. Once the software starts running, it will guide you through the first backup process to help you adjust. When it is complete, you can explore the software more to configure your settings and set automatic backup schedules.

Read also: The best way to back up your home computer