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Message
How To Back Up Your Windows Vista\7 Computer
Posted on 9/2/14 at 12:13 pm
Posted on 9/2/14 at 12:13 pm
Over the years I have been in IT I have yet to cease to be amazed (and a bit chagrined) at how rarely "IT professionals" will back up a customer's data. There are always folks having issues with malware/viruses/hardware/phases-of-the-moon/whatever and get worried about losing their lolcat photo collections. With that in mind, I present to you a DIY guide for backing up your Vista/7 computer (now with pictures!)
The first thing to know is that there are two ways to do this. The automated way and the manual way.
The Automated Way:
Windows Vista brought us the "W.E.T. Tool" (stands for "Windows Easy Transfer" but feel free to make your own lewd joke, I know I already have) This handy-dandy bit of software copies your profile settings (including networked printers if you are using a print server) from the *normal* locations you save data to (ie: within your profile, the root of your C drive is NOT part of your profile). If you are using Outlook or Windows Mail (the program formerly known as Outlook Express) it will save your DBX, PST, OST, etc mail files as well as set them back up in the correct program once you import everything back. Sooo... yay!
So to start this endeavor, go to your Start button and in the Search window start typing Windows Easy Transfer. Windows will have already found the program and have it listed for you before you finish the word "Easy". Click on it and let's get started...
This is the intro screen. Read it if you want, click "Next".
The first two options here are for transferring data between computers. For backups (which is the focus of this post) you're wanting to store your data in a file NOT housed on a computer. Choose the 3rd option to save the data to something like a thumb drive or external hard drive.
This is your old computer so choose... ya know...
On this page you will see a list of the profiles on your computer. Each listing will have the avatar that profile uses and a check box. Check only the profiles you want to copy (Shared Items contains all of the items in the Public profile, used by many, many users so it's good to back it up as well) then click "Next".
If you absolutely MUST password-protect your info, this is where you put a password in hit "Save". If you aren't going to use a password, just hit "Save".
This will give you the opportunity to name the file (the extension is .MIG) and save it to whatever location you wish. Browse to your thumb drive, networked drive or external hard drive then click "Save".
When/if the time comes that you need to restore your depraved writings, Slim Whitman pr0n, etc from this file all you need to do is double-click the file and walk through the easy-peasy wizard. It's that simple.
****MUY IMPORTANT-AY STUFF TO KNOW****
-This does not do anything for your not-made-by-Microsoft-and-is-generally-not-thought-of-as-part-of-Windows programs. Anything like World of Warcraft, Photoshop, etc will need to be reinstalled and updated by you.
-If you like saving your personal videos of your drunken, lonely karaoke-ing in some place like C:\DONTLOOKINME or C:\Windows\System32\My\Sharona, not only is there no way to select it for saving via WET but you make the 6lb 8oz Baby Jesus cry. For shame.
In my next post I'll go over how to "do it" (uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh!) manually just in case you are one of "those" types...
The first thing to know is that there are two ways to do this. The automated way and the manual way.
The Automated Way:
Windows Vista brought us the "W.E.T. Tool" (stands for "Windows Easy Transfer" but feel free to make your own lewd joke, I know I already have) This handy-dandy bit of software copies your profile settings (including networked printers if you are using a print server) from the *normal* locations you save data to (ie: within your profile, the root of your C drive is NOT part of your profile). If you are using Outlook or Windows Mail (the program formerly known as Outlook Express) it will save your DBX, PST, OST, etc mail files as well as set them back up in the correct program once you import everything back. Sooo... yay!
So to start this endeavor, go to your Start button and in the Search window start typing Windows Easy Transfer. Windows will have already found the program and have it listed for you before you finish the word "Easy". Click on it and let's get started...
This is the intro screen. Read it if you want, click "Next".
The first two options here are for transferring data between computers. For backups (which is the focus of this post) you're wanting to store your data in a file NOT housed on a computer. Choose the 3rd option to save the data to something like a thumb drive or external hard drive.
This is your old computer so choose... ya know...
On this page you will see a list of the profiles on your computer. Each listing will have the avatar that profile uses and a check box. Check only the profiles you want to copy (Shared Items contains all of the items in the Public profile, used by many, many users so it's good to back it up as well) then click "Next".
If you absolutely MUST password-protect your info, this is where you put a password in hit "Save". If you aren't going to use a password, just hit "Save".
This will give you the opportunity to name the file (the extension is .MIG) and save it to whatever location you wish. Browse to your thumb drive, networked drive or external hard drive then click "Save".
When/if the time comes that you need to restore your depraved writings, Slim Whitman pr0n, etc from this file all you need to do is double-click the file and walk through the easy-peasy wizard. It's that simple.
****MUY IMPORTANT-AY STUFF TO KNOW****
-This does not do anything for your not-made-by-Microsoft-and-is-generally-not-thought-of-as-part-of-Windows programs. Anything like World of Warcraft, Photoshop, etc will need to be reinstalled and updated by you.
-If you like saving your personal videos of your drunken, lonely karaoke-ing in some place like C:\DONTLOOKINME or C:\Windows\System32\My\Sharona, not only is there no way to select it for saving via WET but you make the 6lb 8oz Baby Jesus cry. For shame.
In my next post I'll go over how to "do it" (uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh!) manually just in case you are one of "those" types...
This post was edited on 9/2/14 at 3:39 pm
2
Posted on 9/2/14 at 12:28 pm to Bard
Will this method be sure and grab my dormant virus.exe files and transfer them to my new PC..?
Posted on 9/2/14 at 1:50 pm to Bard
The Manual Way:
If you imagine your computer is like a filing cabinet, then anyone with their own username on the computer has their own drawer where all their personal shizzy resides. In NerdWorld(tm) we call these "profiles".
The WET tool copies much more from your profile than this manual way does, but if your profile has become corrupt due to too much dino-pr0n then there is a good chance it could copy that corruption over with it as well. If you are already having some serious issues that your normal reboot doesn't fix, the manual way will be "your Huckleberry".
In Windows Vista & 7 these profiles can be found by opening your C: drive then going to the users folder. Here you will find a list of all the usernames used on your computer (for most personal computers you'll have only 2 or 3). Find the one that is yours and open it up. It will look something like this:
Create a folder on whatever you are wanting to back your files up to then copy the following folders from your profile to it:
-Contacts (only necessary if you use something like Outlook or Windows Briefcase to manage your contacts)
*-Desktop (all the stuff on your Desktop)
*-Downloads (duh!)
*-Favorites (this is for Internet Explorer ONLY - if you use some other browser like Chrome\Firefox\Opera - and you SHOULD - you will have to use their export tools to backup your faves from them)
*-My Documents (your manic scribblings, your spreadsheets, your etc)
*-My Music (many music programs will put their music here, but your mileage may vary once you go beyond iTunes or Windows Media Player)
*-My Pictures
*-My Videos
The most commonly used folders are denoted by asterisks (*). Anything else is probably something you don't want nor need. The blank spots are personal/work folders of mine you don't need to know about
Depending on how your system is set up, you may have data in the Public profile as well. Browse through it to see if you have anything there you want to keep. If so, back it up. If not, move on.
The only oddball I can think of here is Outlook. If you use Outlook to download and/or archive your email from Exchange (I'm looking at you, Lois Lerner!) and your profile was migrated from a Windows XP machine then your .OST and .PST files will not be in the default spot (My Documents\Outlook Files) but in the legacy default spot (C:\users\*your profile*\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.)
Check your C: (ie: the area you see when you first open up your C: drive) and copy any folders you may have created and then NEVER-EVER-EVER-EVER-EVER PUT FOLDERS THERE AGAIN!111111234545abcd
Now your crispity, crunchity data goodness is all backed up. Get that hard drive wiped\reimaged\replaced\rewhatevered and log back into your newly-cleaned computer. Even if you named your new profile different from your old, it doesn't matter. Copy your backup folders over, allow them to replace the folders there that already have that name, and you are good to go. (this is one of the reasons why you don't just copy the whole profile folder from C:\users).
I hereby reserve the right to make addendums as I think of them.
Feel free to post any questions. :)
If you imagine your computer is like a filing cabinet, then anyone with their own username on the computer has their own drawer where all their personal shizzy resides. In NerdWorld(tm) we call these "profiles".
The WET tool copies much more from your profile than this manual way does, but if your profile has become corrupt due to too much dino-pr0n then there is a good chance it could copy that corruption over with it as well. If you are already having some serious issues that your normal reboot doesn't fix, the manual way will be "your Huckleberry".
In Windows Vista & 7 these profiles can be found by opening your C: drive then going to the users folder. Here you will find a list of all the usernames used on your computer (for most personal computers you'll have only 2 or 3). Find the one that is yours and open it up. It will look something like this:
Create a folder on whatever you are wanting to back your files up to then copy the following folders from your profile to it:
-Contacts (only necessary if you use something like Outlook or Windows Briefcase to manage your contacts)
*-Desktop (all the stuff on your Desktop)
*-Downloads (duh!)
*-Favorites (this is for Internet Explorer ONLY - if you use some other browser like Chrome\Firefox\Opera - and you SHOULD - you will have to use their export tools to backup your faves from them)
*-My Documents (your manic scribblings, your spreadsheets, your etc)
*-My Music (many music programs will put their music here, but your mileage may vary once you go beyond iTunes or Windows Media Player)
*-My Pictures
*-My Videos
The most commonly used folders are denoted by asterisks (*). Anything else is probably something you don't want nor need. The blank spots are personal/work folders of mine you don't need to know about
Depending on how your system is set up, you may have data in the Public profile as well. Browse through it to see if you have anything there you want to keep. If so, back it up. If not, move on.
The only oddball I can think of here is Outlook. If you use Outlook to download and/or archive your email from Exchange (I'm looking at you, Lois Lerner!) and your profile was migrated from a Windows XP machine then your .OST and .PST files will not be in the default spot (My Documents\Outlook Files) but in the legacy default spot (C:\users\*your profile*\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.)
Check your C: (ie: the area you see when you first open up your C: drive) and copy any folders you may have created and then NEVER-EVER-EVER-EVER-EVER PUT FOLDERS THERE AGAIN!111111234545abcd
Now your crispity, crunchity data goodness is all backed up. Get that hard drive wiped\reimaged\replaced\rewhatevered and log back into your newly-cleaned computer. Even if you named your new profile different from your old, it doesn't matter. Copy your backup folders over, allow them to replace the folders there that already have that name, and you are good to go. (this is one of the reasons why you don't just copy the whole profile folder from C:\users).
I hereby reserve the right to make addendums as I think of them.
Feel free to post any questions. :)
This post was edited on 9/2/14 at 1:55 pm
Posted on 9/2/14 at 1:52 pm to Bard
damn. 
not real thrilled with either method.
i'm so spoiled with Nandroid backups of my phone and how easy it is to restore if i frick up my phone (which i do alot).
i wish PC backups would get to that same level of smoothness.
eta having said that, thanks for the info have an upvote.
not real thrilled with either method.
i'm so spoiled with Nandroid backups of my phone and how easy it is to restore if i frick up my phone (which i do alot).
i wish PC backups would get to that same level of smoothness.
eta having said that, thanks for the info
have an upvote.This post was edited on 9/2/14 at 1:53 pm
Posted on 9/2/14 at 1:54 pm to Bard
Extra post
This post was edited on 9/2/14 at 1:56 pm
Posted on 9/2/14 at 2:10 pm to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
Will this method be sure and grab my dormant virus.exe files and transfer them to my new PC..?
The WET Tool is more likely to do it than manually copying but much of the crapware hides in multiple locations so more than likely (at least from my experience) the only detrimental thing copied over with WET is the damaged files (but not the actual virus itself, unless the whole thing is located within the profile).
Posted on 9/2/14 at 3:49 pm to Bard
Disk2vhd for a (fairly) quick backup of the entire disk. Robocopy if I'm backing up certain files/folders only and not the entire disk.
Posted on 9/2/14 at 4:07 pm to CAD703X
quote:
i wish PC backups would get to that same level of smoothness.
Acronis True Image does a good job with this. It's not free, unless you torrent. If you're trying to restore your OS after a catastrophic virus/malware infestation, though, manual backup is really all you can do safely.
This post was edited on 9/2/14 at 4:09 pm
Posted on 9/2/14 at 5:08 pm to ILikeLSUToo
quote:
cronis True Image does a good job with this.
i'll dig into this a bit more
Posted on 9/3/14 at 9:35 am to ILikeLSUToo
quote:
If you're trying to restore your OS after a catastrophic virus/malware infestation, though, manual backup is really all you can do safely.
+1
Anything else is better for "just in case" purposes or transferring data to a new hard drive.
Posted on 9/3/14 at 10:18 am to CAD703X
quote:
i'll dig into this a bit more
Acronis has fallen out of favor in forums where imaging programs are routinely discussed. The free version of Macrium Reflect is frequently recommended. I myself use Terabyte's Image for Windows and Linux programs and would recommend them to experienced users, but they don't have a free version.
Posted on 9/9/14 at 7:39 pm to Spock's Eyebrow
With floppies
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