3. Using Advanced Backup Options
In the main Backup And Restore
window, you have options in the left pane to turn off the schedule,
create a system image, and create a system repair disk.
Choosing the Turn Off Schedule option lets you take your backup out of the current backup
scheduling as seen in Task Scheduler. Creating a system image lets you
back up critical operating system files for restoration later if your
operating system has become corrupt. Creating a system repair disc
allows you to create a bootable disc with which you will have a limited
set of repair utilities and the ability to restore your backup files if
necessary.
3.1. Creating a System Image
A system image
enables you to take a snapshot of the entire hard disk and capture that
image to a specific location so you can restore that image at a later
date.
To create a system image of
your entire computer, select the Create A System Image link on the left
side of the Backup And Restore utility. When creating a system image,
you can save that image to a hard disk, DVD, or a network location (see Figure 6).
NOTE
You cannot save the backup to multiple CDs or to a USB flash drive.
In Exercise 3, you will create a system image and save it to a local hard disk.
Choose Start => Control Pane) => Backup And Restore Center. Click the Create A System Image link. Choose the location where you want to save the image. We are choosing the local D; drive. Click Next. At the Summary screen, click Start Backup. A dialog box appears, asking whether you want to create a system repair disk. Click the No button. If you want to create a system repair disk, you will need a DVD burner and DVD.
When the image is complete, click the Close button.
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After you create a system image disk, you may need to restore it. Let's take a look at the steps needed to complete a restore.
3.2. Restoring an Image
To restore an image, you must perform the following steps:
Boot
your computer by using the Windows 7 media, or use the recovery
partition instructions provided by your computer manufacturer.
When
the Install Windows dialog box appears, select the language, time and
currency format, and the keyboard or input method. Click Next to
continue.
The Install Now button appears in the center of the screen. Click Repair Your Computer in the lower-left corner.
Select
the operating system to recover and click Next. If you do not see your
operating system, you might need to load your hard disk drivers by
clicking the Load Drivers button.
The System Recovery Options dialog box appears. You can choose one of the following options:
Choose Windows Complete PC Restore to continue.
Select the recommended image, or select Restore A Different Backup. Click Next to continue.
If
you selected Restore A Different Backup, follow the prompts to select
the location of the image and the image you want to restore.
You will be asked to review your selections. Press Finish to continue.
You will be asked to confirm your decision. Click the check box and click OK to restore the image.
NOTE
If you were not provided the
Windows 7 media when you purchased your computer, the computer
manufacturer might have placed the files on a recovery partition. Check
with the manufacturer for more information.
There's one more option for restoring your Windows 7 configuration, known as System Protection.
4. Using System Protection
System Protection
is a feature of Windows 7 that creates a backup and saves the
configuration information of your computer's system files and settings
on a regular basis. System Protection saves previous versions of saved
configurations rather than just overwriting them. This makes tt possible
to return to multiple configurations in your Windows 7 history, known
as restore points.
These restore points are created before most significant events, such
as installing a new driver. Restore points are also created
automatically every seven days. System Protection is turned on by
default in Windows 7 for any drive formatted with NTFS.
You manage System Protection
and the restore points from the System Protection tab of the System
Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 7.
You can also access this tab directly by typing Restore Point into the
Windows 7 search box or by clicking the Recovery icon in Control Panel.
Clicking the System Restore
button launches the System Restore Wizard, which walks you through the
process of returning Windows 7 to a previous point in time. Also within
the System Protection tab of the System Properties dialog box is the
Protection Settings section, where you can configure any of your
available drives.
Select the drive that you
would like to modify the configuration of and click the Configure
button. The System Protection configuration dialog box for the drive
appears, as shown in Figure 8.
The System Protection
for the selected disk properties box allows you to enable or disable
system protection for the drive. When you enable protection, you can opt
for previous versions of files or previous versions of files and system
settings. You also have the ability to set the maximum usage that your
restore points will use for storage.
One final function of the
System Protection dialog box for the selected disk is to delete all
restore points (including system settings and previous versions of
files) by clicking the Delete button.
4.1. Creating Restore Points
Restore points contain
Registry and system information as they were at a certain point in time.
These restore points are created at the following times:
Weekly
Before installing applications of drivers
Before significant system events
Before System Restore is used to restore files (so you can undo the changes if necessary)
Manually upon request
In Exercise 4, you will manually create a restore point.
Click Start and then tight-click Computer. When the System Properties appears, click the System Protection tab. Click the Create button on the bottom of the screen next to the Create A Restore Point Right Now section.
At the System Protection dialog box, enter a description (we entered test09) for the restore point. Click Create. A dialog box states that the restore point was created. Click Close.
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Now after a restore point is
created, you may need to restore the restore point. Let's take a look at
how to restore a restore point.
4.2. Restoring Restore Points
You can restore previously
created restore points with System Restore. The restore operation will
restore system files and settings, but will not affect your personal
files.
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System Restore will also remove any programs that have been installed since the restore point was created.
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In Exercise 5, you will restore a restore point.
Click Start and then right-click Computer. When the System Properties screen appears, click the System Protection tab. Click the System Restore box. Click Next at the Welcome screen to continue. Choose a restore point (test09), and click Next to continue.
Review your restore point selection, and click Finish to continue. Confirm that you want System Restore to continue, and click Yes to continue.
System Restore will restore your system and reboot your computer to apply the changes. You should see a message stating that System Restore has restored your computer. Click OK to close the dialog box.
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If your computer will not boot, you can also perform the following steps to use System Restore:
Boot
your computer by using the Windows 7 media, or use the recovery
partition instructions provided by your computer manufacturer.
When
the Install Windows dialog box appears, select the language, time and
currency format, and the keyboard or input method. Click Next to
continue.
The Install Now button appears in the center of the screen. Click Repair Your Computer in the lower-left corner.
Select
the operating system to recover and click Next. If you do not see your
operating system, you might need to load your hard disk drivers by
clicking the Load Drivers button.
The System Recovery Options dialog box appears. It provides the following options:
Choose System Restore to continue.
Follow the prompts to restore the restore point. The prompts will be similar to those in Exercise 5.
5. Troubleshooting System Restore
If System Restore does not
fix your problems, you can either undo the restore or attempt to restore
an earlier restore point. If neither of these options works, you could
try to use the Startup Repair tool if the problem is related to missing
or corrupted system files.
