Backup / Restore in Windows 7 · 2019-02-25 · Backup/Restore -Windows 7 Backing Up Files Step 10: The window shown below is what you will see when setting or changing the schedule

Backup / Restore in Windows 7

Computers can be compromised in a terrifyingly vast number of ways. System backups

can be used to ward against this, and will allow you to save any necessary files on a

weekly basis to prevent as much data loss as possible in the event that your system is

compromised. This guide will cover creating backups and restoring files from them.

The device to be used for backing up your computers files will depend on the amount of

data to be backed up. If you desire to back up the entire contents of your computer, you

will need to use an external hard drive. Other options for full-computer backup include

subscription-based cloud services such as Carbonite, iDrive or CrashPlan.

However, if you only need to backup selected folders and files, a flash drive may be suffi-

cient. Also, if you are a Southeast student or employee, have access to 5TB of space us-

ing OneDrive (included with your Office 365 account). OneDrive can be synchronized with

desktops, laptops or mobile devices, allowing access to files wherever you are.

This guide will provide instruction on setting up a full-computer backup using built-in Win-

dows backup software and a WD (Western Digital) Elements 1TB External Drive.

Backup/Restore - Windows 7 Installing the External Drive

The following are instructions for installing the WD external drive. Follow the instructions

provided with your device for installation

Step 1: Open the package and connect the USB cable to the drive, then

plug it in to any USB port on your com-

puter. This will open a prompt on your

screen asking how you wish to use this

device. Select “Open folder to view

files.”

Step 2: On the drive already will be four items: an autorun folder, a WD

Smartware Pro Free Trial, an “autorun” file, and a readme (Adobe

PDF file).

Backup/Restore - Windows 7 Installing the External Drive

Step 3: You may receive a prompt asking if you wish to use a 30 day trial

of the Smartware Pro backup software. Since we will be utilizing

the backup software built into Windows for this tutorial, you can

delete all four of the files already in the drive by right clicking

them and selecting Delete.

Step 4: In order to locate the backup software included with Windows do

the following:

Backup/Restore - Windows 7 Backing Up Files

Step 4: <Continued>

Step 5: This may take a moment to load

1. Click on the Start button

2. Type the word “backup”

into the search bar

3. The Backup and Restore

utility appear listed under

Programs.

4. Click on this item.

3 & 4

2

1


Step 6: The first stage of the backup process will ask where you wish to

save your backup. Select the “Elements” drive, then click Next.

Ignore the warning at the bottom.

Step 7: In the next stage you will choose what to back up. Options are:

a. “Let Windows choose” option will save anything within your user libraries and

what is on your desktop. This includes your Pictures, Documents, Music, and

Videos folders. It should also include most of your program setup data such as

browser bookmarks, Outlook archives, etc. If you have important files that you

need backed up, ensure that you are saving them within these locations.

b. “Let me choose” will allow you to manually select any folders you want backed

up from anywhere on the computer. If your files ARE NOT saved in your librar-

ies, it is highly recommended you use this method to ensure that all of your im-

portant data is backed up. Check the box next to any folders you need backed

up. Consult with the Help Desk if you are unsure which backup option to choose

or need assistance locating your files.


Step 7: <Continued>

Step 8: Selecting “Let me choose” in Step 7 will display the following

screen allowing selection of files to be backed up.


Step 9: This stage will ask you to review your settings and set a sched-

ule. Setting a schedule will automatically run Backup and Re-

store at specific times. Choose a weekly time slot that you are

always available. During this time, every week, plug in your

backup drive and it will automatically find it and update the back-

up with all of the latest file changes within your folders.

Click here to set a

schedule.


Step 10: The window shown below is what you will see when setting or

changing the schedule. If you only wish to do manual backups,

uncheck the Run backup on a schedule box and click OK. Other-

wise, set the three options to a time frame, day, and time that

works best for you.

Important note: It is not recommended that users do daily backups, as

this is both time consuming and, if your system is compromised,

offers a much higher chance of the virus or issue being saved as

part of your backup. Weekly backups are the best middle ground

between safety and time usage.


Step 11: Before finishing this process and beginning the backup, close

any documents or programs you have open to ensure that they

do not get skipped during the backup. When you are ready, click

Save settings and run backup. This process can take over an

hour, but is fully automatic.

Step 12: Once your backup is completed, your external drive will have a

file named after your computer in it. In our example, the comput-

er name of the system being used was “HDFRONT”. As you can

see below, this is the system backup.

Backup/Restore - Windows 7 Restoring Files from Backup

Step 1: Double clicking on the backup file will open a prompt, asking

what you want to do with this backup.

Step 2: The first two options al-

low you to restore files,

while the third option

allows you to delete in-

dividual files from the

backup.


Step 3: Selecting either of the first two options will bring up this window.

From here, you can search for individual files by typing their

names (which is very useful if you know the exact file you need),

browse for files, or browse for entire folders.


Step 4: The figure below is the “Browse for files” dialog. You are given a

folder structure similar to the computer it was taken from. Re-

storing files using this prompt is exactly the same as finding

them on your own computer.


Step 5: This is the search prompt. Using this, you can just type In the

name of the file you need, and it will appear in the list. Check off

the files you need, and click OK.


Step 6: Once you have selected all of the files you wish to restore, click

OK and you will be asked where you want them restored to. You

can place them all back in their original folders (any folders that

are deleted will be recreated right where they were), or place all

of them in a new location of your choosing.

Important note: This tutorial is designed to take a user through

the steps required to setup a backup and restore files from a backup.

Of course your individual needs may vary. If you find you have addi-

tional questions not answered in this tutorial, please contact the Help

Desk at 573.651.4357 or at [email protected].