XP Backup

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XP Backup is accessed via My Computer in a manner similar to that for Quotas. This time go into the Tools tab and select Backup. A wizard walks users through the process and allows selection of individual files or folders for backup. If a zip drive or tape drive is hooked up to the system, that drive should show up automatically in the wizard, which makes it easy for users to set up a simple backup schedule. As expected, XP Pro comes with all the backup functions the home office user or mobile professional will probably need. On the other hand, it is not designed to be a corporate backup system that encompasses thousands of systems. As a result, it does not come with tools for media/device management, alerting, virus scanning, remote server protection, and disaster recovery. But, what it does, XP Backup does well. For a more sophisticated environment, try BrightStor Enterprise Backup or ARCServe by Computer Associates (Islandia, New York). For systems that have more than a couple of servers, such backup programs save a lot of administrator time going from box to box to run manual backups.

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