Backing Up and Restoring Critical Files

I always tell my friends that they need to back up the critical files on their PC on a regular basis. They don't always listen to me (to be honest, they seldom if ever listen to me!), but it's still good advice. Even if it's advice I don't always follow myself.

In previous editions of this book I talked about using the Microsoft Backup utility to perform your backup needs. There are two problems with Microsoft Backup, however. First, it's not installed by default in Windows XP Home Edition. (It is installed by default in XP Professional.) Second, it really isn't that good for backing up today's extra-large hard drives. (It's a rather old and now outdated utility, to be honest.)

So I won't talk about Microsoft Backup anymore.

Instead, I recommend you invest in an external hard disk drive, one that's designed specifically for system backups. These drives, such as the Maxtor OneTouch, come with their own backup software that makes backing up your hard disk a totally automated process. And, given the rapidly dropping price of hard disk storage, you can get an external hard disk big enough to back up your entire main hard disk for $200 or less. Going this route is a lot easier and safer than doing incremental backups to diskette or CD-ROMs using Microsoft Backup. Trust me on this one; an external backup hard disk is money well spent.