In this article I will explain how to setup a backup image in windows 7 using windows very own backup application.

Windows 7 backup is called "Backup and Restore" and can be found by going to "Start", clicking "All Programs" then "Maintenance". In Maintenance you will find "Backup and Restore". Alternatively you can click "Start" and type "Backup and Restore", then hit "Enter".

Windows 7 backup can use many different medias. The easiest is probably an external hard drive but you can backup to DVD/CD's and even network drives. It would be a wise idea to have at least as much free space on your backup media as your current computer hard drive capacity. That way you will never have a problem with running out of backup space.

To create a backup click "Create a system image" near the left top of the window. "Create a system image" window will pop up. This is where you can choose which media to create the backup upon. Unless you have an external hard drive attached the default media will be your DVD/CD rewrite drive. I will assume you are using the more popular method, external hard drive, but the other methods are closely relatable. Click "Next" and then "Start backup". Depending on the amount of space used on your current hard drive the backup process may take a long time. Let it go until it is finished. When it is done you will have a backup image of your entire computer.

Congratulations, you have now created a system backup image. What do you do if your system actually needs to be restored. Well, first we need to create a system repair disk. You can do this by clicking "Create a system repair disc" in the "Backup and Restore" window. This will open the "Create a system restore disk" window. choose your burning DVD/CD rewrite drive and pop in a blank disk. Click "Create disk" and windows will create a bootable CD.

Restoring you PC from a major hard drive failure or crash is beyond the scope of this tutorial and should probably be accomplished by a IT professional.

So we have learned how to create a system backup of your entire hard drive onto an external backup drive. We also know how to create a system restore disk, just in case the worst happens.

Warmest Regards,

Erik Mjelde