Good day!

Unfortunately, many users do not think about the safety of their data at all, even sometimes when they work on some document for days and weeks! But even a simple virus infection (or a failure in the file system of the disk) - and files can disappear ...

I hope that you came to this article not when everything was already gone, but prematurely in order to do it in time backup (in English - backup (backup)) your important data.

In the article I will show on the example of one rather convenient and functional program, how you can easily and quickly backup your folders, files and even an entire disk. Moreover, you can configure it so that it is created automatically, without your participation!

In general, a timely backup keeps a bunch of nerve cells in place, saves time, and makes you more calm ☺.

So, let's begin...

Tip: by the way, if we are talking about ordinary files, then just copying them to a third-party medium is enough as a backup copy. This, of course, has its inconvenience - but it's already something!

What you need for work

1) Spec. program(s)

EaseUS Todo Backup Free

Official site:

Free and very handy program, which allows you to easily create backups of everything and everything (documents, folders, disks, etc.). The program captivates with its simplicity and reliability: in just a few clicks of the mouse, you can arrange everything (below, in the article, I will show with examples how all this is done).

Additional features: disk cloning (including the system one), the ability to set up schedules, create an emergency flash drive (if suddenly Windows cannot boot), view and select files that you will restore from backup.

Among the shortcomings: there is no support for the Russian language yet (although the developers are expanding the language environment, our turn will soon come ☺).

2) Flash drive or external HDD

It is most reasonable to make a backup on some external media (which will quietly lie away from the computer / laptop, and will help out if something happens). Just imagine for yourself - if you make a backup copy on the same disk that you use - then in case of a breakdown (for example) - this backup will not help you in any way.

Flash drive or external drive(which is even better) - should be large enough to fit all your documents and files that you want to save. Let's say if you have a 60 GB system disk and you want to backup it, then you need a flash drive (disk) of at least 80-90 GB!

Making a disk backup

The first thing to do is to click the "System Backup" button, located in the top menu of the program (see screenshot below).

EaseUS Todo Backup: backing up your system drive

1. select your system disk (number 1 on the screen below);
2. specify the location where you will save (number 2 on the screen below. Personally, I recommended and recommend always saving to third-party media, I have an external hard drive);
3. Plan name: the name of your backup is set here: it can be anything, as long as you yourself remember what you have saved there, for example, in a month or two;
4. Description: description of your backup (similar to the previous one, can be anything);
5. Schedule (schedule): if you need to backup regularly, you can set it once, and then the program will do it automatically. By the way, a screenshot of the schedule settings is given below;
6. Proceed - button to start the operation.

System Backup - settings (description, see screenshot)

As for the schedule: it is done quite well in the program. You can set everything in 2-3 mouse clicks: specify how hours you need to do it (daily, weekly, monthly), then select the days and select the time. In general, everything seems to be simple ...

Schedule (for those who want to backup regularly)

After setting the basic parameters, in the next step, the program will ask you to specify the drive (and folder) where the backup will be saved (by the way, it will be a regular file).

After that, the program will start creating a backup copy. Pay attention to "Estimated time remaining" - this is the remaining time of work. In my case, for a disk of ~60 GB, the program took about 16-17 minutes of time. Pretty fast.

Note: The external drive has been connected to a USB 3.0 port.

The disk backup is ready: the name of your backup will now be displayed in the main window of the program, opposite it is the Recover button (see screenshot below).

EaseUS Todo Backup - system disk backup is ready!

Backup folders and files

It is performed, in principle, in the same way as creating a copy of the disk (which was done in the previous step). To get started, run the utility and click the button File Backup .

1. Select the file or folder: folders (or even entire drives) that you want to back up. For example, I selected the folder "My Documents" (my documents);
2. Destination: where to save the backup (preferably on a third-party medium);
3. You can set the name and description to any ( Plan name, Description);
4. Schedule (schedule): if necessary - set (I usually never specify - when I decided to make a backup, I do everything manually ☺);
5. Proceed- the beginning of the operation.

In general, the program quickly created a backup of my documents. By the way, the backup file itself can later be written to another medium (or even uploaded, for example, to Yandex disk, somewhere in the cloud).

Reference!

Cloud storage: what, how, why? How to connect a cloud drive to Windows, Android - secure storage files in the cloud, available anytime, anywhere -

Recovery example (and overview of files in the backup)

And so, you lost some file (or even a folder), and you decided to restore this data from a backup.

Launch the EaseUS Todo Backup program and click on the button "Browse to Recover"(view backup).

EaseUS Todo Backup - see what's in the backup

Browse to Recover - select the backup you want to open

Then you can view your backup: folders, files, everything is shown in a tree view (clear and simple). It remains for you to tick off which folders you want to restore (number 1 on the screen below), select the folder where you will restore the selected data from the copy (numbers 2, 3 on the screen below), and, in fact, start the process by clicking on the button "Proceed" .

After a while - folders and files will be restored. Convenient and fast...

Well, the last thing I wanted to dwell on in this article. I recommend that you create one more thing: an emergency flash drive, in case your Windows suddenly fails to boot. After all, something needs to be loaded, where you press the button and the system disk will be restored ☺!

In this case, EaseUS Todo Backup provides for the creation of an emergency disk / flash drive. The whole process is very simple and does not take much time (in my case it took about 10 minutes).

Click tool "Tools", and select "Create Emergency Disk"(create a rescue disk).

1. select create WinPE disk (compatibility of the Linux version of the bootloader is much worse: your mouse may not work, USB ports will not be visible when you boot from this emergency flash drive);
2. specify the correct letter of the flash drive (see the screen below);
3. press the "Proceed" button (start recording).

By the way, the program will automatically download the desired disk image from the official Microsoft website and write it to you on a USB flash drive. Comfortable enough.

The flash drive has been written successfully!

How to boot from this flash drive and work with the EaseUS Todo Backup program

Well, in general, in most cases it is enough to call the so-called boot menu, in which you can select the device from which to boot. As another option, you can configure the BIOS accordingly (which takes longer and creates some difficulties for beginners).

Reference!

The topic of BIOS setup and calling the Boot Menu is quite extensive. Most often, it is enough to press the F2, or Esc, or F10 button (these are the most popular) immediately after turning on the laptop / computer. But the cherished menu does not always appear ...

Therefore, in order not to repeat myself here, below are a few articles that will help you!

How to configure the BIOS to boot from a USB flash drive or disk (CD / DVD / USB) -

How to enter BIOS (BIOS) on a computer / laptop e -

Hotkeys for entering the BIOS menu, Boot Menu, recovery from hidden partition -

Depending on the device: the call can take place in different ways: on my laptop there is a special button for this - you turn on the laptop by pressing it, and the desired menu appears. Comfortable!

An emergency flash drive (which we created a little earlier in the article) should appear in the boot menu. Select it and continue downloading.

If the flash drive has been correctly written, with BIOS settings there were no problems - then you should see approximately the same window of the EaseUS Todo Backup program as if you launched it from under Windows. To get started, click the button "Browse to Recover" .

Browse to Recover - browse connected drives and view available backups

Actually, it remains only to start the restoration (an example is below in the screenshot).

To start recovery, click the "Next" button.

It is worth noting that if we are talking about a backup copy of some folder (files), then you can also view the contents of the backup, and restore not everything in its entirety, but only certain data (example below).

View files in a backup - can only be restored selectively!

Actually, that's all I wanted to tell today ☺.

PS: all users are divided into two types: those who have not yet made backups, and those who have already started doing them...

Methods and means of ensuring integritydata integrity

Protecting data (including installed software) from deletion or distortion is not an easy task, even in the absence of deliberate actions on the part of intruders. As a rule, to solve it, it is required to use a set of software and technical measures, the main of which are:

data backup;

thoughtful setting and maintenance of the required ("safe") values ​​of system parameters;

advance installation and development of specialized data recovery software.

The listed measures should be provided for at the stage of developing the organization's security policy and reflected in the relevant regulatory documents (in the document on security policy, in private instructions of structural units and in the job descriptions of performers).

Data backup

Backup can be considered a panacea for almost all situations related to data loss or corruption. However, backup will be a truly universal "medicine" only if you follow the rules for its use. Features of restoring various types of data based on backups will be given in the relevant chapters of the section now consider the general principles Reserve copy.

Archiving and backup

These two concepts are so often used together in publications and when working with data that sometimes they even begin to be perceived as synonyms. In fact, although archiving (English term archiving) and backup (backup) are great "friends", they are not twins at all and not "relatives" at all.

what is behind each of these terms?

Archiving very close to the creation of non-computer, "paper" archives. An archive is a place adapted for storing documents that have either lost their relevance or are used relatively rarely.

Documents in an archive are usually ordered (but by dates, by logic, by authorship, etc.). This allows you to quickly find the document of interest, correctly add new document or remove unwanted ones.

Almost all of these features are also inherent in electronic archives. Moreover, the ability of archiving programs to compress archived data, thereby saving space for their storage, plays a leading role in their creation. It was this ability of archivers that made them friends with backup programs, but more on that a little later.

Target Reserve copy on a computer - to increase the reliability of storing those data, the loss of which can upset (to put it mildly) their owner. For particularly valuable data, two or more backup copies can be created. Typically, there are two interrelated problems that need to be addressed when backing up. : what data to back up and how often. On the one hand, the more often copying is performed, the less effort you will have to spend on recovering a document lost, for example, due to a hard drive failure. On the other hand, creating each new copy requires time and space to store it. In many cases, it is the use of compression methods implemented in archiving programs that allows you to select the appropriate parameters for the backup procedure. Essential difference between backup and archiving is that at least one backup copy must be created not on the hard disk that stores the original, but on an alternative medium (CD, etc.).

Another difference between archiving and backing up given below.

You can create an archive, including rarely used data, and store it either directly on your computer's hard drive, or (preferably, but not required) on another medium. And after that good luckpour source files (originals).

Procedure backup requires the obligatory preservation of the original(that is, the data with which the user works). Backup is primarily intended to improve preservation of data that continues to be used in operation (that is, they change periodically). That's why backups should also be periodicallyski update. In this case, the use of additional data carriers (memory devices) is mandatory. Ideally, each copy should be stored on a separate medium.

Backup Methods

Backups are usually done according to one of three main methods: full, incremental and differential .

Using full redundancy each time the entire data set is copied. For example, an entire file system, a database, or a specified directory on disk is copied. This method takes a long time to write and consumes a lot of backup media. On the other hand, in this case, information recovery is faster than with any other method, since the backup corresponds to the current state of the entire data set (taking into account the frequency of copying). Full backup is the most attractive backup solution system information and serves as a starting point for other methods

incremental(or incremental) method is based on a sequential partial update of the backup. On first stage a complete copy of the dataset is created. Subsequent backup sessions are divided into two types: partial and full. At next partial When copying to backup media, only files that have been modified compared to the previous partial copy are placed (the figure shows a schematic of the incremental backup procedure for a weekly cycle). are considered modified files that havecontent, attributes, or permissions have changed. After a period of time set by the user (or system administrator) a full copy is created, and then the cycle repeats. This method is the fastest in terms of creating intermediate copies and leads to the minimum consumption of backup media.

However, the recovery procedure takes a lot of time: information must first be restored from a full copy, and then sequentially from all partial (incremental) copies. However, it is the most popular backup method.

Rice. Incremental backup scheme for a weekly cycle

At differential(difference) method at the first stage also full copy is made. At subsequent stages, only files that have changed since the full backup were copied (the figure shows a differential backup scheme for a weekly cycle). Resumes after a specified time interval full cycle, that is, a full backup of the dataset is created again. Compared to the incremental method, differential backups take longer to create a partial (differential) backup, but data recovery is faster because only two backups are used: the full backup and the last differential backup.

The main problem of incremental and differential copying is the problem of choosing a reliable criterion for file modification. Typically, this is the Archive attribute (for DOS/Windows systems), file creation/modification time, file size, or file content checksum. Unfortunately, all of them have certain drawbacks associated with the processing of attributes and access rights by individual application programs.

Note

Somefrom contemporary programbackup tools offer a fundamentally different approach to creating backups, sometimes referred to as copying on the fly. Its idea is that any changes to the files specified by the user when setting up the program are immediately transferred to the backup copy. Despite the obvious simplicity of the method, it has a number of disadvantages. The main one is that the changes made may be due to erroneous user actions or the operation of malicious programs. As a result, it may not be possible to return to the "correct" version of the file.

H weeks

Rice. Weekly Cycle Differential Backup Scheme

Another problem is related to the choice of the frequency of creating partial copies and the number of such copies within a complete cycle.

On the one hand, the more often copying is performed, the more "fresh" information will be saved as a backup. On the other hand, each backup session requires certain additional costs: both time and backup media.

To optimize the number of used backup media, special media replacement algorithms (the so-called schemerotation but residents). The most commonly used schemes are:

one-time copy;

simple rotation;

"grandfather, father, son";

"Tower of Hanoi";

"10 sets".

One time copy- this is the most simple circuit, which, in fact, does not provide for media rotation at all. When using it, the backup data is copied every time to the same rewritable media (for example, CD-RW or floppy disk). Another way to use such a scheme is when the next copy of the data is placed on a new non-rewritable medium (for example, on a CD-R). This scheme is usually used in cases where the amount of data being backed up is small, or when backups are not regular (for example, when a single system backup is created on CD-R).

Simple rotation implies that a set of media is used cyclically. For example, a rotation cycle might be a week, in which case one media is assigned to a specific working day of the week. With this scheme, a full copy is usually made on Friday, and partial copies (incremental or differential) are made on other days. Thus, for a weekly cycle, it is enough to have five carriers. After the cycle is completed, everything repeats from the beginning, and the recording is made on the same media. The disadvantage of this scheme is that it is not well suited for archiving full copies, since the number of media in the archive is growing rapidly. In addition, fairly frequent overwriting of partial copies on the same media leads to wear and tear of the latter and, accordingly, increases the likelihood of their failure.

Scheme"grandfather, father, son" has a hierarchical structure and involves the use of a set of three sets of media. Once a week, a complete copy of the computer's disks is made, while incremental (or differential) backups are performed daily. In addition, once a month, another one is produced full copy. The set for daily incremental copying is called "son", for weekly it is called "father", and for monthly it is called "grandfather". The composition of carriers in the daily and weekly sets is constant. At the same time, in the daily set, each carrier corresponds to a certain day of the week, and in the weekly set, to each week of the month. Media from the "monthly" set is usually not reused and is archived. The disadvantage of this scheme is that the archive contains only the data available at the end of the month. As with simple rotation, the daily copies are subject to significant wear and tear, while the load on the weekly copies is relatively low.

Scheme "Tower of Hanoi" rarely used by users of "home" computers. It is built on the use of several media sets. Their number is not regulated, but is usually limited to five or six. Each set is designed for a weekly copy cycle, as in a simple rotation scheme. Each set contains one weekly full backup media and daily incremental (differential) backup media. The table shows the rotation scheme for five media sets.

Tower of Hanoi rotation scheme for 5 packs bearers

Each next set in order is used twice as rarely as the previous one. Thus, set N1 is overwritten every two weeks, set N2 every four weeks, and so on.

Scheme "10 sets" also rarely used. As the name suggests, the circuit is designed to use 10 media sets. The period of 40 weeks is divided into ten cycles. Within the cycle, each set is assigned one day of the week. After a four-week cycle, the transition to the next set is carried out. For example, if in the first cycle, set 1 corresponded to Monday, and set 2, to Tuesday, then in the second cycle, set 2 corresponds to Monday, and set 3, to Tuesday. Such a scheme allows you to evenly distribute the load and, as a result, even out media wear.

Backup software and hardware

Current backup programs relieve users and system administrators of the need to "manually" track the frequency of creation And updating backups, replacing media, etc. True, the list of service options provided by such programs depends significantly on the category of the program. All backup programs can be divided into three categories:

Entry-level systems included in operating systems. They also include most free and shareware backup programs. These programs are intended for individual users and small Organizations.

Mid-level systems; at a relatively low price, they have ample opportunities for data backup and archiving. There are quite a few such systems (in particular, ARCserveIT from Computer Associates, Backup Exec from Seagate Software, and Net Worker from Legato Systems).

Systems top level designed for backup and archiving in complex heterogeneous environments. They support a variety of hardware platforms, operating systems, databases, and enterprise-grade applications, integrate with network management systems, and provide backup/archive capabilities using a variety of storage media types. TO similar systems include ADSM from UM and OpenView OmniBack II from Hewlett Packard. However, for many organizations (not to mention individual users) they are quite expensive.

One of the important characteristics of backup programs is the list of supported types of removable media.

At the same time, when creating a backup copy in the "manual" mode, you are free to use any of the storage devices that exist today. Their list with a brief description is given in Table.

Backup storage devices

Device type	Advantages	Flaws
Hard disk drive (HDD)	B. capacity, performance (), high reliability, durability, multiple rewriting, low cost, backup downloadable	Insecurity during transport, exposure to EM radiation, (connection..)
	Acceptable performance and speed, n. cost, reliability, durability	capacity, Not all kinds of PCs are equipped with
	Large capacity, same as CD...	Specialization, Not all types of PCs are equipped with
Cards SD memory, MS, (CF), MMC,…	Capacity, speed, reliability, Acceptable speed and speed, the ability to use different types of devices for transferring m-du
Flash memory modules
External hard drive
Mobile Rack, Streamer, floppy,ZIP, ZIV, magneto-optical

Brief results of the comparative evaluation of the parameters presented in the table of carriers.

This or that rotation scheme can be implemented only for devices with removable media, which include optical (CD and DVD) (and magneto-optical disks). At the same time, for the “average” user, one media with a capacity of several gigabytes is clearly “large” for storing one copy of data. The only exception is when it comes to creating an image of an entire partition hard drive.

Thus, according to the combination of characteristics, backup based on rewritable optical discs (CD or DVD) can be considered the best option today.

There are a few additional points to be made regarding the use of a hard drive as a backup medium.

First: if there is a need to store a hard disk with a backup copy of data separately from the computer on which they were created, then it is advisable to use (the so-called portable disk(Mobile Rack) hard drive with USB interface. .

Second, if your computer is running Windows XP Professional and has at least two hard drives installed, you can use the fault-tolerant RAID-1 and RAID-5 technologies.

Third: if there is a single hard disk of sufficiently large capacity, it is advisable to divide it into several logical partitions, one of which (at least) can be used as a backup disk; such a logical backup disk will be protected from many misfortunes that threaten "working" partitions (although, of course, not from all);

Technology RAID

In organizations large enough for backup, it is criticalimportant data technology is appliedRAID (Redundant array of independent disks- redundant array of independent disks), based on the system specially configured hard drives.The original purpose of creating technologyRAIDwas an increase in productioncapacity of disk memory through the use of several interconnectednyh hard drives instead of one.

In total, to date, industry standards provide forbut eight levels (modifications)RAID:

RAID-0 - merge space of multiple physical disksinto one virtual volume for which the striping method is applied(striping, fromstrip- "band"): information is divided into blocks, one by onebut recorded on all volume drives (Fig. 4.3).RAID-0 securitychivaet high speed data exchange, but the reliability is virtuallyits volume is somewhat lower than that of any other level and lower than the reliability of each of the disks included in the volume, since in the event of a failure, althoughIf one of them all information is lost.

RAID-1 - duplication, or "mirroring" (mirroring- mirrorreflection) discs. In this case, the information is simultaneously recordedetsya on two (usually) disk. When one of them failsdata is read from the "mirror". This level also includeschanging duplex volumes (Duplex Volume) when the physical disks used as mirrors must be connectedto different controllers. Implementing disaster recoveryuseRAID-1 is quite simple, but there is a high(100%) redundancy.

RAID-2 - involves the creation on the basis of several physical diskskov of one array (volume) to which data is writtenusing a control code (Hamming code). for storagecontrol codes are assigned to a specially allocated disk.RAID-3 - array with striping and using parity code forerror detection. Parity information, as in the caseRAID-2, stored on a separate disk, but has less redundancy.RAID-4 - similar to level 3, but data is broken into blocks, recordson different disks, and it is possible to access several blocks in parallel, which significantly improves performance.RAID-5 - similar to level 4, but parity information is not storedon a dedicated disk, but distributed cyclically among all diskskami toma.

RAID-6 - unlike level 5, uses two independent schemesparity, which increases both redundancy and storage reliabilityinformation.

RAID-7 is a fault-tolerant array optimized for performance. This levelRAIDonly spe supportedcialized OS.

Disc 2

VolumeRAID

Rice. Scheme of useRAID-0

TechnologyRAIDtoday is implemented both at the hardware level,as well as software.

The hardware implementation is more efficient and the foundationon on connecting hard disks through specialRAID-controllers. Such a controller performs the functions of communicating with a server (workstation), generating redundant information when writing and checking when reading,distribution of information on disks in accordance with the algorithm of theroving.

How a software-managed volume works RAID-1 consists

next.

Based on two partitions located on two different physical drives,created the so-calledmirror volume(Mirror Volume). He is assignedown drive letter (original disk partitions are stripped of their own drive letter)more), and when performing any operations on the data of this volume, all ofChanges are synchronously reflected in both source sections. When exitingIf one of the two disks fails (fails or fails), the system automatically switches to work with the surviving “last hero”. When aroseIn such a situation, the user can split the mirrors, and then combinemerge a healthy partition with another partition into a new mirrored volume. Almost any partition can be included in a mirrored volume, includingsystem and boot.

Restoring data from backups

It can be repeated again and again that the use of data backup is the easiest and most reliable way to ensure their safety. Nevertheless, many users prefer to save a few minutes on creating a backup copy, so that later they can spend several hours (or even days) and a lot of nerve cells recovering lost information. It is all the more strange to put up with this today, when there are a lot of tools that require the user to just specify “when, what and how much” to back up.

When choosing a specific backup tool, it is advisable to consider the following factors:

list of implemented backup methods;

supported media types;

usability (quality of the user interface).

The operation technology of almost all backup programs is the same: the user creates a so-called task, which specifies the composition of the data to be copied, the backup method (full, incremental or differential), the frequency of the backup, its location and (possibly) some other parameters. To restore data (a specific file or an entire disk), you need to specify which copy should be used and set the update mode (with or without replacing the original). This technology is applicable both when restoring "user" data and system information. However, system information recovery has certain features, which will be discussed in the Data Recovery chapter.

Below, as an example, we briefly review two standard (and therefore most accessible) backup and recovery tools that are included with Windows XP Professional: programData archiving AndprogramSystem Restore. The first of them is more "universal" and can be used for any data sets, the second has a more specific purpose - restoring system parameters.

Data Archiving program (WindowsXPprofessional)

Program version data archiving, included with Windows XP Professional, supports different kinds media, which allows you to back up to any storage device supported by the operating system. These devices include any floppy or hard disks, magneto-optical drives, and other devices (not just tape drives, as in the Windows 98 version of this program).

Note

To use the backup program, the Removable Storage service must be running. Like any other serviceWindows XP professionalit can be launched from the administration consolesystems.

In Windows XP, data is backed up using the so-called volume snapshots(volume snapshots). The essence of the technology is as follows. At the time the backup procedure is initiated, a snapshot of the volume is created. After that, the data is backed up, but not from the original volume, but from its snapshot. This allows you to retain the ability to access files during the backup process.

Program Data archiving(Fig. 4.4) has the following main features.

Dear friends, today we will consider a very important topic: Backup and restore data. Why do these two concepts go together and not separately? What are their features, what are they for? We will answer all these questions now, and then we will proceed directly to active actions.

So, let's start with backup: it allows us to save all files, documents and other information from a device or program to an external storage medium. Please note that the latter may be cloud storage on the Internet. But not all data can be stored in this way. We'll talk about this a little later.

But it makes it possible to return everything that we saved earlier, with the subsequent exploitation of the files. For example, if you saved photos from your summer vacation in the cloud, then you can not only view them later, but also upload them back to any supporting device. Now that you’ve added a little to your baggage with these two concepts, we can move on to an active discussion: how to back up data, what programs exist for this, on which devices it can be done, and so on. As you can see, our little discussion is slowly getting bigger. To make it easier for you to work, we will immediately show you the blocks that will be illuminated. You can immediately select the one you need and get to work:

• Information from a computer
• Information from tablets and smartphones
• Recommendations to the user

It is worth noting that in order to create a copy of files or a system, you will need an external storage medium on which your data will be stored. Plug it into the USB port on your computer or laptop. Make sure that the amount of available space on the disk or flash drive is larger than your files take up. Also, make sure that there is no failure during the recording: if someone accidentally touches the cable and it disconnects, then you may lose data.

If you want to create a copy from a smartphone or tablet, it is advisable to use original cable to connect to a PC. For cloud storage users, a fast unlimited internet connection is recommended. For example, if you have limited traffic, and you exceed it, then you will have to shell out a certain amount to cover the resulting debt.

Information from a computer

Since computer data occupies the first line in the ranking of importance among other devices, we will begin our work with them. First of all, it is worth noting that here there is also a small division of the backup by the type of information stored: it can be a complete copy of the operating system, a copy with files, or separate storage of files. For convenience, consider an example for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10.

Windows 7

• We go to the computer control panel using the Start button or any other navigation tools.
• Click on the "System and Security" menu.
• Next, a tabbed window will open in front of you, where you will need to click on "Data Backup and Restore".
• So, in a new window you will see a menu with archiving settings. Click on "Backup and Restore".
• Next, we need to set up backup using the blue button of the same name.

Click on "Set up backup"

• Then you will see a dialog box with archiving settings. Select your hard drive and click on the "Next" button.

Choose the location of the archive

• In the next window, the system will ask you to clarify what exactly should be archived. It is recommended to use the first option (“Give Windows selection”) as it saves everything and updates the data regularly. Please note that here the second option allows the user to choose what exactly needs to be saved. That is, you can put your own folders or separate directories if you do not need a full backup along with operating system files.

Selecting objects for archiving yourself

• Next, we check the set parameters. Here you can set the schedule for automatic creation copies using the Change Schedule button.

• When everything is installed and verified, click "Save settings and start backup".

Process in progress

• Wait for the process to finish, then check your external hard drive to see if your data has been written to it.

Windows 8.1

• Launch the toolbar on the right side of the screen. To do this, move the mouse to the upper right corner, then click on "Search".
• Type the phrase "File History" without quotes from the keyboard and press Enter. In the results, click on the folder of the same name.
• You will be taken to a window where you will need to click on the "System Image Backup" link, which is located in the lower left corner of the window.

• We select the location for storing the archive (as we agreed above, it should be an external hard drive). Click "Next".
• The next window will show you the amount of memory you need. Check all the data and click the "Archive" button.
• Wait while the system creates a backup a copy of Windows on an external storage medium. This process may take some time, so do not rush to panic.

Windows 10

• Launch "Settings" using the Start button on the taskbar.
• Now open the Update & Security tab.
• In the left column with parameters, click on the "Archiving service" item.
• Use the button of the same name to set up an automatic backup system.
• Please note that you can easily adjust the folders that will be copied there without any problems. This will make your work much easier.
• If you want to create a full backup along with the operating system, and not individual libraries and directories, then use the instructions for Windows.

To restore data, repeat the steps until you find the backup settings. BUT now just select the tab or item "Recovery" and just follow the instructions in the dialog box on your monitor screen. There is nothing difficult in this. Naturally, we have reviewed the standard Windows OS tools from Microsoft. There are also special programs for similar operations. They may be more convenient, but in terms of safety and reliability, they may be inferior to these. Therefore, it is recommended to still use the standard OS utilities.

Information from tablets and smartphones

Here everything is somewhat simpler, since they are also used standard programs(for example, for iPhone and iPad, we will work with iTunes). For all gadgets of any operating system, the backup procedure will be the same:

• Connect your device to your computer or laptop. Wait for the appropriate drivers to be installed.
• Run the program that is designed to synchronize with your device. That is, if you have an iPhone, then open iTunes app on your PC.
• Find the tab or item "Synchronization", or "Backup". Click on it and follow the prompts on the screen to create a copy.

• To restore data in the same window, find the button of the same name and click on it.
• Do not disconnect the device from the USB while the computer is performing these steps. This may result in a software failure of the device.
• Please note that you can simply transfer some files from your smartphone or tablet to your PC. This is especially true for owners of gadgets running an operating system. Android systems: available here full access to all files and folders.
• Owners of iOS devices can only store photos and videos in the same way: go to "Computer" and click right click mouse on your device. Click on Import Photos and Videos. Following the prompts on the screen, you can not only import, but also customize it.

Cloud storage

Today, this type of data storage is quite popular on the market: no flash drives, cables, or other peripherals are needed. All you need is an active high-speed Internet connection, and all your files are in your hands. We will not consider their settings (there is a separate topic for this), but we will simply talk about each storage for a specific OS:

• OneDrive for Windows
• iCloud and iCloud Drive for iOS and MacOS
• Google Drive for Android

It is worth noting that there are also universal ones that are installed on any device, regardless of the installed OS:

• Cloud Mail
• OneDrive
• google drive

As you can see, of all the repositories, only Apple has made its product available only to its system. Good or bad - you decide.

• When using an external hard drive or flash drive, make sure that it has enough free space.
• Please note that most cloud storages have limited memory for free access. For example, in iCloud Drive, five gigabytes will be available to you. To expand it you will need to buy a subscription. If you don't have many files, then you don't need to buy anything. You can also use multiple cloud storages.
• Check the creation of copies: if the memory on the disk or in the cloud is over, then the copy will not be created. You risk losing some data, which will be a very sad consequence.
• If you are just copying some files, then it is advisable to delete them from the copied device to free up memory on it.
• If you want to keep very important documents, it is better to make two copies. For example, you can make one on an external hard drive, and the other with a cloud storage program.

Summing up

Dear friends, today we discussed a very extensive and important topic: data backup and recovery. Particular emphasis was placed on computer information, then we considered general principle creating copies of smartphones and tablets, and also got acquainted with cloud storage. At the end, we gave some recommendations to make your work as productive as possible. Remember: timely saved data is the key to saving your nerves. If you lose your files thesis, which you have been doing for weeks or months, it will not be very fun, right? Tell us in the comments which archiving services you most prefer to use and why.

In this article I will tell you how to back up data: work files, multimedia and operating system (make an image of it). Backup (data archiving) is extremely necessary, because as a result of a hard drive failure or a virus, you can lose important documents, photo archives, works created in various programs. Maybe you just want to reinstall a clean copy of the OS with all the programs. When this happens, this situation will be easy to correct.

The most common case for users is the failure of the operating system. In order to restore the previous state of the computer (programs, settings, etc.), you need to spend from several hours to several days to install and configure Windows, but installation takes the most time. additional software. Often inexperienced users store their data on system drive, without thinking about transferring information to other sections of the hard drive, not to mention external HDDs.

Backup (archiving) and recovery methods

Windows 7: built-in backup and restore tool

It is quite easy to use and even allows you to perform this procedure automatically on a schedule. Location on the system of the backup tool: «Start | All programs | Service | Archiving and Restoration». Menu in the column on the left - "Create System Recovery Disc" And "Creating a system image".

Create a system image. You must specify the location of the future archive: select another disk partition, external HDD or optical disc(DVD, Blue Ray). It is also possible to save a backup to a network drive. It is not practical to use optical media, so use a logical drive with sufficient storage space or an external HDD to store the backup. Select a location and click the "Archive" button. The entire system partition will be archived. This procedure can be carried out on a schedule, while Windows updates the previously recorded system image without creating it again, which saves time.

If you select the "Archive" tool, you can set up regular backups of important user data. To do this, select "Set up backup", specify which drive will be saved to, click "Next", in the next window select "Give me a choice" and then mark the objects for archiving. To restore the contents of a backup, select one of the three suggested actions: "Restore my files from this backup", "Restore files for all users on this computer” or “Manage the disk space occupied by this backup”.

To restore the system, in case it does not boot or gives an error that you are not able to fix, you may need a rescue disk. To create it, select "Create a system recovery disk" from the menu on the left and specify on which media it will be organized. Unfortunately, only laser discs are supported, which is not suitable for owners of laptops without an optical drive.

This built-in tool in Windows is not without drawbacks, such as a long time to create an archive and the lack of a compression function. However, there are other, more functional products.

Backup and recovery using Acronis True Image Home 2013

For Windows XP users, where there is no built-in backup tool, as well as users with higher requirements for the functionality of the backup program, I recommend using Acronis True Image Home 2013.

Acronis True Image Home uses 3 backup methods.

Full image - archiving absolutely all data, including MBR (if the partition is bootable).

Differential - only the data that has changed since the backup was created by the first (full) method is included in the backup.

Incremental method - allows you to supplement the backup with files that have changed since the last backup procedure.

backup system partition easy to do: in the main window of the program, select the first option - "Backing up disks and partitions", then specify a partition or drive, specify a location for saving the archive and, if necessary, change the archiving parameters (for example, set the archive compression level on the tab "Performance" or protect the archive with a password). At the end of the process, a file with the extension *.tib. Acronis True Image Home 2013 allows you to mount a backup as a logical drive and work with the data you need. In this way, you can extract the desired file from a pre-created archive that you accidentally completely deleted from your hard drive.

In addition to backing up partitions and disks, you can back up (including on a schedule) individual directories and files, as well as the Windows Address Book, contact list and correspondence Microsoft Outlook. To recover in the most severe cases, you can use the bootable version of the program (boot disk or boot disk), and it is possible to create such a solution both on optical and USB media.

It happens that when experimenting with installing several operating systems, the master boot record (Master Boot Record) turned out to be corrupted, you can try to “revive” it by ticking “MBR” when restoring from an image. Also, Acronis True Image Home 2011 can convert backups from its "native" format to VHD format (these are backups created by the system Windows tools 7, and at the same time virtual disk images, that is, they can be connected to almost any virtual machines) and back.

In most cases, recovery comes down to selecting the desired archive and partition, in which the contents of the backup will be deployed. It is worth noting the extremely long installation time and the low speed of Acronis True Image Home in Windows XP.

Paragon Backup & Recovery Professional: Advanced Backup

About the Paragon Backup & Recovery Professional program, which provides file backup and restore I told in, however, with a view Windows Migration on another PC. Unlike the Acronis product, in addition to archiving operations, it also allows you to perform some actions with partitions - for example, changing the label, formatting, hiding, and deleting. However, for this you will need to switch to "Advanced User Mode".

Before backing up, it is recommended to create a rescue disk to restore data from the image. To do this, go to the "Utilities" section and select "Create a rescue disk". Here you can also select either an optical drive, an external hard drive, or a USB flash drive as the media.

To create a backup copy of your data, go to the section "Data protection and recovery | Intelligent archiving”, without forgetting to prepare a reliable storage before that. You can choose what to back up: "Disks or partitions", e-mail ( emails, Accounts and Outlook address books Outlook Express and Windows Mail), "Media Files" and "Documents" (texts, photos, videos and music stored in the "My Documents" directory) or "Other Files or Folders".

Next, you can make Extra options copying - selection of the degree of image compression, password protection and sector-by-sector copying mode (all sectors of the disk are processed "as is", including unused ones). You can also assign an FTP server as an archive storage, if you have one. If you prefer optical media, the program will warn you that it will not be possible to save the main boot record disk.

For advanced users, Backup & Recovery has a professional tool for working with Virtual PC virtual machine images, VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion. Thanks to it, you can convert an image of a real hard disk, such as a system partition, and then open it along with all the data and programs in virtual machine even on a different computer.

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to explain to her how to back up data. She is a humanitarian, so she needed options in which nothing needs to be configured. Since she is not a stupid person who likes to figure out the problem and make decisions herself, I decided to collect the basic principles for her and describe the pros and cons of certain options (as I see them). I decided to publish here in case that it will come in handy for some of you - to help a friend or relative. I would be very glad to comments on how the text could be made simpler and clearer.

Basic principles

1. Regularity and frequency

Backup data should be as regular as taking pills. It is for this discipline that one can thank oneself if some kind of collapse suddenly occurred. Sometimes losing even just a few working days due to the fact that the backup was not done can be very painful. To answer the question - how often it is possible to backup, having understood the data for which period of time it would be the least painful for you to lose. One of best options- backup data once a week on weekends.

separateness

It is desirable that the data be stored on a separate external hard drive (or other media), stored in a separate place from the main data. The principle is quite obvious - if a problem occurs, it will be localized in one place. For example, if the hard drive on your computer is broken, the backup drive will function just fine. However, there is a balance to be struck between ease of access and security. A hard drive next to a computer significantly increases the motivation to use it for its intended purpose. And at the same time, this is not the safest option for very important data that cannot be lost in any case. That is why there is a distinction between data backup and data archiving.

recheck

As soon as the first backup copy of the data is made, you must immediately check that this data can be restored from it! This means not only that the files become visible. You need to open several files to choose from and check that they are not corrupted. It is desirable to repeat such a check then once in a certain period (say, once a year).

distinction

The best practice is to differentiate data by categories. The category could be their importance to you, the frequency of updates, or just the topic.

Often, backup programs make so-called "images" (image). They look like one single file. So in each such image it is better to save different data.

What is it for. Data of different importance requires different handling of itself, this is obvious. You will probably want to store your important documents more carefully than, say, a collection of films. By dividing data by update frequency, you can, for example, save time taken by backups. Topic - what data is it desirable to restore together in one step? A vivid example of two types of backup that should be done separately:

Data backup

This Word documents, photos, movies, etc. The same applies to this, but often forgotten - bookmarks in the browser, letters in mailbox, address book, appointment calendar, configuration file banking application etc.

System backup

We are talking about the operating system with all its settings. Such a backup eliminates the need to install operating system again, do all the settings, install programs. However, this is not the most necessary type of backup.

Where to backup

1. External hard disk. Often you can buy directly in the box. There are notebook ones - such disks are small in size, but more expensive. Ordinary hard drives can be bought relatively cheaply with a capacity of 2 TB - then you won’t have to worry about disk space for a long time.

Reliable enough (if not dropped or shaken excessively)
+ Relatively inexpensive

You must remember to connect the disk for backup yourself
-Not very convenient to carry (does not apply to laptop drives)

2. USB-stick - suitable as an additional tool when you would like to transfer data from one computer to another and / or have it at hand. Also, if the data itself does not want to be stored on a computer.
There is one big but - a flash drive has a limited number of entries, so if you store application data on it that will write intensively, then the flash drive (usb stick) will quickly die. In addition, in my personal experience, they break quite often. My friend, buying the most expensive flash drives, which were positioned as "not killed", received a broken flash drive in a month or two. To be fair, I must say that so far not a single flash drive has broken, some have been working for 5 years. Nevertheless, I would not store data on just one usb-stick.

Mobile storage
+ Takes up little space
+Very cheap

Unpredictable Reliability

3. Data storage on a remote server (or in the cloud).

There are pros and cons:

Data will be available not only at home, but also at work, while traveling.
+ Location separation of main data and backups (for example, if it happens, God forbid, a fire, the data survives)
+ There is no need to connect a hard drive for backup, as a rule, everything is done completely automatically.

It is advisable to encrypt the data, since it is not known who can access it
- A large amount of traffic is spent (if it is limited, then problems arise)
-Often, you can only store data up to 2 GB for free. So, such a backup is an additional expense item.

List with good description services can be found

How to backup

Here is a list of applications that you should pay attention to (in my opinion) when backing up to a hard drive.

Of the free ones are popular

1. Genie Backup Manager is a very handy program, but it slows down a little when working
2. Handy Backup - simple interface, fast.

Additionally

Often in the backup program settings there is an option - to make an incremental or differential backup. The practical difference is quite simple. With differential backup, you can save on the space it occupies. But there are only two recovery options: data in the state when the full backup was made + data at the time when the differential backup was made.

Incremental backup allows you to roll back to any of the moments in the past when the backup was made. However, especially if data changes occur frequently, space will be eaten up quickly.