Searching for files scattered across your PC used to be a nightmare – especially when you had forgotten to back them up. But those days are over thanks to Windows Vista. By James Senior.
Published
on 27 January 2007
The Backup and Restore Center in Windows Vista provides a place to manage safeguarding and restoring your files. Anyone can easily configure a backup using the Backup Wizard, while more technically adept users have the ability to access advanced options. And owners of Windows Vista Ultimate can take advantage of Complete PC Backup, which takes a snapshot of your entire system – programs, settings, files and everything else.
When it comes to finding files on your PC, Search has been really beefed up. You can now enter searches into windows such as Documents, Pictures and Music – and even search straight from the Start menu. From there, you can open applications, documents, emails and much more – it’s a far quicker way of getting access to things you need.
The new Search also looks inside documents, so if the most you remember about an email is that it mentions summer, for example, simply type ‘summer’ into the Start menu search box, and it will appear.
Once you’ve mastered Search at a basic level, you’ll want to start taking advantage of some of the Windows Explorer commands that get you the files you’re after even more quickly. For instance, typing ‘Tag:Holiday’ in the Search box returns images tagged ‘holiday’. How about finding files created on a certain date? Just type ‘Created:Yesterday’ or ‘Created:15/10/06’ and you’re there.
Backing and up and restoring your files
Six steps to help you safeguard your precious documents, photos and videos
1. Set and schedule backup
Type ‘backup’ into the Search box
To configure and schedule a backup, type ‘backup’ into the Start menu Search box and select Backup and Restore Center. Now click the Back up Files button. Select where you want to save: to CD or DVD, or to an external hard drive.
2. Select file types
Work out your file types
Decide which types of files you want to include in the backup. Hovering over each category reveals more details about what is included.
3. Select a frequency
Decide how often you want to back up
Choose how frequently you want to perform the backup. This will depend on how often you add to or change files on your hard drive.
4. Ready, set, go
Click save and Windows Vista will scan your files
Click Save settings and start backup and Windows Vista will scan your files and copy them to your backup device. If you chose to back up to CD or DVD, you’ll be prompted to insert a blank disc before the backup proceeds.
5. Restoring files
You can restore the latest file, or an older version
If you need to restore your files later, plug the backup drive into a Windows Vista PC, or put the backup DVD into the DVD drive, go to the Backup and Restore Center, click Restore Files, and choose to restore the latest or an older backup.
6. Add files to restore
Files can be restored to a new location
Click Add files... and browse the files on your backup drive. Once you’ve selected the files to restore, click Next, choose whether you want to restore the files to their original location or a new one, and then click Start restore.
James Senior contributes to Windows Vista: The Official Magazine, and works as a technical specialist at Microsoft UK.
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