How To Back Up a Windows 2000-Based Computer the First Time

This article describes how to back up your Windows 2000-based computer for the first time. The first step in the backup process is to prepare a tape or removable disk for use with Backup. You use the Removable Storage management console to prepare a tape or removable disk. Any tape or removable disk that has not previously been prepared by Removable Storage must be prepared before it can be used by Backup.

NOTE: Preparing a tape or removable disk erases the current contents of the tape or removable disk.

Preparing a New Tape

1. Insert a new tape in the backup device.
2. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
3. Click the plus sign (+) to expand the Removable Storage category.
4. Click the plus sign (+) to expand the Physical Locations category.
5. Click the plus sign (+) next to the backup device (for example, 4mmDat), and then click the media item under the backup device.
6. In the right pane, click the tape that you inserted, and then click Prepare on the Action menu.
7. When you are prompted to verify that you are sure that you want to prepare the tape and write a free media label, click Yes.
8. Repeat these steps as required for any other tape you want to prepare. When you are finished, close the Computer Management window.

Backing Up Your Computer

The next step in backing up the data on your computer is to run the Backup program, and then determine the files to be backed up. For the purposes of this article, a full system backup of all the data on your computer is assumed.

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.
2. Click Backup Wizard, and then click Next.
3. Click Back up everything on my computer, and then click Next.
4. In the Media Type box, click the media type that your backup device supports (for example, MiniQic or Travan).
5. In the Backup Media or File Name box, click New Media, and then click Next.
6. When you finish the Backup Wizard, click Finish to continue.

For additional information, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: