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How to use the Backup utility to back up files and folders in Windows XP Home Edition

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Article ID:320820
Last Review:October 6, 2008
Revision:2.0
This article was previously published under Q320820
Things that you should know before you use the Backup utility

What to include in your backup

If you want to back up your computer, we recommend that you back up all the data on your computer, including the System State data. The System State data includes the registry, the COM+ class registration database, files under Windows File Protection, and boot files. You can only back up the System State data on a local computer. You cannot back up the System State data on a remote computer.

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What is not supported

If you use Backup in Windows XP Home Edition, Automated System Recovery (ASR) is not a supported feature. You can use the current version of Windows XP Home Edition to start the configuration process for ASR, but you cannot complete the process. For more information about errors that occur if you try to use the ASR feature with Windows XP Home Edition, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
302700 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302700/) An Error Message Is Displayed When You Attempt to Use the Automated System Recovery Wizard

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Volume considerations

You can use the Backup utility to back up and restore data on either FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS volumes. However, if you back up data from an NTFS volume that is used in Windows XP, we recommend that you restore the data to an NTFS volume that is used in Windows XP. If you do not, you can lose data and some file and folder features.

Some file systems might not support all the features of other file systems. For example, the following features are lost if you back up data from an NTFS volume that is used in Windows XP, and then restore the data to a FAT volume or an NTFS volume that is used in Windows NT 4.0:
•Permissions
•Encrypting File System (EFS) settings
•Disk quota information
•Mounted drive information
•Remote Storage information
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SUMMARY

This article describes how to use the Backup utility that is included with a default installation of Windows XP, but not with a default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. However, the Backup utility is included in the Valueadd folder of the Windows XP Home Edition CD-ROM. Therefore, to use the Backup utility in Windows XP Home Edition, you must first install it. For more information about how to install the Backup utility for Windows XP Home Edition, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
302894 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302894/) How to Use the Backup Utility to Back Up Files and Folders in Windows XP Home Edition

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How to back up files and folders by using the Backup utility

After you install the Backup utility from the CD-ROM, follow these steps to create a backup of your files and folders.

In order to back up files and folders, you must be logged on to the computer as an administrator or with a user that is part of the Administrators group.
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/admin (http://support.microsoft.com/gp/admin)
Note The following steps explain how to create a backup manually by using the Backup Utility. You can also create a backup by using the Backup and Restore Wizard. However, the steps will be slightly different from those that are listed in the following section.
1.Start the Backup utility and select the files and folders that you want to back up.
a. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.
b. Click Advanced Mode.

Note If the Backup and Restore Wizard starts, the utility is running in Wizard mode. You can click to clear the Always start in wizard mode check box, and then restart the Backup utility. If you continue to use the Backup and Restore Wizard, your steps will vary slightly from what is listed in this procedure.
c. Click the Backup tab.
d. On the Job menu, click New.
e. Select the check boxes next to the drives that you want to back up. If you want to select specific files or folders, expand the drive where these files or folders are located. Then, select the check boxes next to the files or folders that you want to back up.
2.Select the System State check box that is located under My Computer in the navigation pane.
3. If the Backup destination list is available, click the backup destination that you want to use.

Notes
•If you selected File in this step, type the full path and file name for which you want to back up data in the Backup media box or in the file name box.
•You can specify a network share as a destination for the backup file. Typically, backup files have the .bkf file name extension. However, you can use any file name extension that you want.
4.Click Start Backup to open the Backup Job Information dialog box.
5.Under If the media already contains backups, do either of the following:
• If you want to append this backup file to previous backup files, click Append this backup to the media.
• If you want to overwrite previous backup files with this backup file, click Replace the data on the media with this backup.
6. Click Advanced.
7. Select the Verify data after backup check box.
8. In the Backup Type box, click the type of backup that you want to create. For a description of a backup type, click a backup type and the description appears under Description. You can select any of the following backup types:
• Normal
• Copy
• Incremental
• Differential
•Daily
9. Click OK, and then click Start Backup.
10. When the backup is complete, click Close.

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REFERENCES

For more information about how to use Backup to restore files and folders, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
309340 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309340/) How to use Backup to protect data and restore files and folders on your computer in Windows XP and Windows Vista
For more information about how to install the Backup utility for Windows XP Home Edition, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
302894 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302894/) How to install the Backup utility from the CD-ROM in Windows XP Home Edition
If you use Backup in Windows XP Home Edition, Automated System Recovery (ASR) is not a supported feature. You can use the current version of Windows XP Home Edition to start the configuration process for ASR. However, you cannot complete the process. For more information about errors that occur if you try to use the ASR feature with Windows XP Home Edition, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
302700 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302700/) An Error Message Is Displayed When You Attempt to Use the Automated System Recovery Wizard

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APPLIES TO
•Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

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Keywords: 
kbfilesystems kbhowto kbinfo KB320820

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