You’ve only been in the computer business for a short time, but like the forward-thinking person you are, you already know that you should always make backup copies of your system to avoid data loss in case of hardware problems, crashes or virus infections. It’s just a shame that, given your inexperience with computers and new technologies, you don’t have the slightest idea how to do it.
Considering the circumstances, I decided to help you out with this guide. In the following lines, in fact, I’m going to explain to you how to backup your PC using the Windows built-in functions and using third-party tools. I’ll also show you the differences between the various types of backups and what tools you need to do this. In short, at the end you should have a pretty complete picture of the situation and, obviously, you should be able to do everything without the slightest problem.
As for the duration, it depends on how much data needs to be “secured”. The procedure can be quite quick but can also go on for hours. So arm yourself with a good dose of patience and attention, take some time off for yourself (and your PC) and read the following carefully. I wish you good “work” and wish you the best of luck in everything.
Useful information
Before we get to the heart of the matter and find out what are the steps to take to back up your PC, I would like to give you some useful information. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, I would like to show you the various types of backups available on the market and which media are usually used to perform this kind of operation. To learn more, please continue reading.
Types of backups
As I was saying, before creating a backup of the data on your computer, it is first necessary to determine the type of backup to be made. You probably didn’t know this before reading this tutorial, but there are several: the ones you can find indicated (and explained) below.
Full backup – as its name suggests, this is the type of backup that makes a complete copy of the files and folders on your computer, without any exclusion.
Incremental backup – stores only files that have been created and modified since the last backup was made; all other files are left untouched. As you can see, before making an incremental backup, you should make a full backup.
Synthetic full backup – is more or less identical to the incremental backup, the only difference being that its files are integrated into the full backup from which it originated.
Differential backup – this is a type of backup where files and folders created since the last full backup are stored, everything else is left untouched. However, even in this case, at least one full backup must be created before creating a differential backup.
Media used for backup
The backup copies that are created need to be stored somewhere, to put it very bluntly. But where? Simple: on external media. Let’s find out right now what they are. Here they are.
External hard drives – is practically the most popular solution for making PC backups, as well as the most convenient. There are external hard drives of various “physical” sizes and with different capacities. If you want some advice on this, I suggest you read my buying guide.
USB flash drives – USB flash drives are also often used to create backup copies of data on the computer. They are small, transportable anywhere and also quite reasonably priced. For the purpose in question, it is good to choose one with a high capacity. If you want some advice in this regard, I recommend reading my buying guide.
Memory cards – as far as memory cards are concerned, the matter is more or less similar to that of pendrives. They can, therefore, be a good alternative to memory sticks. If you don’t already own a memory card and you want to buy one, you can read my guide on the subject to understand which model to opt for.
CDs and DVDs – although the use of CDs and DVDs is not very popular, as you find yourself relegated to their standard size (maximum 700 MB for CDs and maximum 17 GB for DVDs), they can be a good solution for those who don’t backup frequently or for those who need to save little data.
Backing up your PC
Let’s get to the heart of the matter and find out how to proceed in order to make a backup of your computer using the standard Windows features. The procedure, I already told you, varies considerably depending on the version of the system used. In all cases, first connect the media you want to save the backup to your computer.
Windows 10
Are you using a PC with Windows 10? In this case, to make a backup of data on your computer you have to rely on File History: it is a feature attached to the latest Microsoft operating system that allows you to create incremental backups and, possibly, even make them fully automatically.
To make a backup with File History, the first step you should take is to click on the Start button (the one with the Windows flag) located at the bottom left of the taskbar and on the gear icon located on the left side of the menu that opens. In the window that will appear on your desktop, select Update and Security and then Backup (in the menu on the left).
Now click on the “+” button next to the Add a drive item, select the backup drive from the list that opens, and you’re done. From now on, Windows will create an incremental backup of the most important folders in your system on the chosen drive at regular intervals.
You can also change the backup settings if you wish. To do so, click on the More Options item in the on-screen window. In the new window that will open you will be able to see the size of the current backup, make a new backup right away, set the time interval for saving data, etc.
As for restoring, on the other hand, clicking on the Restore files from a current backup heading will allow you to recover your previously saved data by following the on-screen wizard.
For more information regarding the above practices, I invite you to refer to my tutorial on how to backup Windows 10 PC.
Other versions of Windows
Are you using Windows 8/8.x or Windows 7? Also in this case, you can take advantage of the feature already included in the system for this purpose but the activation and configuration procedure is different than the one seen in the previous step for Windows 10.
In fact, what you have to do is, first of all, click on the Start button (the Windows flag) located at the bottom left part of the taskbar, look for Control Panel in the menu that opens and click on the corresponding result.
In the next window that will open on your desktop, locate the System and Security item and click on the Run computer backup option below it. Then click on the Configure backup item, select the external media you wish to use for backing up your data and press the Next button.
Now select the Automatic selection option (recommended) if you prefer that Windows automatically selects the files to be included in the backup or select the Manual selection option if you want to manually select the data to be backed up. Then click on the Next button.
Then make sure that the backup summary shows the settings you have chosen and, if you want, click on the Change schedule item to choose how often Windows should back up your data. By default, the backup is performed every Sunday at 7pm.
To finish, press the Save settings and run backup button and wait for the backup process to finish. After that, Windows will automatically create incremental backups according to the set frequency.
Of course, if you need to, you can change the automatic backup schedule settings, manage disk space and command a new backup to run on the fly by going to the System & Security > Backup & Restore section of the Control Panel and using the options shown on the screen.
As for restoring, instead, you can choose, always from the same section of the Control Panel, whether to restore your files or those of all users by clicking, respectively, on Restore user files and Restore files of all users and following the proposed wizard.
If you need more information, I invite you to read my guide focused on how to backup Windows 7 (also valid for Windows 8/8.x).
Programs to back up your PC
Are you not satisfied with the functions already included in Windows for backing up your PC and would rather rely on third-party programs? Then take a look at the ones listed in the following steps. I’m sure you’ll finally find what you’re looking for. Also in this case, please connect the media on which you want to save the backup to your computer beforehand.
Macrium Reflect
The first resource that in my humble opinion you could rely on to create a good backup of the data on your computer is Macrium Reflect: it is an excellent free software (possibly available in paid variant with extra features) running on all versions of Microsoft OS that allows you to create backups of the entire PC, saving the system partition on floppy disks or external hard drives, quickly and easily.
To use it, connect to the Macrium Reflect website and click on the Home Use button in the middle, then type your email address in the form that opens, click on the Continue button, answer the question you are asked, click Continue again and access your email account to confirm your account by clicking on the link in the email sent to you by the software house. Subsequently, the download of the software installer will start automatically.
Once the download is complete, open the .exe file and click the Download button in the window that opens. In the next window that will appear, click the Yes button and the Next button twice. Then select I accept the terms in the License Ageement and click the Next button again, after that select the Home option and click Next. Uncheck the box regarding the registration of the software copy in the upper part of the window, click the Next button twice more, click the Install button and finally press the Finish button.
Now that you see the Macrium Reflect window on your desktop, to start backing up your computer’s hard disk (or a partition of it), click on the Windows flag button on the toolbar on the left and, in the window that opens, select the partition you want to back up by putting a check mark next to its entry.
Then indicate the location where you want to save the backup (also on hard disks, flash drives and memory cards) by clicking on the […] button next to the Folder item (below) or, if you prefer to save the backup on CD or DVD, choose the appropriate option below and make sure that the burner connected to the computer is selected from the drop-down menu (otherwise you can do it yourself).
To finish, type the name you want to assign to the backup in the Backup filename field and click the Next, Finish and OK buttons to start creating the backup on the specified media.
As for restoring, select the Restore tab attached to the main window of the program, select the backup from the central section, click the Next button and follow the simple on-screen wizard to finalize the operation.
EaseUS Todo Backup
Another good software that you can consider for backing up your PC is EaseUS Todo Backup. It has a friendly user interface, is in Italian and integrates all the tools you need to create backups of files/folders, partitions and entire hard drives. It supports creating incremental or differential backups, cloning hard drives and the ability to restore the system to a different hardware. It is free (but also available in a paid version with extra features) and works with all versions of Windows.
To download it to your computer, go to the program’s website, click on the Free Download button twice in a row, type your email address in the appropriate field, click on the Try Todo Backup Free button and the Download link.
Once the download is complete, open the .exe file and click on the Yes button in the window that appears. Then click on the Next (three times), Decline (to avoid installing Avast or other extra programs), Finish and Close buttons to finish the setup.
Once the program’s window appears on your desktop, express your intention to use the free version of the software, then choose whether you want to make a backup of your entire system, of a disk or partition, of individual files or whether you want to perform a quick backup by clicking on the corresponding buttons in the left sidebar.
In the additional window that opens, configure all the settings according to your needs and preferences and click on the Proceed button to finish.
As for the recovery process, all you need to do is click on the Browse for Recovery item in the center of the program’s main screen, select the backup or file you are interested in and confirm its recovery.
Other programs
In addition to the software I have already mentioned, there are other programs that can be used to back up the data on your PC, both free and paid. If you are interested in this, I suggest you to read my review on backup programs through which I have listed all those that in my humble opinion are the best resources of the category.
Backing up your Mac
What about the Mac side? How do you create a nice backup of files, folders, applications and so on present on macOS? Well, simple: using Time Machine, the proprietary system of Apple-branded computers, or resorting, even then, to the use of third-party applications.
The procedures to be performed are not that dissimilar from those for Windows seen together in this guide. If you’re interested in this, or rather if you also own a Mac, and you want to learn more about it, I suggest you read my tutorial specifically dedicated to how to make a Mac backup, through which I have provided to address the issue in detail.