Backing Up in Windows Vista

Back up your data periodically — and store the major backups off-site (that's computer lingo for "anyplace that's far enough away from your computer that a fire won't take out your computer and your backup").

Vista backups fall into the following four categories, not all of which are available to all Vista owners:

• Shadow copies (also called previous versions and, confusingly, backup copies) of your data files, which Vista keeps for you automatically. Shadow copies are only available in the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate Editions of Vista.

• Data backups are partial backups in which you use the File and Folder Backup Wizard to make copies of a subset of everything on your drive(s). Every version of Vista can run data backups, but if you have Home Basic, you can't set up automatic scheduled data backups (you have to start backups by hand), and you can't use a network drive to store backups.

• System Restore points back up most of your computer's internal settings, drivers, and certain key system files. Every version of Vista automatically creates a System Restore point daily. Vista also usually creates a restore point prior to installing new software. Restore points are quite different from data backups.

• Complete backups (also called CompletePC backups, system backups, image backups, ghosts, and several other imaginative appellations) create a snapshot of the entire contents of your drive(s). Only Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate Editions of Vista have ghosts.

If you have a version of Vista that makes you feel like a second-class citizen, your suspicions may be confirmed by consulting Table 1.

Table 1: Your Backup Options