Backup The Windows Xp Os Through The Use Of Automated System Recovery

Though Windows 7 appeared on the scene Windows XP is yet very utilized on large scale , however prolonged time use may corrupt key Windows registries, more malware could alter essential Windows dlls which cause our OS difficult to use sometimes. When this happens it's good to have a rescue solution. And happily there are a few methods to carry out it, however I intend to tell about Automated System Recovery tool (or ASR method) who comes integrated Windows XP Professional. The advantage is that you don't necessitate to set up several dedicated package and it is very easy to do.

All you need is: a formatted diskette, the Windows XP Professional installation disk and some free space in a drive where you want to save the backup file.
The utility is called backup and it can be found in Start – Programs – Accessories – Backup. More quickly to access it is to type in Start – Run : ntbackup, which is the name of the program. when you start it and the welcome screen shows you you select the Advanced Mode. In the Advanced Mode of the Backup Utility you have three alternatives to choose: Backup Wizard, Restore Wizard and Automated System Recovery Wizard. The first option is if you want to do a more deep selection of the directories and partitions, for example if you have special documents to another location. The second is used to restore a previously made backup. The third is used to make a clone of the entire Windows Operating System which is usually located on C:\ partition. If by any chance your Windows OS is located elsewhere(another partition) you can select the first option and choose manually from the drives.

If you choose Automated System Recovery Wizard you are asked on the next screen only about the destination of the backup file where it would be created. You are free to decide about the name and the destination of this file. Important is to have enough free space on that drive. Finishing the Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard is just the final stage. Clicking on Finish the program will start analyzing and then the backup operation will start. The backup is made in one file which is having *.bkf extension. The process is taking about 10 minutes but could be also less. After the image of the operating system is completed you are prompted to insert the floppy disk. This is needed if your system fails to start and you must boot from the Windows XP installation CD. The floppy will help you start the rescue program and restore your backup image.

After the completion you can remove the diskette from its drive. You can also do scheduled automated backups with Schedule Jobs.

By: Petterson Bogdan

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You may view articles and specifications about Create Recovery Disk and Automated System Recovery Wizard.