Backing up your operating system and data is very important. There are a lot of things that can harm your computer in such a way, that you will have no other option but to format your hard drive and reinstall your operating system. That could happen unexpectedly, too. And if you don’t have all your settings and data backed up, they will be lost. In this article I’m going to show you how to back up Windows Vista.

Before you backup, I’d recommend you to partition your hard drive, or even better, get a second one. It is best to keep your OS and data on separate partitions – that keeps your files safer and allows various backup methods. Also it can make your computer faster, because this way disk fragmentation is reduced. Separating your data from your OS doesn’t mean that you have to install programs on a separate partition.

Creating a Disk Image

The best way to backup your operating system is to create a disk image. A disk image is an exact copy of a hard drive or partition. It can be stored on a removable hard drive or another computer.  I find that this backup method is the most reliable.

To create a disk image you can use Vista’s Complete Backup and Restore. Unfortunately this tool is not available in Windows Vista Home Basic or Vista Home Premium. But if you have either Vista Ultimate, Business, or Enterprise, you can use this feature. Here’s how:

1. Go to Start - Settings - Control Panel
2. In the standard view click System and Maintenance and then Backup and Restore Center. In the classic view just choose Backup and Restore Center.
3. 
4. Click Back up computer
5. Choose where you want to backup. Keep in mind that the backups are quite large and will not fit onto a standard DVD.
6. Click Next. After that it’s pretty straight-forward.

Backing Up Files

If you are a Vista Home user, you could backup your data using Vista’s Backup and Restore Center:

1. Go to Control Panel - Backup and Restore Center
2. Click on the Backup files button
3. Now choose where you want to save your backup
4. Then choose which disks or partitions you want to backup
5. Specify the type of files you are going to backup. Note that the following files are not included in the backup: files that have been encrypted using Encrypting File System (EFS), program files, system files, files that are using FAT file system, web-based email that is not stored on your hard drive, files that are in the Recycle Bin, user profile settings, temporary files.
6. Set a schedule and then click Save settings and start backup.

That’s it. Now your data is safe. I would advise to check your backups from time to time, because nothing lasts forever – hard drives can die and DVDs and CDs can become unreadable over time.