Greetings:

First and foremost, I want to thank you for your time consideration, knowledge and help regarding the following issue. I took the liberty to copy instructions for system backup under Home Edition XP. However, under Accessories, System Tools I don't have a BACKUP selection. I do have a RECOVERY selection. Why is this missing and how do I obtain the BACKUP software. 



One of the very first things that you should do with your Windows XP computer is to use the Automated System Recovery Wizard to create a backup of your system.  This backup will be made of two parts: a backup file, and a Recovery Disk.  The backup file will be quite large, and the Recovery Disk will be a floppy.  Here are the steps to complete the process: 

  a.. Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup. 
  b.. When the Backup or Restore Wizard starts, click on Advanced Mode. 
  c.. On the Welcome tab, click the button at the bottom next to Automated System Recovery Wizard. 
  d.. This will start the Wizard, which will prompt you for the media to use for the backup file, after clicking Next. 
  e.. If you have a tape drive installed, this file can go there, but you can also write this file to a hard drive.  This is the fastest method, but it also requires lots of free space.  A writeable CD will work, if the CDRW software allows it to be access via a drive letter. 
  f.. After entering the destination for the backup file, click Next again, and then Finish. 
  g.. The Windows XP Backup utility will copy all of the important system files and settings to the backup file.  An estimate and status bar is provided, as this step can take a considerable amount of time.  After this step is complete, you will be prompted for a blank, formatted floppy disk.  Several files are written to the disk, and then the process is complete. 
This is the first step in a good backup and recovery program.  At this point, you should be able to recover your system and its settings to their current state, even if you had a catastrophic problem (for instance, the hard drive completely failed and had to be replaced).  This process does not backup other data or files (for instance, Word documents that you have stored in a folder on the hard drive).  In future articles we will explain how those files can also be backed up.  In the next feature, we will go over the steps for using the files created above to restore your system in the event of a major failure.

Warm regards,

Mike Davin
With  A Golden Spirit (WAGS)

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