The Windows 7 operating system has built-in backup tools that allow you to back up the Windows operating system and user data. Archiving will allow you to create a backup image of the system and other user data, with which you can restore the system after serious problems.
This article will give an overview of using the built-in backup tools in Windows 7. The built-in backup tools of the operating system, in terms of their capabilities, can satisfy most computer users.
How to make a backup? There are quite a few backup programs, among them such popular programs as Nero BackItUp, Norton Ghost, Paragon Drive Backup Professional,. You can also back up the system without the help of third-party programs using the Windows backup and backup tools.
Why is backup desirable? Because, in case of reinstalling the Windows operating system, for any reason, all the data that is on the system disk will be lost on your computer. You will have to reinstall all programs, make other settings for the operating system.
Suddenly, due to hard drive failure or exposure to viruses, you can lose all your data, and not always lost data can be recovered by recovery specialists.
The way out of this situation is to create a backup copy of the system and other files you need. After a sudden system or hardware failure, you can restore all data from a backup. The operating system, drivers, programs and other files that you backed up will be restored to your computer.
Now we can move on to an overview of how archiving works in Windows 7.
In order to start a system backup, go to the Start menu => All Programs => Maintenance => Backup and Restore. You can also launch the built-in Windows backup and backup tools from the Start menu => Control Panel => File Backup and Restore.
It may happen that in case of serious problems with the operating system, you will not be able to boot the operating system in normal or safe mode. Then you will have to use the Windows 7 installation disk, or a bootable USB flash drive, with the image of the operating system recorded on it to restore the system.
A bootable Windows flash drive can be created using specialized programs, reviews of which you can read on my website in the "Programs" section.
If you do not have a Windows 7 installation disc, you should create a system repair disc. The recovery disc, which contains the recovery environment, can be used to boot the computer.
This system recovery disc contains Windows operating system recovery tools that can be used to restore the operating system after a serious error, or restore the system from a created system image.
Create a System Recovery Disc
For those users who have pre-installed operating systems on their computer, creating a bootable system recovery disk is a must. Computer manufacturers now often do not include a Windows installation disc. In this case, the system recovery rescue disk will help you boot your computer to restore it if it is not possible to boot in another way.
In the "Backup and Restore" window, you must click on the item "Create a system recovery disc" to create an emergency system recovery disc. In this case, you will have a rescue CD for system recovery in case of serious problems with the operating system.
After clicking on the item "Create a system recovery disk", the window "Create a recovery disk" opens. To create a system recovery disc, you need to insert an empty CD or DVD disc into the optical disc drive, and then click on the "Create disc" button.
Next comes the process of creating a system recovery disk. After completing the creation of the emergency recovery disk, you need to click on the "OK" button. The Windows 7 Rescue Disk is about 150 MB in size.
You will now be able to access system recovery options using a bootable recovery disk if it is not possible to boot your computer using other methods.
To boot the computer from a rescue or installation disk, you will need to select in the BIOS the boot priority from a CD / DVD drive, and in the case of using a bootable USB flash drive, from the USB drive to which such a bootable USB flash drive is connected.
If, when creating a recovery disc, you are prompted to insert an installation disc with the Windows 7 operating system, this means that the necessary files to create a system recovery disc were not found. In this case, you will need to insert the Windows 7 installation DVD into the computer's optical drive.
With a Windows 7 installation disc or system recovery disc, you will be able to boot into your computer and have access to all operating system recovery options.
Creating a system image
If you select "Create a system image" in the "Backup and restore" window, then a system image will be created for restoring it, which includes copies of the disks necessary for the operation of the Windows operating system. You can include additional disks in the system image and use it for recovery in case of problems. However, you cannot use individual items for recovery.
In the "Creating a system image" window, you will need to select a location to store the backup.
In the System Image Creation window, you will need to select the drives that you want to include in the backup. In this case, it will not be possible to add the disk on which the backup will be saved. Then click on the "Next" button.
In the new System Image Creation window, you will need to confirm the backup options and backup location. After that, click on the "Archive" button.
Archiving in Windows 7
Now let's move on to the archiving and backup settings. In the "Backup and restore files" window, you need to click on the "Set up backup" item.
Next, the Backup Settings window opens. You will have to wait for some time while the data backup starts. You will see the inscription “Starting data archiving” in the window, while the archiving itself is not yet taking place.
Then the Backup Settings window opens. In this window, you must select a location to store the backup copy of the archive.
The best option for storing the system backup you create is an external hard drive. Because if you back up on another partition of your computer's hard drive, then if the hard drive fails, then the operating system, your data, and the backups created for recovery will be forever lost. The data, at the same time, is physically located on the same hard disk, they are only located on different logical disks.
In this image, you can see that the system itself prompted me for a storage location - an external hard drive, with enough space to create a backup.
In the Backup Settings window, you will need to select what should be archived.
When given the choice of Windows, the operating system will back up files stored in standard folders, libraries, on the Desktop, and create a system image that will allow you to restore your computer in case of problems. All your data and settings will be backed up, and you can restore your system from a backup if necessary.
In this case, it will be possible to select specific drives, select individual folders located on the selected drive. Be sure to check the box next to "Include disk system image: (C:)", so that you have the opportunity, if necessary, to restore the system from the created backup.
The data you select will be backed up according to the schedule unless you start archiving manually. After completing the selection of objects for archiving, you should click on the "Next" button.
In the archiving settings window, you need to check the archiving settings again, and then click on the "Save settings and start archiving" button.
Before starting the backup, you can click on the "Change schedule" link to select your schedule or perform an on-demand backup.
If you do not perform backups on a schedule, but manually when you need it, then you will need to uncheck the box next to the item "Perform backups on a schedule (recommended)", and then click on the "OK" button.
Next, you will need to start archiving. The time it takes to create a backup will depend on the size of the disks and files to be backed up, as well as the power of your computer. A backup that is run again will be faster because only files that have changed since the previous backup will be overwritten.
Keep in mind that if you set up a scheduled backup, the external hard drive must be connected to your computer at that time. If you will be backing up without a specific schedule, then the best option would be to backup about once a month. In this case, you will save the system settings that you made relatively recently.
Important data that you change frequently will need to be backed up more than once a month to always have an up-to-date backup for recovery.
How to disable archiving in Windows 7
Sometimes, it may be necessary to turn off archiving, if you have set up scheduled backups, and the disk where you save the backups runs out of free space. In this case, you will need to disable scheduled backups.
To do this, you will need to enter the Start menu => Control Panel => Administrative Tools => Services. In the "Services" window, you need to find the item "Backup Engine Service (WBENGINE Service is used to perform backup and restore operations)".
To disable automatic archiving, you need to change the startup type of the service from "Automatic" to "Manual". To do this, you need to right-click on the item "Automatically" and select the item "Properties" in the context menu.
In the "Properties: Block Level Backup Service" window that opens, in the "General" tab, in the "Startup type" item, select "Manual" and click the "OK" button. Next, you will need to restart your computer. Now you can start the backup manually at your discretion.
If you are annoyed from time to time by messages about the need to configure archiving from the Notification Panel (tray), then such messages can be turned off. To do this, go to the Start menu => Control Panel => Action Center. In the "Action Center" window, in the "Maintenance" field, in the "Archiving settings" item, click on the link "Do not receive more messages on the topic: "about Windows archiving"".
Article Conclusions
Using the built-in operating system tool - Windows 7 backup, you can backup Windows, the entire contents of your hard drive or make copies of individual drives, files and folders.
In the event of a serious failure of your computer, you will be able to restore the system and all your data from a backup. Archiving allows you to make backups not only manually, but also according to the schedule you choose.
Backup in Windows 7 (video)
Archiving is the most effective and best tool for ensuring the safety of data. Timely backup of information can not only save you from losing important files, but also allow you to restore your computer after serious failures.
Introduction
Purely theoretically, modern Windows operating systems should be able to work on computers without failures for a very long time. To do this, many software mechanisms are built into the OS that are responsible for the security and reliability of the system, designed to independently resolve various problems that arise during the operation of the PC. The same applies to the hardware component of a computer, the components of which, under normal operating conditions, should serve the user for at least several years.
But in practice, things look a little different. In some situations, Windows stability is not as perfect as the developers claim, and PC parts can fail after only a few days of operation. At the same time, all this can happen, as always, at the most inopportune moment. So sooner or later, an unpleasant situation can happen to any of you, as a result of which the operating system becomes inoperable or important data is lost. It is possible that both will happen at the same time.
In order to help users avoid serious troubles associated with the loss of information and the occurrence of failures in the operation of the OS, Windows has several tools that allow you to back up the necessary data, as well as create system restore checkpoints, a system image or a system recovery disk. In the future, the created copies can be used to reanimate certain information or the entire system as a whole.
All recovery and backup mechanisms can be found in Control panels system.
If in the computer settings window you have category browsing (by default), then you need to find the link Archiving computer data In chapter system and safety. If the view of all panel elements is set, then we are looking for the option Backup or restore.
After launching it, a window will open in front of you, containing links to various tools for backing up and restoring data.
Data archiving
Archiving data is the periodic creation of copies of files and folders that you work with most often, as well as your account settings. If in paragraph Archiving you will see the inscription Data archiving is not configured, then this means that archiving was not performed earlier in this system, and in case of data corruption, you risk losing them once and for all.
To correct this situation, click on the link Set up backup, after which the archiving setup wizard will start.
At the first stage, the utility will scan and identify all storage devices that are connected to your computer and display their list (except for the system disk) in a new window. From this list, you should select the disk on which you plan to store the created archives.
The most optimal storage for backups is an external (removable) hard drive that can be stored separately from the computer. At the same time, portable magnetic drives, in fact, being ordinary HDDs, dressed in a case with a controller, can store the same large amounts of information as their internal ones. And this means that, if necessary, in many cases you can make a complete copy of your disk and transfer all its contents, for example, to another computer. In cases where the archived data is small, USB flash drives, memory cards or writable optical discs (CD, DVD) can be selected as storage objects.
In addition to external drives, you can store archive copies of files on any non-system partitions of internal hard drives. For example, this is advisable when several hard drives are installed on the computer at once. If, however, a logical partition physically located on it is selected as the place to save the backup copy of data from the disk, then in the event of a hard drive failure, you will still say goodbye to all your information. So it is better to store data and their backups on different physical media.
Windows also provides the ability to save archive files on a local network on remote computers.
After selecting the location to save the backup copy, press the button Further, after which a window will open in front of you.
Here we are invited to make a choice between automatic and manual selection of archiving objects. In the first case, the system itself will back up files from key user libraries and folders. In the second - the choice can be made independently.
- Data files saved in folders and libraries: Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, AppData, Contacts, Desktop, Downloads, Favorites, Links, Saved Games and Searches.
- A system image that is an exact copy of the system disk partition and includes the system itself and all its parameters, user settings and files, as well as installed programs.
Of course, many users (especially beginners) will find this type of backup easier, but it still has its drawbacks. First of all, this concerns the automatic creation of a system image archive, which can be very large and lead to a rapid overflow of the drive intended for storing backups. At the same time, individual elements cannot be selected from the system image during data recovery, for example, only a library with documents, and therefore it is poorly suited for restoring individual files or folders. So it is better to take the process of preparing a planned archive under your own control, and do the image of the system partition manually, as needed.
After selecting an item Give me a choice a window will open in front of you, where you can independently check the necessary objects for archiving with the help of checkboxes.
Particular attention should be paid to the fact that the system separates the data of different accounts, as well as data on hard drives. That is, you can choose to archive both libraries of all computer users at once, or individually. Also, for each user, it is possible to select the necessary archived components. In addition, you can add the necessary files and folders located on hard disk partitions to the backup. To do this, simply expand the desired section (click on the triangle on the left) and select the necessary objects. If you want to create a complete copy of a logical drive, check the box next to it without expanding it.
Under the list of libraries and components for archiving, in the lower part of the window, there is a separate item for creating a system disk image. At the same time, if your computer has several operating systems installed in different partitions, then Windows will include all of them in the created image. This is just clearly visible from our screenshot, which was taken on a computer with two installed operating systems.
True, we agreed that in this example we will not create an image of the system, but leave this matter for later. So for now, uncheck the box Include disk system image.
After you make a selection of the necessary components and click the button Further, a control window will open, in which you will be asked to check all the main archiving parameters again.
Here you can also change archiving schedule by clicking on the link with the talking title.
In the schedule settings window, you can select the frequency, days of the week, and time for automatic archiving. When choosing a time, do not forget that the computer must be turned on at that moment and it is better not to be used by you, since the archiving procedure can seriously slow down the workflow. In addition, in this window, you can completely disable the automatic creation of scheduled backups and subsequently do it only manually.
Finally, when all the parameters are specified and the settings are made, to start the procedure for archiving the selected objects, press the button Save settings and start archiving. Windows will immediately begin the process of creating a backup copy according to the created rules. At this moment, you will be able to visually monitor the progress of archiving using the indicator located in the window.
To view more detailed information, you can click on the View Details button, after which an additional window will open in front of you, which will reflect the progress of the running procedure.
The duration of the archiving process directly depends on the number of objects you specified, as well as their total volume, and can take from several minutes to several hours.
After the end of the backup, in the archiving window already familiar to us, information about the size of the created archive and its contents, the time the next copy was created, and the date of the last archiving will appear.
Here you can also change or disable the schedule, perform an unscheduled backup (Backup button), create a system image or a system recovery optical boot disk, and manage backup disk space.
From the same window, you can access the general list of backups by clicking on the button View archives, as well as change the parameters of the system image.
In order to free up disk space in case it is full, you can delete unnecessary (outdated) copies in the archive list display window by selecting the required entry and pressing the button Delete.
So, we have just reviewed the planned and manual archiving of information, which allows you to systematically save the necessary data, including personal files and folders, on selected media, thereby ensuring the possibility of their quick recovery. But do not forget about the operating system, which is the main and most important tool for the user when working with a computer.
There are frequent cases when, under the influence of various external factors, the normal operation of the system is disrupted. For example, this can happen when a computer becomes infected with a virus or there is a sudden power outage. In certain situations, with serious failures, restoring Windows to working order can be very difficult, and sometimes it can not be done at all. In this case, users not only have to completely reinstall the system, but also configure its settings, reinstall device drivers, as well as all programs and applications.
To avoid such unpleasant troubles and make life easier for yourself in the event of an OS crash, Windows has a standard tool that allows you to create exact copies of the partitions in which the system is installed. By creating an image of the system partition, in the future you can restore the entire operating system from it with the settings already configured, personal libraries and applications you installed in a matter of minutes.
As you may have guessed, the same tool is used to create a disk image in Windows. Backup and restore, which we discussed above when studying the procedure for archiving data. Having opened this component, in the left column of the window, you can see a link with a telling name, by clicking on which the mechanism for creating a copy of the system disk will start.
First, as in the case of regular data archiving, you will be prompted to choose a location to store the created image. The most preferred option here is On hard drive. In this case, it is better to store the system image on a separate internal or external drive, and not on another logical partition of the hard drive with the installed system. Only then will you provide yourself with the opportunity to restore the OS in the event of a mechanical failure of the HDD.
The option of storing the image on DVDs is also not bad. But here everything will depend on how much space your backup copy of the system partition takes up. For example, in our case, archiving two system partitions may require about 145 GB. This means that to burn such an image, 31 regular (single-layer) DVDs are required.
If the system image does not exceed 30-40 GB, then optical disks can be used to store the system. Although messing around with 8-10 carriers will also seem like a burden to many users.
A final alternative for storing system images is a network location. Frankly, this option can not be called optimal. Indeed, in order to pull a backup copy from a remote resource, it is necessary to connect the computer to the network, which can be very problematic or simply impossible without a fully installed operating system.
After you select the location of the system image, a window will open in front of you, in which you will need to select the disks included in the backup.
In fact, the figure clearly shows that in addition to system partitions, images of other logical disks can also be included in the backup. True, there is one condition here - you cannot include a disk image in the archive if it is selected as the storage for the system copy.
After selecting the sections necessary for archiving, click Further. Finally, a control window appears in front of us with confirmation of the archiving parameters. The most important thing here is to pay attention to the size of the required space for the archive. If the predicted volume is at least slightly higher than the amount of free space on the media or almost equal to it, then it is better not to start archiving. Otherwise, you risk wasting a lot of time.
After making sure that the selected parameters are correct, click on the button Archive to launch the system image creation procedure directly. If something does not suit you during the archiving process, you can click the button Cancel and set all parameters again.
After the backup of the system partition is completed, the wizard will prompt you to create system recovery disk. This disk will be very useful to you in those cases when you need to restore the system from an image, but at the same time it will be impossible to start a previously installed copy of Windows, which means that it will not be possible to launch the built-in standard recovery tool. At the same time, keep in mind that during the occurrence of failures or virus infections, it is the boot area of the system or the components responsible for starting the OS that is often damaged. So the likelihood that you will encounter just such a situation is very high.
What is a recovery disk? In fact, this is a boot disk (you can boot your computer from it) containing the main Windows diagnostic and recovery tools that can be used to reanimate a computer after serious failures, including from a previously created system image.
If you don't have a blank optical disc after you've finished creating the system image, you can postpone the creation of the recovery disc until later. Subsequently, this can be done from the already familiar system component - Backup and restore by clicking on the link in the left column Create System Recovery Disc.
The process of creating this disc is very simple. In the window that opens, you select the desired drive (if you have several), insert a blank DVD into it and press the button Create disc. The system will do the rest for you automatically.
Conclusion
Remember that regular archiving of data (backup), which is very important to you, is a guarantee that one day you will not have to mourn for irretrievably lost personal documents, photos, family videos and other unique files.
Also, do not forget about your main working tool - the operating system. After all, having a backup copy of the system partition, in the event of critical Windows failures or even a hard drive failure, you can always quickly restore not only the working state of the computer, but also all your personal libraries, installed applications and system settings.
Due to our own erroneous actions of working on a computer or a virus attack, it is not possible to download Windows 7 in any way?! Or the operating system is loaded, but it is simply unbearable to work in it?! If you are familiar with these situations and would like to correct the situation within a minimum time, you need to prepare for such problems in advance and sometimes (once a month / once every two months) make an image of the system and, if necessary, restore the operating system by rolling back to the created image. Windows 7 has a built-in system archiver, which is intuitively very simple and clear, you do not need to install additional programs to create an image of your system, and even more so spend money on these programs.
How to make a system image of Windows 7? There are several ways to start System Backup, here is one of them. Come along the way
In the window that opens, on the left you will see "Creating a system image"- this tool will allow you to create a system archive once, if you look to the right side of the window, you will see a button, i.e. It is possible to configure archiving automatically. 
You choose which method suits you, in this article I will describe both of these methods.
Creating a system image
Click "Creating a system image", in the window that opens, select the place where the system backup will be stored, the ideal option is an external hard drive, you can use CD / DVD, but keep in mind that you will need a lot of them. It is also better not to use a local disk, since during a virus attack, recovery from a local disk is not always possible.
After choosing a backup location, you need to choose what to archive. If you have enough space, save all local drives. In this example, I will save only the C drive.
In the next window, confirm our choice and click "Archive".
Next comes the process of archiving / creating an image of the system, it can last quite a long time, it all depends on the amount of space to be archived and the power of the computer.
At the end of archiving, the system will offer to write data to disk, since I am archiving to an external hard drive, I don’t need it, click “no”, besides, I don’t really want to write 32 GB :)
This completes the process of creating a system image, the backup is located on a removable disk, the name of the folder is WindowsImageBackup.
Configuring automatic system imaging
I remind you initially we went along the way "Start - Control Panel - Backup and Restore", press "Set up backup", in the window that opens, select the location where the system backup will be stored, please note that the specified backup location must be available when it is scheduled to run. The ideal option is an external hard drive, CD / DVD are not entirely suitable, since it would not be very advisable to spend several disks on each backup. It is also better not to use a local disk, since during a virus attack, recovery from a local disk is not always possible.
In the next window, we select what we will archive or present the choice to the system, i.e. leave the default, in this example I will leave the default. Click "Further".
In the next window, select the schedule for running the system image, I recommend once a month, although this is individual, it all depends on how often you make changes to the system.
After pressing "Save settings and start archiving", the archiving process will begin. Archiving the system may take a long time, up to several hours, it all depends on the amount of data and the speed of the computer.
I hope you will never need a backup of the system, but situations are different and for safety reasons I strongly recommend making an archive image of the system.
In this article I will tell you how to back up data: work files, multimedia and operating system (make an image of it). Backup (data archiving) is extremely necessary, because as a result of a hard drive failure, or a virus, you can lose important documents, photo archives, works created in various programs. Maybe you just want to reinstall a clean copy of the OS with all the programs. When this happens, this situation will be easy to correct.
The most common case for users is the failure of the operating system. In order to restore the computer to its previous state (programs, settings, etc.), you need to spend from several hours to several days to install and configure Windows, but installing additional software takes the most time. Often inexperienced users store their data on the system disk without thinking about transferring information to other hard disk partitions, not to mention external HDDs.
Backup (archiving) and recovery methods
Windows 7: built-in backup and restore tool
It is quite easy to use and even allows you to perform this procedure automatically on a schedule. Location on the system of the backup tool: «Start | All programs | Service | Archiving and Restoration». Menu in the column on the left - "Create System Recovery Disc" and "Creating a system image".
Create a system image. You must specify the location of the future archive: select another disk partition, external HDD or optical disk (DVD, Blue Ray). It is also possible to save a backup to a network drive. It is not practical to use optical media, so use a logical drive with sufficient storage space or an external HDD to store the backup. Select a location and click the "Archive" button. The entire system partition will be archived. This procedure can be carried out on a schedule, while Windows updates the previously recorded system image without creating it again, which saves time.
If you select the "Archive" tool, you can set up regular backups of important user data. To do this, select "Set up backup", specify which drive will be saved to, click "Next", in the next window select "Give me a choice" and then mark the objects for archiving. To restore the contents of a backup, select one of the three suggested actions: Restore my files from this backup, Restore files for all users on this computer, or Manage the disk space used by this backup.
To restore the system, in case it does not boot or gives an error that you are not able to fix, you may need a rescue disk. To create it, select "Create a system recovery disk" from the menu on the left and specify on which media it will be organized. Unfortunately, only laser discs are supported, which is not suitable for owners of laptops without an optical drive.
This built-in tool in Windows is not without drawbacks, such as a long time to create an archive and the lack of a compression function. However, there are other, more functional products.
Backup and recovery using Acronis True Image Home 2013
For Windows XP users, where there is no built-in backup tool, as well as users with higher requirements for the functionality of the backup program, I recommend using Acronis True Image Home 2013.
Acronis True Image Home uses 3 backup methods.
Full image - archiving absolutely all data, including MBR (if the partition is bootable).
Differential - only the data that has changed since the backup was created by the first (full) method is included in the backup.
Incremental method - allows you to supplement the backup with files that have changed since the last backup procedure.
It is easy to make a backup copy of the system partition: in the main program window, select the first option - "Backing up disks and partitions", then specify a partition or drive, specify a location for saving the archive and, if necessary, change the archiving parameters (for example, set the archive compression level on the tab "Performance" or protect the archive with a password). At the end of the process, a file with the extension *.tib. Acronis True Image Home 2013 allows you to mount a backup as a logical drive and work with the data you need. In this way, you can extract the desired file from a pre-created archive that you accidentally completely deleted from your hard drive.
In addition to backing up partitions and disks, you can back up (including on a schedule) individual directories and files, as well as the Windows Address Book, contact list, and Microsoft Outlook correspondence. For recovery in the most severe cases, you can use the bootable version of the program (boot disk or boot disk), and it is possible to create such a solution both on optical and USB media.
It happens that when experimenting with installing several operating systems, the master boot record (Master Boot Record) turned out to be corrupted, you can try to “revive” it by ticking “MBR” when restoring from an image. Also, Acronis True Image Home 2011 can convert backups from its "native" format to VHD format (these are backups created by the Windows 7 system tools, and at the same time virtual disk images, that is, they can be connected to almost any virtual machine) and vice versa .
In most cases, recovery comes down to selecting the desired archive and partition, in which the contents of the backup will be deployed. It is worth noting the extremely long installation time and the low speed of Acronis True Image Home in Windows XP.
Paragon Backup & Recovery Professional: Advanced Backup
About Paragon Backup & Recovery Professional, which provides file backup and restore I told in, however, with the aim of transferring Windows to another PC. Unlike the Acronis product, in addition to archiving operations, it also allows you to perform some actions with partitions - for example, changing the label, formatting, hiding, and deleting. However, for this you will need to switch to "Advanced User Mode".
Before backing up, it is recommended to create a rescue disk to restore data from the image. To do this, go to the "Utilities" section and select "Create a rescue disk". Here you can also select either an optical drive, an external hard drive, or a USB flash drive as the media.
To create a backup copy of your data, go to the section "Data protection and recovery | Intelligent archiving”, without forgetting to prepare a reliable storage before that. You can choose what to back up: "Disks or partitions", e-mail (emails, accounts and address books of Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Mail), "Media Files" and "Documents" (texts, photos, videos and music stored in the My Documents directory) or Other Files or Folders.
Then you can make additional copying options - choosing the degree of image compression, password protection and sector-by-sector copying mode (all sectors of the disk are processed "as is", including unused ones). You can also assign an FTP server as an archive storage, if you have one. If you choose optical media, the program will warn you that it will not be possible to save the disk's master boot record.
For advanced users, Backup & Recovery has a professional virtual machine imaging tool for Virtual PC, VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion. Thanks to it, you can convert an image of a real hard disk, such as a system partition, and then open it along with all the data and programs in a virtual machine, even on another computer.
