Windows inbuilt backup utility helps you keep an exact copy of data available on your computer or somewhere else and helps you restore whenever you need it back. Using inbuilt backup utilities, you’d be able to keep the important data safe and easily restore it in the event of failure or system inaccessibility. Previous Windows OS like Windows 8 or 7 already has some of the below mentioned features but you can find these tools way much improved and capable enough to perform flawless backup & restore procedure.
Read on the important inbuilt Windows 10 backup utility that ensures data safety and availability:
Backup & Restore
Microsoft has included back the Backup and Restore feature of Windows 7. This feature was taken down in Windows 8 and finally removed in Windows 8.1; it is back with windows 10. It is known as Windows Backup. This feature helps you to restore any backup from Windows 7 to Windows 10 system. And one can use it to back up Windows 10 PC in the same way you had backed up a Windows 7 PC. Windows Backup can be used with much ease to create a backup of anything to everything on hard drive, in comparison to Microsoft’s new File History. You can find this tool in Control Panel, search for backup to find it.
File History
File History feature was introduced in Windows 8, which reappeared in Windows 10. It’s one of the recommended ways to take back up. Thus File History is integrated in both the new the old Control Panel and Settings app. This feature has limitation that it backs up files located in user account’s libraries. One needs to select where backups are saved. One can select any external connected drive, such as a drive on a network or USB drive. File History backs up copies of files that are in the Music, Documents, Videos, Pictures, and Desktop folders available on your PC. If you want some other folders or files placed elsewhere to be backed up, you need to add them to any of these folders. Once files are placed, Windows will automatically create backup of your files. One can use to restore all the files if ever lost by restoring a single file, or roll backing a file to an earlier version.
Reset This PC
Mostly people uses the Reset this PC feature to restore their computer to its default operating state. This replaces the need to reinstall Windows from scratch using USB drive or an installer DVD. Just reset the PC and it will go back to factory default settings. Windows 8 had Reset this PC and Refresh this PC options. But Windows 10 have just one option Reset this PC. Go to Settings app-> select Update and security-> select Recovery-> click Get started button under option Reset this PC. This tells your Windows to keep user files but resetting the operating system installing programs to default state (refresh), or remove everything (reset). Reset feature is faster than reinstalling Windows in the old-fashioned way.
System Image Backup
System image backup feature is back after user outcry and is present in Windows 10 even. System image is exact copy of your drive. A system image includes all the drives required for Windows to run.Open the File History of control panel and then selects System Image in the side pane. This feature allows you to create entire image of the current system that includes the settings, operating system, installed programs and user files. The backup can be stored on several DVDs, an external hard drive, or on network location. If you want to move your computer back to a certain state, one can restore the backup. One can get their computer operating system back to the initial state using this feature and restoring the individual files and reinstalling all programs. When one restore computer from a system image, it is a complete restoration, one cannot choose individual items which they want to restore, all of your system settings, current programs, and files is replaced with the complete copy of the system image.
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OneDrive
OneDrive might not be really a backup solution, but it is integrated in the Windows itself. OneDrive is online storage that comes automatically with Microsoft account. It is similar to an extra hard drive that is available from any devices one uses. No need to carry around a USB drive or email files to yourself .Files which one store in OneDrive account will be stored in your online account so one can access them on from other devices also. If the Windows crashes away then you have to restart from scratch or have to use different Windows device or one can just log in Microsoft account and all your files will be available in File Explorer.
Taking backup using third party Free Backup Utility
The above mentioned options weren’t always helpful and requires advanced backup tools that scales the capability of taking data backup. AOMEI Backupper standard is a free backup software available for Windows 10 and helps you backup almost everything – Complete hard disk drive, any specific partition or backup files and folders. It can make the backup procedure automated so you don’t have to remember taking data backup again.
This tool has inbuilt capability to take differential/complete data backup and allows easy restoration steps in the event of failure or crashes. AOMEI Backupper standard gives you list of benefits that can be of hugely important in different situations like:
- Complete Backup & Fast Restore
- Clone drive or any specific partitions and keep it safe as long as you want.
- Clone system to migrate on another system or going with high capacity drives.
- Backup different version of Windows like Windows 10/8/8.1/7/XP/VISTA.
Apart from this, AOMEI Backupper Standard can check backup images created on any platform as well as let you create bootable media for easy backup files and disaster recovery environment. Since it’s a free application available for all the latest Windows OS, you can easily get it installed from the developer website and start creating unlimited backups or take complete image of an entire drive in few clicks. The standard edition is only for PC users, if you need sever backup software, then you can look at their sever edition.
