How To: Schedule Automatic Backups in Windows XP

I occasionally get questions from co-workers about how to setup their computer to run automatic backups. They ask me if they need to buy some kind of expensive third-party software. Windows XP actually comes with free backup software that will get the job done well enough for home users, or very small businesses. It’s called NTBackup. I find that many people know about its existence, or how to use it for that matter.

NTBackup come pre-installed on Windows XP Professional. Unfortunately, you have to install it yourself if you have Windows XP Home Edition. It’s not too hard to do though.

Requirements:

1. A place to store your backups. Can be one of the following:
• secondary internal hard drive
• external USB hard drive
• network location
2. Original Windows XP Disc (Only if you are using Windows XP Home Edition)
• If you don’t have access to your original installation disc, there is a great article explaining a couple of alternatives here.

Instructions:

Start here If you are using Windows XP Home Edition.

1. Insert your Windows XP Home Disc.
2. Browse to the Valueadd\msft\ntbackup folder.
3. Double-click NTBACKUP.MSI
• This will automatically install NTBackup.
4. Click “Finish” to complete the wizard.
5. Continue to the Windows XP Professional section.

Start here If you are using Windows XP Professional Edition.

1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup
2. If you’ve never used NTBackup before, it will start in Wizard Mode, which looks like this:
• For the purpose of this article, we must use Advanced Mode. If NTBackup starts in Wizard Mode, click the Advanced Mode link in the middle of the text.
3. Click the “Schedule Jobs” tab.
4. Double-click a day that you would like to schedule the backup on.
5. Click “Next.”
6. What you choose next will depend on how much stuff you want to backup. Make a selection from one of the following options, and then click “Next.”
• If you want to make a complete backup of your computer that can be used to bring your computer back to its exact current state in the event of a complete failure, select “Back up everything on this computer.”
• If you would like to manually specify every folder that is getting backed up, select “Back up selected files, drives, or network data.”
7. If you selected “Back up selected files, drives, or network data” in the previous step, you must now choose which files and folders are to backed up. Click “Next.”
8. Choose a location to back up to.
• Note: You cannot back up to the same drive that you are backing up from.
9. Give your backup a name. Click “Next.”
10. Here you must select the type of backup to run. I would recommend “Normal.” Click “Next.”
• If you want more information on the different types of backups, check out this Microsoft TechNet article.
11. If you would like to verify the backup data every time the backup runs, check the “Verify data after backup” box. Click “Next.”
12. If you choose “Append this backup to the existing backups,” your backup will only append new information to the backup file, each time it runs. Otherwise, if you choose “Replace the existing backups,” the backup file will be completely replaced with a new one each time the backup runs. The latter requires more time to complete. Click “Next.”
13. Give your backups a job name.
14. Click the “Set Schedule” button.
15. Adjust the backup schedule to your liking, and then click “OK.”
16. Click “Next.”
17. If you get a “Set Account Information” dialog box, enter your username and password (if you have one), and click “OK.”
18. Click “Finish.”