Back Up : Computer Back Up Medium

There are various types of mediums that can be used for backing up the computer. The type required will depend on the type of computer back up being performed and the amount of information being backed up.

Some ideas for computer back up mediums would be:

• Tape back up

  A tape back up can hold lots of information. This type of back up medium can be slow to use and be costly for an average computer user.

• CD-R or CD-RW

  CDs and CD-RWs can be a more cost effective alternative. You will require some software to be able to write to the cd.

  CD-Rs you can only write to once. You cannot replace the information on the cd with updated information. It can appear that you have erased something from the cd but you have not reclaimed the space on the cd for use again.

  CD-RWs on the other hand, can be rewritten. It would be more cost effective in the long run if you paid the higher price for this back up medium if you have information that is continually changing and being resaved. When a CD-RW is erased, the space is reclaimed and therefore reusable. A program like Nero which compares what is on the CD with what you wish to copy to the CD can then overwrite old versions of files if you wish.

• External Hard Drive

  An external hard drive is investment worth considering the time to reinstall things and the number of disks that would be required if a lot of information has been backed up.

  The added benefit of an external hard drive is that it is portable (if you go on a business trip you can take it with you) and can be stored somewhere secure for safe keeping.

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Back Up: What Should I Back Up?

Everything that can not be replaced needs to be backed up. This would include:

1. The operating system if you do not have the original installation disks for the operating system.

   Computers with preinstalled operating systems may not have the original operating system installation files supplied with the computer. When purchasing a new computer, as for these. If computer supplier won’t give them to you, find another store or contact the operating system original supplier and ask for a copy.

2. All the software that is installed on the system, especially if you do not have the original installation disks.

   Like the operating system, a new computer with software installed may not come with disks to reinstall the software.

3. Your computer settings.

   All the customized settings you have set up should be backed up. If you can’t, no big deal, you’ll just have to redo them.

4. Your email.

   Back up your email accounts, rules/filters, folders and messages.

   Backing up your email accounts, rules, folders and messages it very important, especially if you are running a business. Making a computer back up of your email items will also be a time saver if you have to restore the email program.

5. Your data.

   Your data includes any letters, graphics, music, databases or other projects you have created on the computer.

   Each program you use will store your data somewhere on the computer but not necessarily in My Documents. When you install a program (or reinstall a program) try to have all the documents saved in one spot (e.g. My Documents). This will make performing a computer back up much easier.

   Note: Some programs will not like having it’s default storage location changed. You will have to experiment to find out which do not like the storage location changed.

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Back Up : Back Up Your Computer

Have you ever had your computer crash? Been infected with a virus, spyware or trojan? Or made the silly mistake of overwriting an existing file when you shouldn’t have? Installed a piece of hardware or software that made your computer malfunction? These type of things happen to everyone, experienced computer user or not.

If any of the above happens, you can loose everything. The operating system and programs can be replaced but your work (letters, pictures, etc.) can not unless you have performed a computer back up.

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Schedule a Task in Windows series 2

Add Scheduled Task

1. Double left click Add Scheduled Task.

   The Scheduled Task Wizard screen appears.

2. Left click Next to continue.

   It may appear your machine has frozen because the next screen takes a minute or so to appear. This is because a list is being compiled of the to programs installed on your computer.

Next there are two ways to continue, schedule a program to run or schedule something else to run.

• Schedule an Existing Program to Run
  1. Left click the program you wish to schedule from the list that appears.
  2. Left click Next to continue.
• Schedule Something Not Listed in the Program List
  1. Left click Browse.
  2. Navigate to the folder and file (program, script or document) you wish to schedule the task for.
  3. Left click Open.

Next, you give the task a name and choose when to run the task.

1. Name the scheduled task.

   Pick a name that will make sense to you later when you want to check the list or make any changes.

2. Choose when to run the scheduled task.

   There are a number of choices as to when you would like to run the task:

   • Daily – once a day
   • Weekly – once a week
   • Monthly – once a month
   • One time only
   • When computer starts – this before a user is logged in
   • When I log in – runs once you have logged into your computer
3. Left click Next to continue.
4. Specify the day and time to run the scheduled task.

   Remember: Pick a day and time of day that the computer will be on!

   If the task can run on it’s own, without your interaction, it can be scheduled while you are having your lunch or dinner.

5. Left click Next to continue once you have made your time selections.
6. Name and password of the user associated with the scheduled task.

   You will need to enter the name and password of the user who is authorized to run the task.

   The user associated with the task will need to have the permissions to run the program.

   The default setup is the name of the user currently logged onto the computer.

7. Left click Next to continue.
8. Left click Finsih to complete scheduling the task.

Now that you know how to schedule a task in Windows, there’s no excuse for not making sure that all your maintenance tasks (defrag, disk clean up, update anti virus definitions, etc.) are done and all your data is backed up.

Scheduling Task in Windows Further Reading

Advanced Options – click the link at the top of the page to skip down to the Advance Options available when scheduling a task in Windows.

Remove Scheduled Tasks – click the Remove scheduled task link at the top of the page to view the instructions for removing a scheduled task.

Changes to Scheduled Task – on the same page as above, there are also instructions for:

• Stopping and pausing scheduled tasks
• Changing settings for scheduled tasks
• Opening scheduled tasks to modify them

Task Scheduler – a more indepth look at Windows Task Scheduler

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Schedule a Task in Windows series 1

We keep being reminded to do things to keep our computers in tip top shape (backup our data, defrag the drives, update our virus programs, etc.) but some just don’t seem to get around to doing these things on a regular basis. This is where Task Scheduler, available with Windows, can help you out with keeping on top of these maintenance tasks.

Task Scheduler

Task Scheduler is a free application included with Windows. With Task Scheduler you can schedule any program, document or script to run at anytime your computer is turned on. Task Scheduler starts each time you turn your Windows machine on and runs in the background while the machine is on. A scheduled task will automatically start, if your computer is on (Yes, I have bolded this phrase twice now because some do not understand that when you schedule a task in Windows the computer must be on for the task to be completed).

Why Schedule a Task in Windows?

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are certain tasks that need to be done on a regular basis to keep your computer running smoothly and protect your data.

One of the most important tasks to schedule (or train yourself to do it religously) is backing up your data. You can use backup software, which should add a Scheduled Task if set up properly, but if you don’t have a specific piece of software available to do this, Windows does come with a backup application.

Your anti virus definition updates and scans are other important tasks to schedule. Again, your chosen software may automatically set this up for you, if set up properly.

If you are using a free program for backup, anti virus or spyware removal, these might not have an included function to add itself as a scheduled task.

Schedule Task

To schedule a task in Windows you need to first access Scheduled Tasks. Depending on how your computer is set up, Scheduled Tasks can be accessed via:

• My Computer Icon on the Desktop
  1. Double left click the My Computer icon on you desktop.
  2. Look under the Other section for Control Panel, double left click Control Panel.
  3. Double click the Scheduled Tasks icon in the Control Panel screen.
• Settings Menu
  1. Left click Start in the bottom left of your desktop screen.
  2. Left click Settings from the menu that appears.
  3. Left click Control Panel from the next menu that appears.
  4. Double left click Scheduled Tasks in the Control Panel screen.
• Programs Menu
  1. Left click Start in the bottom left of your desktop screen.
  2. Left click All Programs.
  3. Left click Accessories in the list that appears.
  4. Left click System Tools under the Accessories menu.
  5. Left click Scheduled Tasks in the System Tools menu.

Now you should be in Scheduled Tasks. Some of your existing programs may have already added a scheduled task to the list that appears under Add Scheduled Task.

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