Windows 8 tools for professional data backup

The loss of business data can be very painful. Business users in particular should therefore make sure to create regular backups. This is the only way to ensure that sensitive data, such as all customer and project data from a CRM system, is safe even in an emergency. Windows 8 offers the necessary tools for this ex works - the only thing you need is an external hard disk with sufficient storage capacity for the backup.

How to back up in an emergency

Anyone who runs their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) via Windows 8 will certainly be familiar with the system's own data backup functions. But other users who store important data on their drives should also make use of them.

To configure the backup for Windows 8, go to the Control Panel and then select "System and Security/File Version History".

Now click on the "Windows 7 file recovery" link at the bottom left.

Then click on "Set up backup". The wizard will then guide you step by step through setting up the system backup.

First select where the data is to be backed up to.

You then specify which data is to be backed up. You can back up individual folders, entire users and system images.

In a further dialog, click on "Change schedule" to specify when the backup should take place. The backup can take place weekly, monthly or even daily.

Once the setup has been completed, the first backup starts. Depending on the size of the backup, this may take some time. In the meantime, the PC can be used as usual. The exact progress can be monitored at any time by clicking on "Show details". The backup can also be canceled here if desired.

How to restore in an emergency

System and data security too are the features of any good CRM software for customer and project data. However: If the unpleasant situation arises that you have to resort to a backup of the hard disk on which this data is stored, you will find various options for data recovery in the "Windows 7 file recovery" section under "Restore".

You can either restore entire user files or select individual files or folders for restoration by clicking on "Restore my files". To do this, select "Search..." and then use a search term to locate the desired data. The desired elements can then be selected from the folders and files found. Click on "OK" to add the selected elements to the recovery. If you want to restore files or folders not from the last backup but from a different backup point in time, click on "Select another date" in the "Restore files" dialog. All existing backup dates are then displayed.

Change backup settings

The previously defined backup settings can be changed again at any time. To do this, connect the hard disk with the backup to the PC and then click on "Change settings" under "Backup" in "Windows 7 File Restore". You can then change all the settings that were specified during setup. For example, you can add additional folders to the backup afterwards. By clicking on "Create system repair disk", you can also create a CD or DVD that can be used to restart the PC in the event of a total crash. Various recovery tools can then also be used. It is therefore possible to easily restore the backed-up data even in the event of a serious system error.

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