1679_configuring backup and recovery

Windows 7 Administration Training Instructor: Scott Lowe

Configuring Backup and Recovery

Windows 7 Administration Training


In This Lesson:

Windows 7's backup and restore utility

Configuring Windows Backup

Restoring files from a backup

Creating and restoring system images

Creating a system repair disk

Creating and using system restore points

Previous versions

Understanding advanced boot options

Understanding Last Known Good Configuration



Globomantics regional HQ sit in areas prone to earthquakes, tornados, and hurricanes

You need to make sure that the company is ready to quickly recover should the unthinkable happen

Some business desktops hold critical company information and are key to business processes

Business need

Backups remain a key component of a recovery plan

Automating this process keeps costs at a reasonable level

Testing backups by recovering data is a good best practice

Scenario



Windows 7 includes a utility capable of backing up and restoring files, folders and even a full image of the computer

You can back up to a number of destinations, including

Internal hard drives

External hard drives

Network locations

USB flash drives

Writeable CDs and DVDs

There are significant pros and cons to all of the options

Windows 7's Backup and Restore Utility



Internal hard drives

Pros

Cheap storage with lots of space

Secure since they're in the chassis

Very fast

Cons

Not separate from the computer itself

Installation requires some technical knowledge




External hard drives

Pros

Also very cheap with a lot of space

Easy to connect

Easy to keep separate from the computer

Cons

"Out of sight, out of mind"




Network locations

Pros

Extremely convenient

Easy to add additional server storage space

Cons

Can be slow if the network isn't up to snuff

Can only save to Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate

User rights to storage location must be Full Control for both the share and for NTFS




USB flash drives

Pros

Easy to install

Ubiquitous; it's easy to find flash drives

You can store the backups separately from the computer

Cons

USB flash drives dont support all backup use cases, such as system image backups

USB flash drives don't scale well; eventually, your backup needs will outgrow available space




Writeable CDs and DVDs

Pros

CD/DVD burners are readily available in most new systems

Media is very inexpensive

You can store the backups separately from the computer

Cons

Not flexible; can't save system images to CD/DVD

You may need several discs to perform a full backup




Cannot back up to

Volumes not formatted as NTFS, FAT or UDF

The drive being backed up

The Windows volume

A recovery partition

A locked BitLocker partition

Tape




Globomantics will schedule a file/folder backup (Let Windows choose) that runs on the default schedule

Steps

Choose a location to which to store backups

Choose what to back up

Let Windows choose

Backs up files saved in libraries, stored on the desktop and in default Windows folders for all user accounts

Only local files are included, even if remote files are included in a local library

If there is space at the destination, Windows includes a system image




Let me choose

You get to decide exactly what gets backed up

Decide on a backup schedule

Default is to run the backup every Sunday at 7PM

Can be configured to run daily, weekly or monthly

Can be configured to not recut; i.e. configure the backup job to run one time and back up the system

Review settings

Await backup completion

Monitoring backup status




Individual files and folders can be restored from a backup

You can restore objects to their original location; this will overwrite the current copy

You can restore objects to a different location; this will preserve both copies of the object

The POS system operator has indicated that she's lost an important spreadsheet and wants you to see if you can restore it from a system backup using the backup utility

The other POS operator (Steve Smith) has been having strange problems that seem to be related to user profile corruption

Restore Steve's user profile from backup

Restoring Files From a Backup



A Windows 7 system image is basically a snapshot of one of the volumes in a system (allows a "bare metal restore)

It includes everything needed for Windows to run

Includes system settings, personal files and programs

Can't be scheduled to run on a periodic basis with the GUI

Stored as a VHD file (usable in Virtual PC)

Does not allow restoration of individual files; it's all or nothing

Globomantics will use this feature to back up and test restore a Windows 7-based point of sale system on a scheduled basis

Use the wbadmin utility to schedule

You will also use the bcdedit utility to convert the VHD system image file into a bootable device

Creating and Restoring System Images



Sometimes, a system becomes completely unbootable

A system repair disk can be used to boot a computer when this happens

You can also use a system repair disk to restore a computer from a system image

You will create a system repair disk for the Globomantics POS system

Creating a System Repair Disk



System restore points contain critical system information, such as registry information

Among other times, restore points are created

When new software is installed

When Windows Update installs new updates

When new drivers are installed that are not digitally signed by Windows Hardware Quality Labs

Upon request by the user

Windows automatically deletes the oldest restore point in order to make room for the newest

Creating and Using System Restore Points



This is not a full system restore

Only system files and the registry are manipulated

User files are not touched

System Restore Point notes

Restore points created from within Safe Mode cannot be undone

NTFS required due to use of shadow copies (discussed later)

Globomantics will create a system restore point on the aforementioned POS system right before a hardware upgrade

You will explore the System Protection configuration tool

Creating and Using System Restore Points



Windows 7 includes the ability to restore individual files and folders right from the Explorer interface

Files included in both backups and restore points can often be rolled back to previous versions

This Previous Versions capability uses Shadow Copies shadow copies of files are automatically created by Windows

These provide you with some powerful restore options

If you're careful, you can even recover files that have been accidentally deleted

Globomantics POS operator deleted a file and wants you to see if you can get it back using the Previous Versions feature

Previous Versions



Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging

Enable low-resolution video (640x480)

Last Known Good Configuration (advanced)

Directory Services Restore Mode

Debugging Mode (discussed previously)

Disable automatic restart on system failure

Disable Driver Signature Enforcement

Understanding Advanced Boot Options



This is often considered a last ditch effort to get a system back to working order after a system failure

This boot option uses a configuration set that Windows knows allowed the system to boot at some point in the past

The registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet is used

The key named ControlSet001 becomes CurrentControlSet after a successful boot

Once this happens, you can't go back

There's not a lot to do around this except to understand how it works, so let's take a look at the registry




What We Covered

Windows 7's backup and restore utility


Restoring files from a backup

Creating and restoring system images

Creating a system repair disk

Creating and using system restore points

Previous versions

Understanding advanced boot options


1679_configuring backup and recovery

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