26 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007Chapter 5. Creating backup archivesTo be able to restore the lost data or roll back your system to a predetermined state, youshould first create a data or entire-system backup file.If you are not concerned about restoration of your operating system along with all settingsand applications, but plan to keep safe only certain data (the current project, for example),choose file/folder backup. This will reduce the archive size, thus saving disk space andpossibly reducing removable media costs.Backing up the entire system disk (creating a disk image) takes more disk space but enablesyou to restore the system in minutes in case of severe data damage or hardware failure.Moreover, the imaging procedure is much faster than copying files, and may significantlyspeed the backup process when it comes to backing up large volumes of data (see details in3.1 The difference between file archives and disk/partition images).5.1 Backing up files and folders (file backup)1. Invoke the Create Backup Wizard by clicking on the backup operation icon in the mainprogram window.2. Click Next.3. Select Backup files and click Next.4. From the tree pane, select files and folders to back up. You can select a random set offiles, folders, partitions, disks and even computers.If you select a partition, disk or computer, and archive all its files, including system andhidden files, the bare-metal restore of that disk (partition, computer) still will not bepossible. You also may not be able to boot the restored operating system. Therefore, it isrecommended that you select only files and folders containing user data. To back up a diskor partition, use image backup.5. Click Next.
