How-to: Schedule your backup or sync programs to run when Vista is idle

Backing up your computer is important, but it can be a hassle. If we have to do it manually, chances are that we will forget one time or another. On the other hand, if we set it up to run automatically to a schedule, we may find it interferes with our normal computer usage.

Vista task scheduler is a very powerful tool. We can set it up to run programs only if the computer is idle. This serves two purposes. The backups will be made automatically and the backups will not interfere with your normal usage.

A huge added bonus is that we can use any backup program we like. We are not limited to backup programs that have scheduling built in. All we need is a backup program that can start backing up as soon as it is launched, which just about all of them can do.

This article is specifically for Windows Vista. XP's scheduled tasks does not have the idle features built in, though it may be able to be achieved with a third party program.

Setup your backup/sync program:

The first step is to set up your backup program so that it can be launched from a shortcut or the command line. Launching it should launch the sync or backup.

You will need to look up these instructions for your individual program to figure out how to make this happen. The information should be readily available for any backup utility that is well known. What good is a sync or backup program that is too complicated to use?

Setting up Task Scheduler:

Open "Task Scheduler" (inside accessories of the start menu)
Click "Create New Task" (not basic)
Give it a name "Backup or Sync"
Go to the "Triggers" tab
Click "New" (defaults to schedule)
Enter the frequency and time you want your backup/sync to occur(I recommend to do it hourly as it will not run if you are by your computer)
Click "OK"
Go to the "Actions" tab
Click "New" (defaults to run program)
Browse for your program and put in the necessary arguments; E.g. -run
Click "OK"
Go to the "Conditions" tab
Here, define how long you want the computer to be idle before activating the backup/sync.
Click "OK"

You have now configured all the basics. There are many other options you can change to suit your needs, but they go beyond what is required to sync or backup.

Conclusion:

As you can see, this is very easy to setup. Gone are the days of manually starting your backups or syncing. When your hard drive crashes, you can be calm, knowing that your important information is tucked away somewhere safe.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and found it useful. For more effort saving types check out some other articles at Inspect My Gadget.

Increase Your Hard Drive Performance

Windows Vista certainly takes a lot of system resources and we need to squeeze out all the performance we can! Here is a quick tip on how to increase the performance of any hard drive internal or external.

Double click My Computer and right click on the drive you want to perform better and select Properties.

The Disk Properties box will open. Click on the Hardware tab and then the Properties button.

Finally, mark Optimize for performance and place a check next to Enable advanced performance. Click OK and close out of the rest of the windows.

How to transfer files and settings with Windows Easy Transfer

There is no need for you to reinstall every single program when you purchase a new computer or when you format your hard disk. Windows Vista provides us with Easy Transfer, a utility that can easily transfer and restore your old settings.

What can you transfer

Easy Transfer will transfer files and settings for the following: e-mail, music, pictures and videos, user accounts, internet and favorites, programs, contacts and messages. Easy Transfer will not transfer your program files, instead it will restore the application’s settings.

Note: in order to transfer files and settings from or to an Windows XP computer, you need to install Easy Transfer (Windows Easy Transfer is already installed on Windows Vista). In order to do this, insert your Windwos Vista DVD into your Windows XP computer, select the Transfer files and settings from another computer option and follow the instructions on the screen

Step 1: export your old file and settings

• To start Windows Easy Transfer, click the Start button and then choose All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and finally Windows Easy Transfer.
  Note: you should be working on the computer you want to export your settings from.
• If you have any opened applications, the wizard will ask you to close them; click Close all
• Select Start a new transfer
• Select My Old Computer
• Now you need to figure out which transfer method to use. The following are available:
1. Network  You can create a local area connection between the two computers and transfer settings from one pc to another.
2. CDs or DVDs â€" store your files and settings on a CD/DVD.
3. Easy Transfer Cable â€" This is a special cable which allows you to directly connect the two computers. Remember that this is not a standard USB cable and you have to buy it separately.
4. Removable media â€" USB flash drives have always been helpful. Just plug in a USB stick and use it to transfer settings.

Note: In this tutorial we will export our files and settings to a DVD. You can also use this tutorial if you select any of the methods mentioned above â€" the steps are similar.

• Select Use a CD, DVD, or other removable media
• Choose CD or DVD
• Select your DVD drive and click Next (note that you can also use a password so that you are the only one that can import the files and settings)

Clicking on Advanced Options will allow you to customize your transfer: Add Files from a specific location without transferring other files from that folder; Add Folders from a specific location along with the files in that folder; Select Drives to add a whole drive with its content; Exclude Folders that you do not wish to transfer.

Step 2: Import files and settings

After you have completed these steps, it is time to restore your old files and settings.

Note: you should be working on the computer you want to import the files and settings in.

• Start Windows Easy Transfer: click the Start button and then choose All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and Windows Easy Transfer.
• If you have any opened applications, the wizard will ask you to close them; select Close all
• Select Continue a transfer in progress
• Choose No, I hâve copied files and settings to a CD/DVD or other removable media
• Select on a CD or DVD
• Select your DVD drive (make sure the DVD you created in the previous steps is in the DVD drive)
• Select or create a new user name
• Click on Transfer

All your old files and settings are now transferred to your new computer.

Mount an ISO image in Windows Vista

The freeware utility from Microsoft to mount ISO Images doesn't work in Windows Vista. Thankfully there's another utility that does.

The utility that we will use is called Virtual Clone Drive. This utility will let you mount .ISO, .CCD, .DVD, .IMG, .UDF and .BIN files. Download the utility and start the setup process.

Select Yes or OK at the hardware prompt and continue. You might have to restart your computer. Now you should be able to mount any ISO image by just double-clicking on the file. Note: If you are going to reinstall this utility, make sure you uninstall it first, or you'll BSOD yourself repeatedly.

This utility does not work on Windows Vista 64 bit edition.