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Back Up to a Local Disk, DVD, or Removable Media

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

This type of backup helps you recover all volumes that are contained in the backup. If you back up to a DVD, other optical media, or removable media, you will only be able to recover entire volumes—you cannot recover individual files and folders or application data directly from backups stored on these media types.

Backups are compressed when stored on a DVD. As a result, the size of the backup on a DVD might be smaller than the volume on the server. However, the backup destination must be at least 1 GB or it will be blocked from the list of available backup destinations.

When a DVD backup contains all critical volumes (volumes with system components needed to restore the operating system), you can use that backup to recover the server operating system by performing a system recovery.

Before you attempt to back up to a local disk, DVD, or removable media, ensure that you meet the following requirements:

  • Install Windows Server Backup. For instructions, see Installing Windows Server Backup Tools.

  • Make sure you have access to an account that is a member of the Administrators or Backup Operators group.

  • If you are using a local disk, make sure the disk, which supports either USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394, is internal or attached to the server.

  • If you are using DVDs, make sure a DVD writer is connected to the server and online, and that you have enough blank DVDs to store the contents of all the volumes that you want to back up. Backups to DVDs can span multiple DVDs if the backup is too large for a single DVD.

  • Decide whether to back up the full server or only certain volumes.

  • After the backup runs, monitor the status using the Messages and Status sections of the snap-in start page.

To create a manual backup on a local disk, DVD, or removable media

  1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Windows Server Backup.

  2. From the Actions pane of the snap-in default page, under Windows Server Backup, click Backup Once. This opens the Backup Once Wizard.

  3. On the Backup options page, do one of the following, and then click Next:

    • Click The same options that you used in the Backup Schedule Wizard for scheduled backups.

    • Click Different options.

  4. On the Select backup configuration page, do one of the following, and then click Next:

    • Click Full server to back up all volumes on the server.

    • Click Custom to back up just certain volumes, and then click Next. Then, on the Select backup items page, select the check boxes for the volumes that you want to back up.

Note

Volumes that contain operating system components or applications are included in the backup by default to enable operating system recovery and system state recovery options. If you are sure you do not want these recovery options, you can exclude them by clearing the Enable system recovery check box.
You cannot use Windows Server Backup to back up volumes that are more than 2043 GB.

  1. On the Specify destination type page, click Local drives, and then click Next.

  2. On the Select backup destination page, select the destination that you want to use to store the backup from the drop-down list. If you choose a hard disk, confirm that there is enough free space on the disk. If you choose a DVD drive or other optical media, indicate whether you want the contents to be verified after they are written to.

  3. On the Specify advanced options page, indicate whether you want to create a copy or full Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) backup. You should click VSS full backup if you are sure you are not using another product to create backups. Otherwise, you should click VSS copy backup. Click Next.

Note

If you choose VSS full backup, the application log files may be overwritten or truncated.

  1. On the Confirmation page, review the details, and then click Backup. The wizard prepares the backup set, formats the optical or removable media (if that is what you are using), and then creates the backup.

  2. On the Backup progress page, you can view the status of the backup. If you are backing up to a DVD, when the backup starts, you will receive a message to insert the first DVD in the drive and then, if the backup is too large for a single DVD, you will be prompted for subsequent DVDs as the backup continues. During this process, you should physically write the information next to Disk label in the message on the DVD that you insert. You will need this information later to perform a recovery.

Additional considerations

  • To create a single backup using Windows Server Backup, you must be a member of the Backup Operators or Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.

Additional references