Learn how to set up an automatic backup of your whole PC, including programs, settings and files, to a USB drive, external hard drive, network drive, home server etc. Works with Windows 10, 8 or 7. Run and done - full protection with one click.

In this article, we'll learn how to backup your entire Windows 10 computer, including applications, program files, user settings, profiles, emails, documents, pictures, music, favorites - everything you've got.

Once we have a way to back up everything on your computer, we also want that backup to be automatic (so that it is always up to date), and as easy as possible to use (otherwise, you'll just stop using it...). And, of course, we'll discuss the most important part of any backup: how to actually restore from it?

The product in the video above is available here.

On to the instructions:

Get an external USB drive. Ideally, get one that has twice as much space as you are using on the computer. So if you have 200GB used space, a 500GB backup drive will be enough. If you have 2TB of pictures, better get a larger drive. Some popular drives are Western Digital (WD) My Passport, Seagate, Toshiba and other brands.

Connect the USB drive to the computer.

Download and install Zinstall Backup

So what happens now? Zinstall Backup will first make a full backup of the entire computer. It means every file, every program, every setting you have there - all backed up and protected.

After that, it will keep backing up the changes on your every hour. So if you change a file, or install a new program, your backup will be updated accordingly within 60 minutes. This is all done completely automatically. In fact, you probably won't even feel it running. It is very efficient in handling just the changes made, and even protects the hard drive's health, by minimizing the amount of reads and writes to it (this makes the drive live longer!)

If you need to disconnect the drive for a while, it's OK - Zinstall will patiently wait until you connect it again and continue backing everything up, automatically.

Of course, the real reason you have a backup is the restore part. How do you restore a single file that you've misplaced? And how do you restore everything, including program files, if your computer crashes? Read on to find out.

So you were working on an important document, and now it's gone. Fear not - that's exactly why you have set up an automatic backup of your entire Windows 10! Here is what you do:

Once you have the file, just hit restore - and it will appear exactly where it was, up to date!

That's it - your file is back and unharmed.

This is something you can only do if you have used Zinstall Backup. It can actually restore all the stuff from your backed up computer (programs, settings, files, emails, accounts, password, favorites, documents, pictures, music, etc.) onto a completely different computer and completely different Windows. Even if you've backed up a Windows 7 32bit Dell, and your replacement PC is a Windows 10 64bit HP, Zinstall Backup will still restore everything you've got.

• Disk Image / Clone tools (Windows System Backup / Acronis): these are the pro-oriented options, which simply take a full clone image of the computer. Like Zinstall Backup, they capture your entire computer. The downside is that that you have to manually do the backup (so it will be outdated soon), it is very difficult to restore a single file, and if the computer crashes, you'll need to restore to the exact same hardware model (and you can't restore to a different Windows).
• Copying files to a USB stick / Cloud backup / Dropbox / OneDrive : this is not really a backup (manual, does not even come close to covering everything you have, does not cover programs or settings), but it is better than having no backup at all! Plus, it is free. So if your choice is doing nothing at all vs. copying files to a USB stick, do the USB stick. Then again, you can get Zinstall Backup for as low as $6.90/m ( here ), so if it is within your budget, we'd recommend going with the Backup.
• Apple's Time Machine: this product is very similar in its concept to Zinstall Backup, but only available for Mac OS. If you have Mac OS, use it - it is very well done, and simply to set up and use.

If you've ever experienced a computer crash or data loss (hopefully not first hand), you know how it feels. Out of nowhere, your files are gone, your programs are gone, your settings are gone. In fact, there is no way to prevent a disaster like that. It will happen, eventually.

But you can be ready for it.

As they say, the best way to do a backup is yesterday. The second best day is today.

If you have no backup at all, and don't want to purchase one, at least copy your important files to a USB stick or another computer, and do it now.

If you are looking for a proper backup solution, that will backup everything on your Windows 10, to backup programs, settings, files and all the rest on your computer, Zinstall Backup is the best choice for it.

It is complete, automatic (and always up to date), efficient, does not slow down your computer, preserves your hard drive - and most importantly, it will restore your files, and your programs, when you need them.

Ready to protect your entire computer without slowing it down? Get Zinstall Backup here.