Last week we discussed the importance of knowing that your critical files and information are backed up properly. This week, I’d love to introduce you to a “fabulous” program, “Fab’s AutoBackup.” It’s a free backup program I enjoy that is highly useful for saving and restoring Windows user profiles and many other goodies that users hate to lose.

A quick note: Currently this program does not work with Windows Vista.

You’ll find AutoBackup at the link below. After you download the Windows version (not the “PE” version — that’s for a different type of Windows environment), double-click the file you’ve downloaded. This will extract a few files to a location you can specify. I prefer to extract it to my Desktop so that it’s easy to find. A folder will be created that contains a few files.

Decide where you would like to back up your Windows profile to, such as a thumb drive or external hard drive. When it’s ready for action, double-click the file you extracted named “AutoBackup-Win.exe.”

AutoBackup will present you with a friendly screen.

You’ll notice there are three different areas of the program to choose from listed under the title bar: “Backup Settings,” “Advanced Backup” and “Restore Settings.” The program starts in the “Backup Settings” area.

Before we continue, there’s something you should understand about the way Windows stores user profiles.

For every login name that has been used to log in to Windows, there will be a different profile.

When you turn on your computer, if Windows XP takes you straight to your Desktop without having to click anything or type a password, you’ve probably only got one profile to deal with.

However, if you have one login for “Bob” and one for “Susan,” please understand that you will need to do this procedure while logged in to each person’s profile.

In the next section of AutoBackup, “Select items to backup,” you’ll put a check mark beside every item that you would like AutoBackup to copy for you. If you aren’t able to put a check in the box, it’s because AutoBackup can’t detect that those items are available to back up. For example, you can’t tell AutoBackup to back up your “Opera Bookmarks” if you don’t have Opera (another Web browser).

Finally, click the “Browse” button to choose a place for AutoBackup to copy your selections to. If you’re storing the backup on the same hard drive that Windows is installed on (presumably to copy to a safer place later), don’t store the backup on your Desktop, My Documents folder, or any other location that AutoBackup is backing up!

More next week, including how to restore your backed-up user profile if something has gone awry.

Links: You’ll find Fab’s AutoBackup here: http://fabs.dyndns.org/

Kevin McDonald: Writer and professional computer/network administrator. He lives in Amarillo with his wife and children, and owns and operates Definition Computers. E-mail Kevin at askthegeek@definitioncomputers.com with questions you’d like to see answered in this column.

(This article was originally published in the Amarillo Independent newspaper.)