Windows Backup and Restore Center

All Windows 7 editions ship with an integrated backup and restore utility. Please find Windows 7 backup and restore including system imaging discussed in depth in Bright Hub’s article How to Use Backup and Restore in Windows 7.

If you are already familiar with Windows Vista Backup and Restore and first and foremost interested in what’s new in Windows 7 Backup then read this Bright Hub article.

Comodo BackUp -

• Protect yourself against ever losing those critical files that took hours to create
• Easily backup files or folders to local/network/virtual drives, FTP server or online storage
• Quickly restore data with a few mouse clicks
• Fully featured scheduler allows you to run backups at a time that suits you
• Send E-mail notifications to team members about the status of a backup job
• Synchronized backups mean you save a file and it gets copied instantly
• Security features include password protection and data encryption
• Multiple compression options allow you to save disk space
• One – click backup of important items like email accounts and Windows registry
• Step-by-step wizards take even novice users through the whole process

GFI Backup -

• Secure backup of all your important files for FREE
• Easy-to-use wizard-driven interface – perfect for beginners
• Restore your data in minutes using common ZIP format
• Back up to nearly any storage device
• Fast, efficient, full-featured backup solution

FBackup -

FBackup is a free backup software for both personal and commercial use. It protects your important data by backing it up automatically to any USB/Firewire device, local or network location. The backed up data can be either compressed (using standard zip compression) or an exact copy of the original files.

TrueSafe Personal Edition -

• Backup your email, pictures, music, documents, videos, and more.
• Easy to Setup- install and get protected in just 5 minutes.
• Hassle free- automatic operation frees you from backup drudgery.
• Backup to your USB hard disk, USB flash drive, network drive, and more.
• Zip Format – save in a convenient, non-proprietary Zip format file.
• Locked file support- backup files that are in use by other applications. Great for
• backing up your Outlook email.
• Disaster Level Protection- optionally backup your data offsite to another computer
• running TrueSafe.
• Host other user’s backups on your computer and help your friends and family
• stay protected.
• Laptop support- supports users on the go with suspend/resume awareness.
• Email Notifications- let you know when your backup has completed or is past due.
• Unobtrusive- runs in the background so you can keep working.

AceBackup -

AceBackup is a powerful tool to create completely secure backups of your data. Store your data on any local storage device, on CD, DVD or on your remote FTP server!

A special advantage of AceBackup is the possibility to backup single files and groups of files, for example for important or confidential documents. The program can also store different versions of your files. This can be useful if you would like to restore a certain version of your file at a later date.

Cobian Backup -

• Support for Volume Shadow Copy even in 64bit systems
• The user interface doesn’t ask for privilege elevation anymore on Vista or 7
• Simple masks can now be applied to FTP sources
• The timer schedule can now be limited in time
• The main application waits now for any mail to be send before closing
• The log file can now be send per task
• The log file level is now more granular
• The log file can now be splitted, one file per day
• The service and application control executes now depending on the UAC settings
• Fixed a bug when executing batch files with parameters
• The inclusion/exclusion masks way of work has been re-designed
• The backup now can be aborted if some event fails
• A post backup event can now be aborted if a pre-backup event failed
• Mirror tasks can now be created for uncompressed backups
• The type of the backup can now be included in the directory name
• The tray icon signalizes now if there are errors in the last backup
• Better mask support

Karen’s Replicator -

Automatically backup files, directories, even entire drives! Karen’s Replicator copies selected files from one drive/folder to another. Source and Destination folders can reside anywhere on your network.

Options include repeated copies at intervals as short as a few minutes, or as long as several months, copy only files that have changed, and the replication of folder and file deletions.

1st Step :-  Open regedit, and create the key -

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background

2nd Step :- Right click on the right hand side and then add a new DWORD Value named OEMBackground

3rd Step :- Double click on OEMBackground and set it to 1.

4th Step :- Name the file as backgroundDefault.jpg and make sure that the file size is less than 256KB. Put the image file (in ‘jpeg’ format) in the following folder (You may need to create some of these folders along the path)

%windir%\oobe\info\backgrounds

Now Simply Reboot your computer and Enjoy the changes.

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• Core System Security

As it did with Windows Vista, Microsoft developed Windows 7 according to the Security Development Lifecycle (SDL). It built the new OS from the ground up to be a secure computing environment and retained the key security features that helped protect Vista, such as Kernel Patch Protection, Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), and Mandatory Integrity Levels. These features provide a strong foundation to guard against malicious software and other attacks. A few key elements are worth noting.

• Windows Filtering Platform

Windows 7 introduces something called the Windows Filtering Platform (WFP). The idea is that third parties can take advantage of aspects of the Microsoft Windows Firewall in their own products. Microsoft says “third-party products also can selectively turn parts of the Windows Firewall on or off, enabling you to choose which software firewall you want to use and have it coexist with Windows Firewall.”

• Enhanced UAC

User Account Control. Introduced with Windows Vista, the feature is meant to help enforce least-privileged access and to improve the total cost of ownership by allowing organizations to deploy the operating system without granting administrator access to users. Though Microsoft’s primary intent with UAC was to force software developers to use better coding practices and not expect access to sensitive areas of the operating system, most people have perceived UAC as a security feature.

When users think of UAC, they typically associate it with the access-consent prompts it issues. Though Microsoft has made significant progress since Vista’s introduction in reducing the types and number of events that trigger the UAC prompt (or that prevent standard users from executing tasks entirely), UAC has still been the subject of a great deal of negative feedback for Vista.

With Windows 7, Microsoft has again reduced the number of applications and operating system tasks that trigger the prompt. It has also incorporated a more flexible interface for UAC. Under User Accounts in the Control Panel, you can select Change User Account Control Settings to adjust the feature with a slider.

• Encrypting Drives With BitLocker

When BitLocker made its debut with Windows Vista, it was capable only of encrypting the primary operating system volume. Windows Vista SP2 (Service Pack 2) extended the functionality to encrypt other volumes, such as additional drives or partitions on the primary hard drive, but it still did not enable users to encrypt data on portable or removable disks. Windows 7 brings BitLocker to Go for protecting data on portable drives while still providing a means for sharing the data with partners, customers, or other parties.

• Biometrics, System Restore and AppLocker

Biometrics enhancements include easier reader configurations, allowing users to manage the fingerprint data stored on the computer and control how they log on to Windows 7. And System Restore includes a list of programs that will be removed or added, providing users with more useful information before they choose which restore point to use. Restore points are also available in backups, providing a larger list to choose from, over a longer period of time.

• Integrated Fingerprint Scanner Support

Many Windows users configure the operating system to log them in without a user name and password–but that’s the computer equivalent of leaving the front door of your house wide open with a neon sign flashing “Enter Here.” I highly recommend that you assign all user accounts in Windows 7 a relatively strong password or passphrase (that means your dog’s name or your favorite basketball team don’t count).

Even passwords aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Passwords are secure only until they’re cracked, and cracking a password is more a matter of when than if, assuming an attacker is sufficiently dedicated.

• Protecting Data

Thousands of computers, particularly laptops, are lost or stolen each year. If you don’t have appropriate safeguards and security controls in place, unauthorized users who come into possession of your computer can access any sensitive data it contains. The risk of sensitive information being lost or stolen is even greater with the proliferation of tiny USB flash drives and other portable media capable of holding more and more data.

Windows 7 retains Vista’s data-protection technologies, such as EFS (Encrypting File System) and support for AD RMS (Active Directory Rights Management Services). In addition to minor updates to those technologies, Windows 7 significantly improves on Vista’s BitLocker drive encryption technology, and it adds BitLocker to Go for encrypting data on removable media.

• Protecting Mobile Data With BitLocker to Go

Windows Vista was able to protect the drives and volumes that are part of the computer, but it could not encrypt data on removable drives. Windows 7 addresses that glaring lack of functionality with BitLocker to Go.

Using BitLocker to Go, you can protect data on USB thumb drives and other removable media. If you need to share sensitive information with other people, you can give them the encrypted data on the USB thumb drive and choose a password that you can share with them to unlock the contents. For additional protection, you can require a smartcard to unlock the data, and deliver the encrypted drive and the smartcard separately.

Quick launch shortcut

Windows Key+1
Windows Key+2
Windows Key+3 ...

for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. item on your quick launch bar.

Expanded Menu Options

Hold shift while right clicking on any folder — you’ll get an expanded context menu. In there you’ll be able to choose “Open command window here.”

Renaming

Super fast renaming of files in Explorer. Rename one file and press Tab to finish renaming the earlier file (no need to press Enter) and move the rename field automatically to the next file and so on. Shift+Tab to move upwards in the same way.

Ultra Admin Account

Hidden ultra admin account that UAC is disabled in. Is it like root of root. To get it, open the cmd prompt with admin privileges and type “net user administrator /active:yes”. The account is not password protected. To dis-enable, type “net user administrator /active:no”.

Details Pane

To enable, select Organize (on Command Bar) / Layout / Details Pane. When a document, spreadsheet, etc.. is highlighted, certain Category properties in the bottom details pane can be modified to add tags, subject, titles, etc.. by mousing over the field (which displays the box) next to the Category. When finished, click theSave bttom to the right of the Details pane.

Preview Pane

To enable the Preview Pane select Organize (on Command Bar) / Layout / Preview Pane. Once enabled, clicking on certain files (text, documents, spreadsheets) will display the contents of the file (read only view) without needing to open the file. When selecting a media item, a miniature player is displayed.

Filtering Folder Content Views

Moving your mouse over a Heading will display a drop-down arrow. Clicking on the down arrow will display a set of filtering options (check boxes) that can be set for viewing items in the column.

Stacking

Open a folder containing some documents, photos, MP3s, or whatever. Right-click any open area within that folder and mouse over Stack By. Choose the kind of stack you want: Name, date modified, file type, size, etc. Note that the available options will differ depending on the kinds of files in the folder

Selection with Checkboxes

Open any system window, click the Organize menu, and then choose Folder and Search Options. Next, click the View tab, and then scroll down until you see Use check boxes to select items. Enable it, then click OK.