Quick question - I'm currently using the windows 7 backup application to backup key folders on my system to an external hardrive (movies, music, pictures etc) but not using any of the full system restore options. If I do need to do a windows reinstall at some point will restoring these files be straightforward? i.e. I just need to open the backup file to restore the folders and won't need to be using exactly the same system etc?
You can try it yourself. Simply do a backup of your files, and once it's done, do a restore using the backup you just did 2 sec ago (so nothing will change on your system). This will allow you to see the process in restoring your files.
Well you can use Win 7 backup to either backup system state and therefore yes, if your windows corrupts you can restore the full system state or you can choose to back up just files and as GoodBytes mentioned you can easily do this restore to see how it works. The way I have set it up with my Win 7 64 is to back up system state every couple of days so there i am protected in case of windows failure and then instead of Win 7 file backup I chose to use a 3rd party back up (oops!Backup - http://www.altaro.com ). It's far easier to use and it has total clarity on how the backups are done. All automated (CDP) and since I value my user data (docs etc) more than the actual Windows Install I decided to go for it.
