If you are a first-time user, or if you only back up files occasionally, you can use the table in this topic as a checklist of preliminary steps to consider before performing a backup.
Read the tasks listed in this table to determine whether you are ready to back up your data.
| ☐ | Decide whether you want to back up or archive files. See When to back up and when to archive files for more information. |
| ☐ | See Pre-backup considerations (Windows) for important migration information, and how you might increase performance before backing up files and directories. |
| ☐ | Create an include-exclude list to specify files and directories you want to exclude from backup services. See Control processing with an include-exclude list for more information. |
| ☐ | Decide what type of backup you want
according to your needs. See the following sections for more information:
|
| ☐ | For additional backup considerations, see Backup (Windows): Additional considerations. |