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The Reliability and Performance Monitor option you can select under the Monitoring Tools is simply a re-creation of the Performance console and works as described earlier for Windows 2000 and XP (Figure 17-37). This is a great tool for quick checks on specific counters.

Microsoft included Data Collector Sets in the Reliability and Performance Monitor, groupings of counters you can use to make reports. You can make you own Data Collector Sets (User Defined) or you can just grab one of the predefined system sets. Once you start a Data Collector Set, you can use the Reports option to see the results (Figure 17-38). Data Collector Sets not only enable you to choose counter objects to track, but they also enable you to schedule when you want them to run.

Figure 17-36 Network Bar in Reliability and Resource Monitor

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EXAM TIP The CompTIA A+ exams aren’t going to ask too many detailed questions on either Performance Monitor or Reliability and Performance Monitor. That doesn’t mean you can ignore these amazing tools! Make sure you understand that these tools give you the power to inspect anything happening on your system to help you diagnose problems.

Preparing for Problems

As part of optimizing Windows, techs need to prepare for problems. You must have critical system files and data backed up and tools in place for the inevitable glitches. Different versions of Windows enable you to prepare for problems differently. Microsoft seems to break backups into certain areas: backing up personal data, backing up local copies of critical system state information, backing up a small amount of very critical system information on some form of removable media, and providing some way to use backups if your system won’t boot. Let’s see all of these.

Figure 17-37 Reliability and Performance Monitor

Back Up Personal Data

The most important data on your computer is the personal data: your documents, email messages and contacts, Web favorites, photographs, and other files. To handle backing up personal data, every version of Windows comes with some form of backup utility. There are big differences between the backup that comes with Windows 2000 and XP compared to the one that comes with Vista (and the one that comes with Windows 7 is different still), so let’s break up the idea of backing up personal data between Windows 2000/XP and Vista.

Backup Utility for Windows 2000 and XP (NTBackup)

Windows 2000 Backup/Windows XP Backup Utility (different names, but the same program under the hood, NTBackup) provides almost all the tools you need to back up files and folders. It has come a long way from its origins in Windows NT. NTBackup supports a greater variety of devices, enabling you to back up to network drives, logical drives, tape, and removable disks (but not optical discs). Most folks, however, still turn to third-party utilities to create system, e-mail, browser, and personal data backups.

Figure 17-38 Sample Report

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NOTE The Backup Utility is not included in the default installation of Windows XP Home. You must install it manually from the Windows CD-ROM.

You can start NTBackup by navigating the Start menu to Accessories | System Tools, or by clicking the Backup Now button on the Tools page of the local disk properties box. I prefer to start it from Start | Run with the command ntbackup. Click the Backup Wizard button to run the Backup Wizard. This technique works in both Windows 2000 and Windows XP. To use the Windows XP version in Advanced Mode, click Advanced Mode on the opening screen (Figure 17-39). To have it always open in Advanced Mode, deselect the Always start in wizard mode checkbox. If the program is in Advanced Mode and you want to run it as a wizard, click the Wizard Mode link to open the Backup or Restore Wizard.

Figure 17-39 Choosing to run the Backup Wizard in Advanced Mode

A Backup by Any Other Name

Microsoft has been dreadfully inconsistent on the naming of the backup programs that bundle with Windows. Here’s the scoop in a nutshell.