You can back up data to a Zip disk in a number of ways. If you only have a few files or folders to back up, one of the easiest is to "drag and drop" the files or folders you want to back up from your hard drive to the Zip disk.

If you have less than 250MB of data you want to back up, but you need to back up more than a few files or folders, you can use the Windows Backup utility to do so. This utility comes with Windows 98, 2000, and XP computers.

The instructions outlined here are based on a Windows XP computer. If you have a different version of the Windows operating system, these instructions may not work exactly as they are outlined here. For example, the images of dialog boxes or windows may look slightly different.

1. Click Start in the lower-left corner of the computer's desktop.
2. Click All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Backup.

You should see the Welcome to the Backup or Restore Wizard dialog box that looks similar to the following:

3. Click Next. You should see the Backup or Restore dialog box that looks similar to the following:

4. Click the radio button in front of the Back up files and settings option.
5. Click Next. You should see the What to Back Up dialog box that looks similar to the following:

At this point, you have a number of options about the data you want to back up. For example, you may want to back up the data in your My Documents folder.

6. Click the radio button in front of the My documents and settings option.
7. Click Next. You should see the Backup Type, Destination, and Name dialog box that looks similar to the following:

You can now specify the location (and thus the type of medium) to which you will back up the data.

8. Below the Choose a place to save your backup field, use the drop-down arrow to select the location/medium to which you will back up the data. For example, as shown in the dialog box above, the individual has inserted a Zip disk into her Zip drive to back up her data to the 250MB Zip disk in the E: drive on her computer.

NOTE
If your computer has a CD-RW drive and you have more than 250MB of data to back up, you can back up your data to a CD if you prefer.

9. Under the Type a name for this backup field, type a name for the backup data file.

You may already have a naming scheme for back up data (e.g., mydocs904, as shown in the dialog box above, indicates a back up of the data in the My Documents folder in September 2004). If you do not already have a naming scheme, create one that clearly defines what the data is and when it was backed up.

10. Click Next. You should see the Completing the Backup or Restore Wizard dialog box that looks similar to the following:

11. Examine the information in this dialog box. If it is correct, click Finish. Your data will be backed up to using file name that you created in the previous steps.

NOTE
If the information in this dialog box is not correct, click Back to change the option(s) you want to correct.