To completely back up the operating system of a server running Windows 2000, you must back up both its System State data and its operating system files. A backup of Windows 2000, including both the System State data and the boot and system partitions, is called a Windows backup set. A Windows backup set must contain the following data and must be backed up as part of the same backup job:

• The System State data
• The boot partition (the disk partition from which your computer starts. This partition contains files in the root directory such as NTLDR and BOOT.INI)
• The system partition (the disk partition to where Windows is installed)

You back up a computer's System State data using the System State data option in Backup. When you perform a System State backup, Backup automatically backs up all of the System State data that is relevant to your computer.
Because of the dependencies among System State components, you cannot back up or restore individual components of System State data using Backup. However, you can restore some types of System State files to an alternate location. For more information, see and ôRestoring Windows 2000 Backup Setsö in Part 3 of this document.
Note When you back up the System State data, a copy of your registry files is also saved in the systemroot/repair/regback folder. If your registry files become damaged or are accidentally erased, you can use these copied files to repair your registry without performing a full restore of the System State data.
This method of repairing the registry is only recommended for advanced users.

To back up your computer's Windows operating system files, back up the boot partition (the partition that contains the files that start Windows 2000) and the system partition (the partition where the Windows 2000 folders reside, such as the WINNT folder, Documents and Settings, and Program Files folders). Important In preparing to restore the Windows 2000 operating system configuration information, you must restore the server's System State data and its operating system files; these data and files must be part of the same backup set.

Create Windows backup sets frequently, weekly if possible. In general, the older your Windows backup sets are, the more likely you are to experience problems that you must resolve before you can restore Exchange 2000.

To create a Windows backup set

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.
2. In Backup, click the Backup tab. In the console tree, click the boxes next to the drive letters for your boot partition and system partition, and then click the box next to System State.
   Selecting a System State Backup
3. In the Backup destination list, perform one of the following steps:
   • Select File if you want to back up files and folders to a file.
   • If you do not have a tape device installed on your computer, this option is selected by default and cannot be changed. Select a tape device if you want to back up files and folders to a tape.
4. Next to the Backup media or file name box, click Browse to select a location and file name for your backup. For more information about how to select the media for your backup, see Selecting the Destination for the Backup.
5. Click Start Backup.
6. In Backup Job Information, in the Backup description text box, type a backup description, set the appropriate options, and then click Start Backup.
   For more information about how to set the options for the backup, see Selecting Options for the Backup.
7. After the backup is complete, verify the backup was successful. For more information about how to verify the success of a backup job, see Checking the Success of a Completed Backup Job.

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, Premium Edition
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, Standard Edition
• Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server