Right-Click Backups

We all know the importance of regularly backing up important documents and data--but most of us don't back up nearly as often as we should--partially because backing up takes time. But what if you could simply right-click important folders in Windows Explorer or My Computer and select Backup? With a small addition to the Windows Registry, you can create that command yourself--and define what happens when you select it.

Before we detail how to make the change, keep in mind that altering the Registry is serious business: One mistake can render your system unstable or even unbootable. If you're running Windows 98, your system already keeps several Registry backups at the ready; if you're running Windows 95, be sure to back up the system.dat and user.dat files in the C:\Windows folder on a floppy or removable disk before moving on.

Begin by opening the Registry Editor: Select Start, Run, type regedit, and press Enter.

In the left pane, navigate down the tree to the "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\" key.

With "shell" selected in the left pane, select Edit, New, Key. Type Backup and press Enter to name the new key.

With the new Backup key selected in the left pane, again select Edit, New, Key. Type command and press Enter.

Select the command key in the left pane, then double-click the Default value in the right pane. In the dialog that appears, you need to enter a command that will perform a backup operation. If you want to back up folders to a separate space on your hard drive, enter this command (and be sure to create a folder called Backups on your C: drive):

COMMAND.COM /C XCOPY /S %1 C:\BACKUPS

For backups on a floppy drive (or other removable media), use the following command (replacing A: with the appropriate drive letter):

COMMAND.COM /C XCOPY /S %1 A:

To back up to a network folder, this command will do the trick:

COMMAND.COM /C XCOPY/S %1 \\server\folder

Click OK when you've entered the appropriate command, and close RegEdit. To test your modification, right-click any folder and select the new Backup command. You should see a DOS window quickly open and close to copy all the files in that folder to the target location that you specified.