How to configure the backup on each computer

After you have installed the WHS client onto each computer, you may want to customize what is backed up each night. By default, all new or changed files on each PC are backed up every night. But there may be special cases where you need to further configure what is backed up.

Open the Windows Home Server Console by right clicking on the WHS icon in the System Tray and choosing “Windows Home Server Console”. Enter in the WHS password when prompted. Important tip: Remember, this password is generally not shared with other members of your family. Instead, it should be written down and sealed in an envelope and stored in a safe location.

The WHS Console will display as soon as your password has been verified. Click on “Computers and Backup”. Right click on a computer that you would like configure, choose “Configure Backup”, and then click Next when prompted.

From this screen, you can select which hard drives to backup. As you can see, WHS Backups all of the data on your computer by default, so configuring the backup through this wizard is not absolutely necessary. In addition to choosing which drives to backup, you can also select certain folders to exclude. Which folders are good candidates to exclude? Any data that is “use once”, such as televisions shows that you have recorded on an XP Media Edition PC. Folders that contain important documents for your businesses or school work would be bad candidates to exclude.

After you have verified the hard drives that you want to backup, click Next.

To exclude a folder or folders, click “Add”. On the Exclude Folders screen, expand the drive by clicking on the plus symbol:

Find the folder that you want to exclude, highlight it and then click “Exclude”

Verify that you have the correct folder listed in the Exclude list, then click Next.

Click Next to complete the Wizard.

Remember, once the WHS Client has been installed, further configuration of the backup client is not necessary. If you leave the defaults, your computer will backup each night automatically. However, you may want to exclude certain folders, or simply double-check what the WHS Client has setup.