If the Backup Status And Configuration or the Backup And Restore Center freezes when you try to open it, verify that your backup media (the external hard disk you use for backups) is connected and has some free space. If it doesn’t have enough free space, Backup Status And Configuration and the Backup And Restore Center seem to freeze trying to get the info from the drive.

To check the space, click Start, and then click Computer. Right-click your backup disk and then click Properties. From there, you can run Disk Cleanup to clear up some space.

After you free up the space, reopen the Backup Status And Configuration or the Backup And Restore Center pages–it should work this time.

Lots of weird problems happen if you’re low on disk space–programs randomly fail, the operating system can seem unreliable, and you might lose work because you can’t save it.

Just like Windows XP, Windows Vista includes the Disk Cleanup Wizard. To use the Disk Cleanup Wizard to free up space, follow these steps:

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You can automatically solve most startup problems with the Startup Repair tool. If you prefer a more manual approach, you can use the BootRec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery environment.

First, follow these steps to load the Windows Recovery Environment:

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Gone. (Well, it’ll still be there if you have an earlier version of Windows installed. If you’re just running Vista, it’s gone.)

Microsoft has replaced the Boot.ini file with the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) registry file. It’s no longer a text file, so you can’t edit it directly. Instead, it’s a proprietary format like the registry.

Read this article if you want to change startup settings. If your computer won’t start, don’t sweat it. Follow these steps to run Startup Repair.
For more information, read Chapter 30 (which I wrote!) of the Windows Vista Resource Kit. Also check out the BCD FAQ and read the Boot Configuration Data in Windows Vista Word document.

The BCD registry file controls which operating system installation starts and how long the boot manager waits before starting Windows. Basically, it’s like the Boot.ini file in earlier versions of Windows. If you need to edit it, the easiest way is to use the Startup And Recovery tool from within Vista. Just follow these steps:

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Computer won’t start? If you’re lucky, it’s just a problem with corrupted system files. Or, maybe you added or removed a hard disk and you need to reconfigure startup settings. Regardless, your first step should be to run Startup Repair. Startup Repair is easy to use and it’ll fix most startup configuration problems. Of course, it can’t fix a busted hard disk… but it’s worth a shot.

To run Startup Repair, follow these steps:

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You should schedule a nightly automatic backup on your computer. You can then view the scheduled task in the Task Scheduler tool:

1. Click Start. Type task, and then click Task Scheduler.
2. Expand Task Scheduler Library, Microsoft, Windows, and then click WindowsBackup.
3. In the right pane, notice the AutomaticBackup task.

Here’s the thing: The AutomaticBackup task will show The operation completed successfully even if it didn’t run. It lies. So, if you want to know if you completed a backup or not, open the Backup and Restore Center instead.