Vista - Backups and Restore Points

The Windows Vista documentation is confusing me. It seems to imply that
backups are created by me but restore points create "shadow" copies of
system files yet the changes I make to my files are included in these
"shadow files". Does anyone know where I can get a simple explanation of
what is included in backup files and what is included in shadow files and
just what the differences are?

Thanks in advance

Tyro

These are three separate functions

Backup is an exact copy of those files you select to "backup" at a particular point of time. It is user initiated.

Shadow Copy automatically creates point-in-time copies of files as you work, so you can quickly and easily retrieve versions of a document you may have accidentally deleted. Shadow copy is automatically turned on in Windows Vista and creates copies on a scheduled basis of files that have changed. Since only incremental changes are saved, minimal disk space is used for shadow copies.

System Restore is a component that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of malfunctioning or failure. System Restore is based on shadow copy technology. The advantage of using shadow copy is that block-level changes in files located in any directory on the volume can be monitored and backed up regardless of their location.
In System Restore, you may create a new restore point manually, rollback to an existing restore point, or change the System Restore configuration. Moreover, the restore itself can be undone. Old restore points are discarded in order to keep the volume's usage within the specified amount. For many users, this can provide restore points covering the past several weeks. Users concerned with performance or space usage may also opt to disable System Restore entirely. Files stored on volumes not monitored by System Restore are never backed up or restored.
System Restore backs up system files of certain extensions (.exe, .dll, etc.) and saves them for later recovery and use. It also backs up the registry and most drivers.


Sources

System Restore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Explore the features: Shadow Copy
Back Up And Restore Files In Vista Part I ~ IT Professionals

Hope that helps

Norm

On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:52:09 -0600, NormCameron
<guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote:
Remove "installed programs" from that, and it's correct. System
Restore ONLY keeps snapshots of system files/settings and does not
keep track of installed programs or data.

Wikipedia is not the best of sources.

Richie Hardwick

I stand corrected. And yes I agree re: Wikpedia.

Norm