Windows system monitoring tools are essential for tracking system performance, diagnosing issues, and ensuring the overall health of your PC. Whether you use built-in Windows utilities, third-party applications like Glary Utilities, or advanced monitoring suites, backing up your system monitoring tools and their configurations is a crucial but often overlooked task. This guide provides practical, step-by-step instructions for backing up these tools, tailored to both beginners and advanced users.
Why Backup System Monitoring Tools?
Losing the configuration and history of your monitoring tools can set back troubleshooting or optimization efforts. Backups help you:
– Restore customized settings after a system reinstall.
– Migrate monitoring setups to a new PC.
– Quickly recover from accidental changes or corruption.
Which System Monitoring Tools Should You Consider?
Commonly used Windows system monitoring tools include:
– Task Manager and Resource Monitor (built-in)
– Performance Monitor (perfmon)
– Windows Event Viewer
– Third-party tools like Glary Utilities, HWMonitor, Process Explorer, and Open Hardware Monitor
This guide covers how to back up their settings, logs, and customizations where possible.
Section 1: Basics for Beginners – Backing Up Simple Tools
Can You Backup Built-in Windows Tools?
Windows’ native tools like Task Manager and Resource Monitor do not have settings files to back up, but you can:
– Export Event Viewer logs.
– Save custom Performance Monitor (perfmon) Data Collector Sets.
– Document any custom configurations for easy manual restoration.
How to Export Windows Event Logs
1. Open Event Viewer (Windows + R, type `eventvwr.msc`, press Enter).
2. Navigate to the log you want (e.g., Windows Logs > Application).
3. Right-click the log and choose “Save All Events As…”
4. Choose a destination (USB, cloud drive, etc.), select the format (default .evtx is best), and save.
5. Repeat for other logs you wish to back up.
How to Backup Custom Perfmon Data Sets
1. Open Performance Monitor (Windows + R, type `perfmon`, press Enter).
2. Expand Data Collector Sets > User Defined.
3. Right-click the desired Data Collector Set and choose “Export Template.”
4. Save the .xml file to your backup location.
Restoring is as simple as using the “Import Template” option on a new system.
Tip for Beginners: Use a dedicated backup folder on an external drive or cloud storage for all your exported logs and configurations.
Section 2: Advanced User Guide – Comprehensive Backups
How to Backup Third-Party System Monitoring Tools
Advanced users often rely on third-party tools for deeper insights and customization. Here’s how to back up some popular options:
Glary Utilities
Glary Utilities isn’t just for cleaning and optimizing; it also provides monitoring features (like startup manager, disk usage, and system info). To backup Glary Utilities and its settings:
1. Open Glary Utilities.
2. Go to Menu > Backup Centers.
3. Use the built-in Backup/Restore function to save your settings and registry changes.
4. Manually copy Glary’s program folder from `C:\Program Files (x86)\Glary Utilities` to your backup destination.
5. To back up Task Scheduler tasks created by Glary, export them using Task Scheduler’s “Export” function.
Process Explorer and Other Portable Tools
1. Simply copy the entire tool’s folder (including .exe and .ini/config files).
2. If you’ve saved custom columns or filters, look for .ini or .xml configuration files in the tool’s directory.
3. Save these files to your backup location.
HWMonitor/Open Hardware Monitor
These typically store settings in .ini or .xml files next to the executable. Copy the whole folder to back up settings.
Automating Backup with Scripts
Advanced users can use a PowerShell or batch script to copy all relevant files to a backup location. Example (PowerShell):
Copy-Item “C:\Users\YourName\Documents\PerfmonTemplates\*” “D:\SystemMonitorBackups\Perfmon” -Recurse
Copy-Item “C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Glary Utilities\*” “D:\SystemMonitorBackups\Glary” -Recurse
Schedule this script to run regularly using Windows Task Scheduler.
Restoring Your Monitoring Tools
– Built-in tools: Open Event Viewer or Performance Monitor and import logs or templates.
– Third-party: Install the tool, overwrite with your saved config files, or use the tool’s import/restore feature (as with Glary Utilities).
Best Practices and Tips
– Regularly backup after significant configuration changes.
– Store backups in multiple locations (external drive, cloud).
– Test restoring your backups to ensure reliability.
– Use descriptive folder names and organize by tool and date.
Conclusion
Backing up Windows system monitoring tools ensures your diagnostics and optimizations are never lost. Beginners can start by exporting logs and templates, while advanced users can script comprehensive backups of all tools, including settings for Glary Utilities and others. With these steps, your system monitoring environment can be quickly restored or migrated, saving time and avoiding headaches.