At Windows Event Log event

This type of schedule is effective only in Windows operating systems.

You can schedule a backup task to start when a certain Windows event has been recorded in one of the event logs such as the Application, Security, or System log.

For example, you may want to set up a backup plan that will automatically perform an emergency full backup of your data as soon as Windows discovers that your hard disk drive is about to fail. 

  Parameters

Log name

Specifies the name of the log. Select the name of a standard log (Application, Security, or System) from the list, or type a log name—for example: Microsoft Office Sessions

Event source

Specifies the event source, which typically indicates the program or the system component that caused the event—for example: disk

Event type

Specifies the event type: Error, Warning, Information, Audit success, or Audit failure.

Event ID

Specifies the event number, which typically identifies the particular kind of events among events from the same source.

For example, an Error event with Event source disk and Event ID 7 occurs when Windows discovers a bad block on a disk, whereas an Error event with Event source disk and Event ID 15 occurs when a disk is not ready for access yet. 

  Examples

“Bad block” emergency backup

One or more bad blocks that have suddenly appeared on a hard disk usually indicate that the hard disk drive will soon fail. Suppose that you want to create a backup plan that will back up hard disk data as soon as such a situation occurs.

When Windows detects a bad block on a hard disk, it records an event with the event source disk and the event number 7 into the System log; the type of this event is Error.

When creating the plan, type or select the following in the Schedule area:

  • Log name: System
  • Event source: disk
  • Event type: Error
  • Event ID: 7

Important: To ensure that such a task will complete despite the presence of bad blocks, you must make the task ignore bad blocks. To do this, in Backup options, go to Error handling, and then select the Ignore bad sectors check box.

Pre-update backup in Vista

Suppose that you want to create a backup plan that will automatically perform a backup of the system—for example, by backing up the volume where Windows is installed—every time that Windows is about to install updates.

Having downloaded one or more updates and scheduled their installation, the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system records an event with the event source Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient and event number 18 into the System log; the type of this event is Information.

When creating the plan, type or select the following in the Schedule area:

  • Log name: System
  • Event source: Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient
  • Event type: Information
  • Event ID: 18

Tip: To set up a similar backup plan for machines running Microsoft Windows XP, replace the text in Event source with Windows Update Agent and leave the remaining fields the same. 

  How to view events in Event viewer

To open a log in Event Viewer

  1. On the Desktop or in the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
  2. In the Computer Management console, expand System Tools, and then expand Event Viewer.
  3. In Event Viewer, click the name of a log that you want to view—for example, Application.

    Note: To be able to open the security log (Security), you must be a member of the Administrators group.

To view properties of an event, including the event source and event number

  1. In Event Viewer, click the name of a log that you want to view—for example, Application.

    Note: To be able to open the security log (Security), you must be a member of the Administrators group.

  2. In the list of events in the right pane, double-click the name of an event whose properties you want to view.
  3. In the Event Properties dialog box, view the event’s properties such as the event source, shown in the Source field; and the event number, shown in the Event ID field.

When you are finished, click OK to close the Event Properties dialog box.

At Windows Event Log event