Open Management Studio and connect to the database server.
Change the Recovery Model to Simple: 1. Right click on the database you wish to backup and select Properties.
Click on Options. Write down the Recovery Model of the database, then change it to Simple Click OK
Shrink the Database Right-Click on the database, then select Tasks > Shrink > Database.
Check "Reorganize files before releasing unused space..." Click OK
Restore the Recovery Model Follow the steps above to restore the recovery model back to its original value.
2. Enable Backup Compression (Optional)
Right-Click on the Database Server and select Properties.
Click on Database Settings, Check "Compress Backups" Click OK
3. Take the Actual Backup
Open Management Studio and connect to the database server.
Right click on the database you wish to backup and select Tasks > Back up...
In the dialog that appears confirm: 1. Database you have selected to backup 2. Backup type: Full 3. Backup Component: Database 4. Back up to: Disk 5. Click "Add..." to select your backup destination
In the dialog that appears click the ellipse "..." button
Select your BAK backup destination and file name, make sure you manually type in the extension ".bak" Click OK
Click OK on the "Select Backup Destination" dialog:
Select the other backup destination and click Remove