Browsing Windows 7 backup file

I've backed up by PC with the backup tool included with Win7 Professional and thought that I could mount the backup data file as a VHD using Disk Manager and browse the backup data as a normal drive, but when I mount the VHD file (as a readonly drive), it's mounted but the drive is "uninitialised" and Disk Manager wants to initialise it. Will initialising destroy the backup file's content?

Or I guess my question is, given what I've just described: how can I browse the content of my Windows 7 backup?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Back-up-...

Initializing it will destroy its contents.

To open a Windows Backup file, use the Windows Backup program.

Thanks - very useful

Very useful posts and link. I'd always assumed that Backup was machine-specific and to be used only for the source computer.