Dragonette said:
I have to do a restore to factory settings and would like to backup my
files, how can I do this. Please answer in simple terms as I am not
technical at all
thanks in advance for you help
Only you know what "your files" are, but here are some suggestions assuming
a standard install of XP:
1. Everything in My Documents, which includes Music and Pictures.
2. Check in Shared Documents for files.
3. If using IE, back up the folder here:
C:\Documents and Settings\[your user name]\Favorites
4. If using Firefox, open the program and under Bookmarks, Organize
Bookmarks. Pre-3.0 versions, you'll see an Export item under the File menu.
Version 3.x, there are Backup and Export HTML options but you need to click
a button on the toolbar. Save the backup file in My Documents since you're
backing up everything in there anyway.
5. Email - If you are reading mail online (Yahoo, at Comcast.net, Gmail,
AOL), all your mail is on the webmail's servers so you don't need to worry
about it. If you are using Outlook Express or some other program, you'll
need to back up your mail and address book. For details about backing up
OE, go to
www.insideoe.com. For Outlook, go to
www.slipstick.com. For other
mail programs, Google "back up [name of other email program].
6. Back up any special programs that want you to do a Backup/Restore from
within the program, such as QuickBooks or niche software.
You can back up the data by burning to CD/DVD-R (not RW) and/or copying to
an external hard drive.
Malke
