Restore from backup - as close to original state as possible?

[Putty]

I did a clean reinstall of Windows XP Pro, partly due to some
difficult to eliminate adware.

I have a full backup, including the system information, which was done
while the system was "clean".

What is the best procedure for restoring my system to its previous
state. I suppose my options are limited by having reformatted the
drive during the reinstall.

Thanks for any advice.

Putty

 

[Maurice N ~ MVP]

At minimum, use Windows' backup program, and save the backup file to DVD/CD.

Also, XP's System Restore can be quite useful (although granted, it won't be able to retain forever your "fresh install state").

There are disk imaging utilities on the market, like Drive Image, Acronis True Image, that allow you to save images of your disk.