What is needed to be saved before reformatting PC?

What is needed to be saved before reformatting PC?

Hello! Claire

Before you reformatting / Installing new windows to your PC. Things are need to backup, otherwise you will loose something.

Programs – know where to download the programs you need or have them on CD ready to install. Remember that Office (the suite that combines Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Access) is separate to Windows and does not normally ship with new computers. You will need to buy it or use the free alternatively the Open Office

Email – your email (inbox, sent etc.), address book and email account settings. Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird.

I strongly recommend Plaxo for managing your contacts.

Browser –  Your favorites, cookies, passwords. I suggest you save your passwords in a database example in MS excel or Word or any that keeps data. You must keep the data not in one place I mean if you have Hard Drive or Portable HDD then you can burn into a CD/DVD . You can also use Mozbackup to backup your Firefox

Drivers – This things should will be the I.T. 

Documents – always store your personal documents/files on a separate hard disk. This should be an external disk so you can take them wherever you go. If you do not have one, use a partition on your hard disk. If you don't have a partition, file your documents somewhere like My Documents (that standard folder on every computer).

Make sure all your documents (music, photos, ) are in this place – wherever it may be – and that you have them backed up

iTunes – If you use iTunes, backup your iTunes library file (which houses your playlists, library, track rating and so on).

Google Earth – You can export your Places by clicking on My Places then going to Save. After reinstalling, go to Open, choose the file you saved and all the places you marked in Google Earth will be brought in.

Program Settings – Each program you use may have settings you have personalized. Check each of your programs for these and note down what they are. For example… FileZilla FTP settings; VOIP SIP settings; RSS feeds; PuTTY settings.

Fonts – If you installed extra fonts to your computer, back these up. Normally located here: C:WINDOWSFonts

Hosts file – If you are a web developer, you may have changed your hosts file. Normally here: C:WINDOWSsystem32driversetc

Private Key – If you use SSH2, remember to save your Private Key.

You may also like to backup your entire hard drive by copying it to an external drive (or a partition) just in case there is something else you need and did not backup. You can also use software that will backup the entire HDD which contain data by putting them all into an image and you can burn into DVD for your backup purposes!.

Also in the future do not put your save files in " My Documents" Its because this folder is in the DRIVE C: which when formatting it will be included!. I recommend to save your work to Drive D: Which separate from other windows Partition.

Above are just TIPS an recommendation you can follow your own if you have. :))

Allan,