{ 3 }Backup
  
  
When backing up your data, you will need some offline storage device such as one or more of:

• Tape Storage Device.
• Zip drive.
• Writeable CD ROM or DVD drive.

Items to back up

You should remember when doing a backup that there are several items that you should back up. They include:

• File Data
• Mail Data
• Web site favorites
• Possibly your desktop (Some people save their files on their desktop)

These instructions do not cover backing up program files but most of those files are in the directory "C:\Program Files\".

Data Locations

Most user data is in the user folder and subfolders in the path C:\Documents and Settings\username\ and backing up this complete file should get most items in many cases. You should be aware of where your data is stored and review these locations before backing up your data. Also some folders that your data is stored in are hidden folders so you may need to change your settings so you can see hidden files and folders. The page How to Configure your Windows System to Show File Extensions All the Time shows how to change these settings.
If you store your files in "My Documents" which is the default Windows location you can normally find the folder in "C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents" where "username" is the login identifier you login to the system with. If you do not login, you probably have a default user set up. You should open your Control Panel "Users and Passwords" applet to determine your settings and possible user name. Normally your data is stored on your C: drive but depending on how your system is configured, it may be on another drive.