Before you reinstall your Windows, it's important to backup important personal data and analyze system information. First of all, you probably would like to save your My Documents folder, containing your personal files. The folder Favorites (containing your important IE websites), the folders containing your E-mail and Address book and probably some save-games can be of great value to you. But there is more! On this page you will find out what's wise to backup and how to do it.
TIP: Some files mentioned here are system files and/or hidden, so make sure you can see those type of files in the Windows Explorer (Tools, Folder Options, tab View, enable Display the content of system folders, enable Show hidden files and folders, disable Hide extensions for known file types and disable Hide protected operating system files).
You can use many backup devices, like CD-R/RW DVD-R/RW, USB-stick, e-mail, external hard disk or another computer in your network. Before you reinstall Windows, make sure you are able to read your backup.
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If your Windows is infected by a virus, most times it is still possible to boot in save mode (press F8 at boot). If your Windows has been crashed, but the hard disk is still accessible, you can try to backup your important files by placing the hard disk as slave in another computer. Other options are booting from a CD, like Bart's PE or Emergency Boot CD (the most easy way because these bootable CD's support external hard disks and USB sticks). It takes some time to create those bootable CD's but it's worth the effort.
Many applications store settings in the registry. If you know how, you can export the most important keys (however I prefer to rebuild the registry, to make sure not to import current troubles). Worth saving is the C:\Documents and Settings folder, which contains some interesting folders. This folder contains some sub folders, like All Users and the different user accounts. To save all information, completely copy an user account (the easiest way is creating a new administrator account, else some files won't be accessible). There is no need to copy the temporary (internet) files in the Local Settings folder!
If you have bought mediafiles with the Windows Media Player, there is reason to worry about the Digital Rights Management (DRM). There is no way to secure the licenses. After Windows is reïnstalled you have to contact the shop where you bought the media and redownload the digital rights. In the older version of the Windows Media Player you were able to save and restore them (Tools, License Management, button Back Up Now).
The NTFS file system provides you with the possibility to encrypt your personal data (EFS, encrypted file system). You will only be able de decrypt and access your data with your own user account. Before you know, your files are no longer accessible (for example if your Windows system crashed because of a virus)! The encrypted file system is activated by right clicking a file, Properties, button Advanced, enable Encrypt contents to secure data. I advise to secure the EFS key, by exporting it through the Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options, tab Content, button Certificats, tab Personal. Store the key on a safe location which isn't encrypted itself ;-).
If you are using an e-mail client like Outlook Express or Outlook, you probably like to restore your e-mail (inbox and sent items, address book) and e-mail account settings to your reinstalled Windows. Copy your e-mail database from it's current location to your backup location. You will find the exact location of the e-mail database from Outlook Express (Tools, Options, tab Maintenance, button Store Folder) and Outlook (Tools, Options, tab Mail Setup, button Data Files) in the settings section. If you are using a different e-mail application, most times you can find the database location in the settings section.
Write down the e-mail account settings (Extra, Accounts), you need them after you reinstalled your Windows. You will probably need the following information:
By default Outlook Express stores the e-mail database in the folder C:\Documents and Settings\user account\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{...}\Microsoft\Outlook Express\ Windows 98/ME uses the C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Identities\{...}\Outlook Express\ folder. The Outlook Express database contains files with the extension DBX. By copying the complete folder to your backup location, you are save. After you reinstalled Windows you can restore them here as well. I rather advise to place them on a different partition and use the Outlook Express settings to change the database location. This is important if you plan to build a system image.
TIP 1: If you are using more then one e-mail identity within the same user account, you have to
backup more then one e-mail database folder.
TIP 2: Be careful when you are placing back the e-mail database. There is
a risk of loosing data. Never work with your original backup files.
By default the Windows Address Book (used by Outlook Express) is stored in the C:\Documents and Settings\user account\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\ folder. Windows 98/ME uses the C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\ folder. The Address Book folder contains a file with the extension WAB (double click this file to view the content). By copying this folder or file to your backup location, you will have a backup of the Address Book. If you can't find the WAB file, you can use the utility Outlook Express Tweaker (download OE Tweaker: www.qwhale.com). This tool is very useful to change the default Address Book location to another partition.
TIP: If you have installed Outlook (you don't have to us it as e-mail client), the WAB-file probably doesn't contain the most recent data. See the Outlook topic below, how to save the Outlook PST database.
By default Outlook stores the e-mail, address book, agenda and notes in the OUTLOOK.PST file, stored in the folder C:\Documents and Settings\user account\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\.. Windows 98\ME uses the C:\Windows\Application Data\Outlook\ folder. By copying this PST file to your backup location, you will have a backup of your Outlook data. Before you copy the file to a save location, close Outlook to prevent any errors. Changing the storage location of Outlook is easy (important if you plan a system image): move the file and start Outlook. After the shown error, redirect Outlook to the new location.
TIP: If the option AutoArchive is enabled (enabled by default, Tools, Options, tab Other, button AutoArchive), please save the ARCHIVE.PST file as well.
Outlook Express offers the possibility to make rules for blocking senders for the incoming e-mail (Message, Block Sender). These rules are saved in the registry on the following location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{....}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0\Block Senders\Mail\Criteria
By exporting this key to a REG-file within the registry editor (File, Export), you are able to backup your blocking rules. Importing these blocking rules is easy: double click on the created REG-file.
It's also possible to export the created rules (Message, Create Rules From Message) by exporting the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{....}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0\Rules
These procedures are not necessary within Outlook, the rules are stored in the PST-file.
Within Outlook (Tools, E-mail Accounts, View or change existing e-mail accounts) en Outlook Express (Tools, Accounts, tab Mail and possibly tab News) you are able to manage different e-mail accounts. Saving these accounts is also possible.
For Outlook Express, saving these accounts (including the password) is very easy: Tools, Accounts, tab Mail, Export (choose Import to restore the backup of your e-mail account from the created IAF-file). Be careful with these IAF-files, they contain your passwords.
For Outlook there is a different procedure, the account settings can
only be found in the registry, stored in the key below. By exporting this key
with the registry editor you are able to
backup your e-mail accounts (importing is easy by double clicking the created
REG-file). This procedure doesn't backup the e-mail passwords, read the item
Forgotten passwords below if you forgot them:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\OMI Account Manager
or
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook
However, I prefer to print the Outlook account settings with the Mail PassView tool (see item below: Forgotten Passwords) or to export them with the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (Start All Programs, Accessories, System Tools).
If Firefox is your favorit browser and/or Thunderbird your favorit e-mailclient, the tool MozBackup (download: http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com) will be useful to back-up the settings, favorits, e-maildatabase, e-mailaccounts, paswords and browserextensions of these Mozilla tools.
Many people using IncrediMail aren't able to go back normally to an e-mail client like Outlook or Outlook Express without loosing important data (send and received e-mail). Converting the database to the EML format can be done with Rauno's IncrediConvert (download: www.rauno.com/incrediconvert.zip). The created EML files can be imported easely in most e-mail clients by dragging and dropping them with the mouse to the e-mail client. The contacts can be exported to the standard CSV format easely using IncrediMail.
Don't forget to backup your Internet Explorer Favorites folder: C:\Documents and Settings\user account\Favorites. To remember: changing the location of the Favorites folder is easily done by a cut and paste operation. If you prefer to save the current order of the Favorites as well, save the following registry key:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder\Favorites
After restoring the saved Favorites on your new computer/useraccount doubleclik on the created registerfile to restore the order of the favorites. This only works correctly if the restored Favorites are exactly the same as before.
Did you delete files or folders accidentally?: PC Inspector FileRecovery (download: www.pcinspector.de) will probably recover them ......... Install this tool in your basic Windows setup, to prevent overwriting the deleted files/folders!
Besides the e-mail account settings, you might also save your dial up settings (Control Panel, Network Connections). If you have any, check the different properties settings of your dial up connection (check the different tab settings). Also check the network settings, if used. Sometimes you need to provide the connection with TCP/IP settings if there is no DHCP server.
Your dial up settings are stored in the following folder: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Connections\Pbk. Copy this folder to your backup location, to save these settings (without passwords). Windows 98/ME stores the dial up settings in the following registry key (use the registry editor to export this key):
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\RemoteAccess
Have you forgotten your passwords from e-mail, dial-up, MSN/Live or even visited websites? No problem: with the right tools, you can recover them from the Windows protected storage. The most easy tools are available on the NirSoft website (download: www.nirsoft.net)! Here you find password recovery tools for your favorite e-mail client (Mail PassView), messenger application (MessenPass), dial up connection (Dialupass), secured wireless connection (WirelessKeyView) or even the passwords of visited websites (Protected Storage PassView). Run those utilities and print your screen with a PrintScreen tool like. You will be surprised with all the information you will find!
ATTENTION: Many scansoftware warn for a virus because they are very powerfull tools. See the alert as a warning, these tools are virus free!
FTP Password Recovery (download: www.gsmblog.com/freeware) can be used to recover the FTP password to upload your website. After you have used this tool, it will be clear to you that your e-mail and ftp passwords are transferred openly over the internet!
Forgot the password of a Word- or Excel-document? No problem for Free Word/Excel Password Recovery Software (download: www.freewordexcelpassword.com). Finding the password takes some time, but this tool will find the password. Removing a forgotten password of an Excel-spreadsheet can be done with Excel Password Remover (download: www.straxx.com/excel/password.html). This tool only removes the editing protection of an Excel-file or -sheet.
Not really a password, but important enough if you don't have it anymore: the Windows and Office installation keys. You can recover them with utility ProduKey (download: www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html). With the tool RockXP (download: www.rockxp.org) you are able to view the installation keys as well, but you are also able to change them! Changing the installation key can be useful if you have bought a legal version but don't want to reinstall the old illegal version.
A very beautifull tool is Cain & Abel (download: www.oxid.it/cain.html): with this password recovery tool almost everything is possible! Did you forget the administrator password? Check the Bootable CD section. The tool CmosPwd (download: www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/CmosPwd) makes it possible to recover the BIOS passwords of almost all motherboards.
The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (Start All Programs, Accessories, System Tools) is a Windows XP build-in utility to save your files and settings. I do not prefer to use this tool (because of the possibility to import errors), but I can imagine it can be of great value. I use this utility to make a copy of the settings of a user account for another user account: it saves a lot of clicking!
Before you reinstall your Windows, there is one more thing you should do: check your device drivers and save them to your backup location:
Do NOT start with the reinstall of Windows before you have (saved) the drivers of your modem and/or network adapter (whatever you use to make a connection to the internet). On this website you can find how to install hardware drivers.
With the Driver Genius Professional Edition (download: www.driver-soft.com) you are able to backup all the device drivers to your backup location. Start Driver Genius, choose your backup location, click Select All followed by Start Backup.
TIP: DriverMax (download: www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax) and Double Driver (download: www.majorgeeks.com/Double_Driver_d4802.html) are similar software.
Remember: NEVER CHANGE A WINNING TEAM. Sometimes it's wise not to update drivers. If you have followed my advise to backup your system with an image, you can safely test new drivers. Most times, you can go back to the previous device driver. Start the Device Manager (Control Panel, System, tab Hardware, button Device Manager) and right click the device choose Properties, tab Driver and use the button Roll Back Driver.
Do you want more information about your hardware? Use Start, Run and enter the command MSINFO32.
Before you go on, it's wise to download a software firewall first. If Windows XP is installed and you enter the internet without a firewall, there is a big chance you get infected within 1 minute. It's a bit strange: you need to go online for the necessary Windows security updates but if you go online without security you probably get infected! Because of this reason, Windows Service Pack 2 enables the Windows firewall by default. Of course you can rely on the build in XP firewall, but make sure you turn it on before you connect your network cable (if you don't have SP2 yet)! I prefer to install Sygate Personal Firewall.
If you are provided with SATA (serial ATA) hard disk and a RAID controller (in stead of IDE hard disks): make sure you have the drivers on floppy or CD-ROM. You will need those to find your hard disk during the install of Windows. You need to press F6 at Windows setup, to load these drivers.
Make sure your harddisk is error free, before reinstalling Windows. Most BIOS versions have the option to enable S.M.A.R.T. monitoring (by default disabled most times). The S.M.A.R.T. option makes it possible to monitor the health of your harddisk. When a harddisk crash is near, this option informs you which gives you time to save your personal data and replace the harddisk. If possible: always enable this option! If you can't find S.M.A.R.T. in your BIOS, you can also use HD Health (download: www.panterasoft.com).
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