Before reinstalling windows - to do list
Before you reinstall Windows, these are some of the things you need to backup. (Otherwise there is a good chance you will loose something!).
- Windows - you must have your Windows CD and serial number ready.
- Programs - know where to download the programs you need (see my recommended programs) 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 alternative - 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. I strongly recommend del.icio.us for managing your favourites.
- Browser - favourites, cookies, passwords. I suggest you save your passwords in a database (e.g. Access) or spreadsheet (e.g. Excel). Keeping them all in one place is not very secure but it makes them easy to access. If you use Firefox, use this to view your passwords. You can use the free program MozBackup to backup your Firefox and Thunderbird profiles.
- Drivers - some of your hardware may require or work better with new drivers. Get copies of these or know where to download them from. (For example, your network card, monitor, mouse, printer).
- 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 personalised. 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:\WINDOWS\Fonts
- Hosts file - if you are a web developer, you may have changed your hosts file. Normally here: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc
- 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.
Adam recommends using Genie Outlook Backup or Genie Outlook Express Backup from Genie Soft. To do a lot of the work for you for email and internet backup.
After reinstalling windows
Some of the things to do when you have you new installation of Windows include:
- Go to the recommended programs page for a list of things to do after you have reinstalled Windows.
- Check your display settings (right click desktop and choose Properties. Go to Settings > Advanced > Monitor. Choose a high refresh rate (at least 80 Hertz if available). Not required on laptopts.
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