how to backup the following items?

When I perform backups, I usually backup only my data, music, photos, videos, favorites, setups and installers and create an image of all my partitions.

I soon realise that there are many things which I should backup which I'm not doing so.

May I know how to backup the following items?

1. all my drivers - including the updated ones.
does it mean that when i had backup my drivers, i don't have to install all my drivers individually when i re-format?

2. fonts

3. Microsoft Office template (I mean those which I download from Microsoft's website)

4. Win XP with SP2 (as my original XP CD only has SP1 - so how do i create a CD with XP & SP2, so that i'll be able to reinstall XP using that CD instead)

5. all my Firefox extensions and add-ons

thanks.

 

Hello,

You could do two things:

Write a script to backup all the desired folders and schedule it.
Use an imaging program to image the entire drive / partition. A good example of such a program are Acronis True Image or DriveImageXML.

Mrk

 

thanks for replying.

may i know how to write a script? what program should i use for instance?

also.. how can i backup all my drivers including the updated drivers?

 

Hello,

Simple script, write in Notepad, save as text, rename .txt to .bat.
xcopy /s /f c:\folder\*.* d:\backup_folder\

You can schedule it via Control Panel > Scheduler.

As to drivers, you will need an imaging program, like Acronis True Image or DriveImageXML.

Mrk

 

however, when u image your drivers, you're actually imaging the your whole partition, am i right?

1. when u image your whole partition, reformat and restore it, does it mean that it will install your OS, all updated drivers such that u don't have to reconfigure and reinstall any of them again?

2. when u restore an image, will your previous registry still exist? or will it start on a brand new registry?

3. is it better to start with a new registry or with an old one after reformatting?

4. so, if i want to start with a new registry, does it mean that i have to reinstall my OS, all my programs and all my drivers manually? are there other ways to do so?

5. if it is necessary to install all my drivers manually, is there a way for me to backup my existing drivers without imaging the whole partition?

6. or, can i image my whole partition but only restore the files which contains my drivers in it?

7. if this is possible using Acronis, may i know which file or folder is it under? and how can i search for it?

thanks.

 

You can use DriverMax to backup all your drivers and it is free.
Here you go http://www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax/

 

spider_darth,
If you backup your entire partition [C:] with Acronis today, you will get EVERYTHING back as it was, when you restore that image 3 days later.
I use Acronis myself since March 2006. I restore my images even on zero-ed harddisks (= unformatted harddisk)

 

Hello,

Answers:

When you images the drives, you can image whole drive or individual partitions.

1. Yes. Restoring means you get your OS as it was the day you made the image. No extra configurations necessary. It will be as it was, all and everything included.

2-6. A bit tricky what you ask. You have no manual control over the registry. It's a part of the OS. So are the drivers. Once installed, you cannot individually back them up. You can back up the system, but you cannot pluck installed ingredients and keep them apart as invididual units. Not in Windows, anyway. In Linux, yes.

7. Give Acronis a try and see how it works. The entire partition / drive can be saved to a single file - image file. That way, you will not need to worry where every little thing is.

Mrk