Backing up a computer

M

monee

I want to re-install Windows and save the contents of My Documents.

I have about 30 manuals that are 6mb each and other things.

Everyting totals about 1GB.

Can I copy everything on a 4.7 GB DVD or must it be a CD ,and put it back after I reload Windows.

When I put a blank DVD it asks what do you want windows to do?
Add files
Format
Create a CD
Burn CD
Open a writeable CD folder
Burn an audio CD
Create a CD
Take no action


Thanks I'm not too computer savvy.
 
Easiest thing to do is get a USB Flash drive... say 2GB size... then just drag and drop [copy] your My Documents Folder onto the flash drive... then drag it back [again, copy] when you finish the install. After you've restored your system, you'll also have a copy of your valuable stuff backed up.

Flash drives are VERY handy... I use one at least several times each week.
 
Quote from forex-forex:

Best to have a 2nd external hard drive for all your documents. USB Flash drives are too slow.
More...

Yes, slow for big jobs... but just fine for downloading .exe and PDF files, Word .doc's, photos, making backups of FF Bookmarks, things like that.
 
To answer your original question -

A lot depends on what program you have to create\format\write a DVD. I have a CD writer I've used, but haven't yet needed to do a DVD on my newer machine.

I assume you got the items listed below when you loaded a blank DVD.

Add files
Format
Create a CD
Burn CD
Open a writeable CD folder
Burn an audio CD
Create a CD
Take no action

I note it references CD's as opposed to DVD's. I think I'd try the "Create a CD" option. The CD must be formatted. There are a number of formatting options but you just want a data CD. As a guess, selecting the "Create a CD" option will open a Windows Explorer-like window into which you will drag the files you want. You will then select a menu option to burn the CD. It will run and you'll have a CD.

As an alternative - Open a GMail account. Zip up all the data you wish to save and send the file to the GMail account.

Download it when you want it. You can do the same thing with a regular email account such as Yahoo if the file isn't too big.

When you get time buy a Pen Drive. I just got an 8GB drive for $30 at Micro Center (SKU 394643). Make life easier in the future.


Jack
 
Quote from JackR:
As an alternative - Open a GMail account. Zip up all the data you wish to save and send the file to the GMail account.
More...

I was looking through a book called "Google Hacks" and apparently you can setup your Gmail account to show up on the computer as a hard disk: " start/my computer/ hard disk drives/your_gmail " When you log out the "your_gmail" drive disappears.

You then can treat it as a hard disk and save stuff. I think the book is out of print now and I don't know the exact details of setting this up.
 
Quote from JackR:

"... As an alternative - Open a GMail account. Zip up all the data you wish to save and send the file to the GMail account.
More...

Good chance this won't work. Most ISP's have a maximum upload size... usually 10-20MB for one file.
 
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