Norton Ghost
Norton Ghost is a handy utility to back up your data before you lose it.
If you can afford it, buy a hard drive image backup tool, like Norton Ghost or Acronis' True Image. Then perform an image backup of your boot drive, either to another hard drive or to optical media. These utilities allow you to create bootable CDs, too, which can be a lifesaver.
* Once the image backup is done, use the Windows File Settings and Transfer Wizard to save key settings. The File Settings and Transfer Wizard is launched from Accessories --> System Tools. Just back up all your settings, as a safety measure. That way, if you run into major problems and are forced to perform a clean reinstall of Windows, then you'll at least have preserved your system settings.
* Now back up all critical data. That should include:
o Internet favorites/bookmarks
o ISP information
o Document templates
o Game save files
o The My Documents and Shared Documents folder
o Serial numbers for software if you've bought software via download rather than on CD.
Note that it's worth browsing the entire Documents and Settings folder on your primary drive. But you should use Tools > Folder Options on any folder window to enable the viewing of hidden folders and files or you may miss something critical.
* Back up software you've bought online. If you've downloaded software you use daily, back it up to optical media or some other system.
* Back up to external media. By this, we mean anything other than the boot drive. However, don't back up to a secondary partition that's on the same physical drive as the boot drive. You can back up to a secondary physical drive in your system, however

Tip 2: Gather Software Serial Numbers and CD Keys

In the era of the modern, broadband Internet, we often buy software online, and download it to our systems. We mentioned earlier that you should back up your downloaded software. But be sure to gather up any needed serial numbers. These often show up in emails after you've purchased the application. One strategy is to keep a spreadsheet or text file of all software serial numbers and periodically print it out.

The most critical software serial number is the Windows CD key. It's amazing how often we've spoken to readers who have tried to reinstall Windows, only to discover that they've lost or misplaced the CD key. The same goes true for any application that requires online activation to work.

A corollary to this is to deactivate any applications that are normally activated. Many applications that require activation also allow for a deactivation or uninstallation process that allows you to reactivate on another system. A motherboard swap will often trigger the reactivation process. It's always easier to reactivate over the Internet, and deactivating first allows you to do this. You'll save yourself a phone call to the application's provider explaining why you want to reactivate something that's already been activated.

Our experience is that Microsoft software is generally forgiving. If it's been a few months since the last reactivation, you can usually just reactivate over the Internet. You'll need to do this for Windows and Microsoft Office. Adobe applications are more sensitive, but Adobe allows you to easily transfer activation via the Help menu of current Adobe applications. Online games are usually no problem, since most login info is kept on the server. However, some downloaded games, such as Wild Tangent titles, should be uninstalled first, then reinstalled.


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