Backing Up Your Stuff Part 7: Where Is It #3?

Written by Richard Lowe


These items are all stored byrepparttar operating system in your system folder. On Windows 95, 98 and ME, this is generally called "WINDOWS", while on Windows 2000 and NT it is usually called either "WINNT" or "WINNT40" or something to that effect.

When you install your operating system you can actually changerepparttar 132100 name of your system folder (that'srepparttar 132101 WINNT or Windows folder) as well asrepparttar 132102 boot drive. If you did either of these things, just substituterepparttar 132103 appropriate information.

Fonts

Depending upon which version of Windows you are running and where you installedrepparttar 132104 operating system, your fonts could be in a number of different places. Assuming you tookrepparttar 132105 defaults when your system was created (or it was created for you), you will find fonts inrepparttar 132106 following places:

Windows 2000, NT - C:WINNTFonts

Windows 95, 98 and ME - C:WindowsFonts

If you still cannot find your fonts, all is not lost. Userepparttar 132107 "search" function form your "Start" menu and look for a folder called "fonts".

Wallpapers

Believe it or not, wallpapers are stored directly in your systems folder. They always have a file type of ".BMP", which means they are large. If you want to save your wallpapers, just back up everything with a ".BMP" file type.

Screensavers

These things are a little more complicated, since they usually require more than one file. These are stored inrepparttar 132108 system folder, and they can also be found in different subfolders, including "system32" and "system".

There is almost always a file with a file type of ".SCR", and often there are ".DLL" files as well. There may be additional files (and they may be in additional subfolders) depending uponrepparttar 132109 screen saver.

How do you know what to back up? It's not easy, and my recommendation is to saverepparttar 132110 original files (usually ".EXE" and ".ZIP" files) in a different directory. There is simply no telling whatrepparttar 132111 screen saver installation has created (it could even create registry keys!)

Internet Explorer Cookies

You don't really need to know where Internet Explorer saves it's cookies, since you can make a backup of them fromrepparttar 132112 browser whenever you want. To do so, selectrepparttar 132113 "Import and export" option fromrepparttar 132114 "File" menu.

Internet Explorer Favorites

To save your favorites, just choose "Import and export" option fromrepparttar 132115 "File" menu. The wizard will guide you throughrepparttar 132116 process.

Putting It All Together

All right, you've purchased some hardware, say an writeable CD drive, and you've got some software, let's say you purchase Second Copy. You also know whererepparttar 132117 computer puts things. Now what?

Okay, what you need to do is organizerepparttar 132118 heck out of your system. What I've done is allocate a whole physical drive to my stuff. This way I know exactly where my files are ... and keeping them separate fromrepparttar 132119 applications and operating system files means my stuff does not get mixed up with anyone else's stuff.

If you cannot afford another hard disk drive, or if you just don't want to bother, you can create a separate partition on your system disk. Note that you can only do this on a new drive (a new system perhaps) or you will have to completely back up and restore your drive. Unless you are starting from scratch with a new system or a new disk, this option is usually not worthrepparttar 132120 trouble.

The other thing you can do (and what most people do) is simply to create a folder for your stuff. You could call it "My Stuff" or you could give it a name (like your own name, for example) or whatever else you want.

Virus Protection

Written by Richard Lowe


One ofrepparttar saddest things inrepparttar 132098 entire world is hearingrepparttar 132099 words, "I think I've been hit by a virus" or "my computer was destroyed by a virus, can you help me please?"

Every time I hear these words I want to cry - well, actually I want to scream in frustration and a little bit of anger. You see, it's not hard to protect your system from destruction by any one ofrepparttar 132100 fifty thousand or more viruses out inrepparttar 132101 wild. In fact, it's so simple that it's pitiful that anyone gets caught "with their pants down" more than once in his or her lives.

By this time it's inconceivable that anyone with any contact with civilization is ignorant of viruses and their destructive potential. A few years ago you could claim ignorance (what's a virus?) but no longer. In these years after "I love you" and "Melissa", well, virus attacks appear onrepparttar 132102 6 o'clock news at least once a week and inrepparttar 132103 newspaper just as often.

That's one ofrepparttar 132104 reasons why I groan when I hear that someone has lost their system to a virus attack. They cannot claim that they didn't know or didn't understand. In addition, protection is so simple and cheap that no one can userepparttar 132105 excuse of "it's too expensive" or "it's too difficult". Sorry, that just does not hold water.

Look at it this way - if someone is surfingrepparttar 132106 internet they must be paying for a connection (say twenty dollars a month) and they have to have a computer (perhaps a thousand dollars). It's hard to accept that they cannot afford another thirty or fifty bucks for virus protection (in fact, many new computers come with an antivirus program pre-installed).

All right, preaching aside, what'srepparttar 132107 best way to protect your system from virus attacks? To begin with, assume that you or someone who uses your computer might make a mistake and plan forrepparttar 132108 worst. In other words, makerepparttar 132109 assumption that if a virus is received, it will be executed, so make surerepparttar 132110 things are removed or rendered harmless before you see them.

Define and follow a good backup plan - First and foremost, figure out how you are going to back up your data. Didn't expect me to say that, did you? You have to understand that no virus protection system is perfect. If a virus does get through somehow, then you must be prepared to restore your data and files from a backup.

It does not matter if you hand copy your critical files to a floppy disk every night or if you haverepparttar 132111 most advanced optical or tape backup system available. If nothing else, get a cheap ZIP drive plug it in and userepparttar 132112 backup software that comes with it (you can get this setup for around a hundred bucks).

Don't even think twice about this - if you don't have a backup solution then get one, now. If you are not keeping a backup then you are living on borrowed time (this also protects you from system failures, hackers and other dangers as well). ALL good security plans begin and end withrepparttar 132113 backup and restore strategy.

http://www.internet-tips.net/Security/Backups.htm

Choose, install and maintain an antivirus solution - Personally, I really likerepparttar 132114 Norton Antivirus program. I've installed it in our office and in my home, and I have not yet found a better program anywhere.

There is far more to an antivirus program than just checking for viruses. All of them do that. What Norton does that's different is very important - it also scans incoming emails for viruses so they are removed even before you openrepparttar 132115 message.

http://www.internet-tips.net/Products/nortonantivirus.htm

Schedule virus updates at least once a week - More importantly, you can schedule virus updates to occur at regular (weekly) intervals. This is extremely important. Your virus definitions MUST BE UPDATED AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. Otherwise, your protection slowly loses it's power to protect your system. This is almost as bad as not having any protection at all - because you think you are protected and you are not.

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