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OSReinstall

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How To Re-Install OS Without Losing Data and Settings

Discovering What Files and Settings to Backup by Doing a PC Audit

Before re-installing, it is important to take to locate mission critical files and settings these will be lost during re-installation. Some of the areas that are important to look at are:

1. Drivers
2. Working files i.e. My Documents
3. Current settings
4. Internet settings including Favorites or Bookmarks
5. Network settings
6. Settings for your dial-up, DSL or Cable connections
7. Profile - Which is of less importance however if you have spent time tweaking you desktop and saving Bookmarks or Favorites it is probably a good idea to save it
8. Email, Contacts, Calendar, Personal Information Manager (PIM) (To save Outlook Express files in. See Backup your Outlook Express Data)
9. Favorites or Bookmarks.(These will be backed up when you backup your profiles however it might also be a good idea to make a separate copy of these if they are important to you
10. Open Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs and scan (screen dump) the list of programs currently installed.

What Else to Check

1. Driver disks for your Peripherals
2. Programs Disks
3. Programs Installed
   • Open a window then press Alt+Print Screen to take a snap shot and save it using MS Paint or similar.
   • Review the entries on the Start menu's All Programs list.
4. If you use a Palm, for example, in your Palm folder will be a folder matching your username that has all the software installed on your Palm, as well as your memos, contacts, datebook... saved there.
5. Make sure all disks and serial numbers are present, if you have disks but no serial numbers try this RockXP which will retrieve all your serial numbers of programs installed including XP's of all the software installed on the system
6. Operating System (OS) installation disks
   • Note: Some restore CDs give you all the options of a full Microsoft Windows CD, but with better instructions and the convenience of having all the right hardware drivers. [1]

Saving Files and Settings

Option 1

One method that works great if available is XP Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. The following subheading will outline how to use it:

XP Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

To Make a Backup of Important Files another way of saving your files and settings is to user the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard if its available in your OS. This is how to use it:

1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
2. Click Next, click Old Computer, and then click Next.
3. Select a transfer method, such as Floppy Drive or Other (such as a removable or network drive), and then click Next.
4. Select the appropriate option for the items that you want to transfer:
   • Settings only
   • Files only
   • Both files and settings
   • Customize
5. Click Next, click OK, and then click Finish.
   

After OS has been reinstalled:

1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
2. Click Next, and then click New Computer.
3. Click to select the I don’t need a Wizard Disk. I have already collected my files and settings from my old computer check box.
4. Select Floppy drive or Other, depending on how you stored your files.
5. Select Yes or No to log off of the computer. The new settings do not take effect until you log off.
6. Click Finish.

Option 2

Using "My Computer" (with hidden files and system files turned on) make a copy of and place into a safe location such as flash memory or CD RW the following files:

• (For 95' 98' ME) C:\My Documents
• For 2000, XP and Vista everything in c:\Documents and Settings

Note: Due to permission settings it may be difficult to copy all these files without changing permissions to suit the current user

Option 3

• Logon as Local Administrator
• Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt. Type cd "\documents and settings" and press Enter. Then type xcopy \*.* old_files /s /h /r /c and Select Enter.

This will backup everything under "\documents and settings" and place it into a directory called in "\documents and settings\old_files"

Locating and Saving Drivers

• Print a report from Device Manager Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager > Action > Print.
  • Belarc Advisoris a free utility that will do a nicer job than Device Manager by creating a report detailing your system, its installed hardware components, software applications and serial numbers and will run on on Windows Vista, 2003, XP, 2000, NT 4, Me, 98, and 95.

Note: It is important to make sure that all files associated with the drivers are copied otherwise it will be impossible to re-use these

Saving User Profiles

Create a folder called something meaningful like "old_profiles" (make sure this is copied to a safe place before commencing re-installation) Save everything in C:\Documents and Settings.

• Open the Command Prompts type xcopy c:\documents and settings\*.* "c:\old_profiles\*.*" /s /h /r /c, and select Enter.

This should copy all the profiles to a folder called "old_profiles" in the C: Drive ... check to make sure this has been done. It is possible to use "My Computer" however it is not the most reliable method to copy hidded files and so forth. The command prompt still proves to be the most powerful tool for this type of objective.

Working with 2000 and XP CD's

Boot from your Windows CD-ROM. When you get the 'Press any key to boot from CD' message, do so. (If you don't see that message before Windows starts, restart Windows, press the key you're prompted to enter for your PC Setup program, and change the boot order so your CD drive is first.)

At the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press Enter. Soon you'll be told that there's already a Windows installation on the computer. Press Esc to begin a complete re-install. Select C: partition and press Enter. When you get the warning that says an operating system is on that partition, press C. When you are asked your partition preference, select Leave the current file system intact (no changes). When you're told that a Windows folder (or Winnt folder for Windows 2000) already exists, press "L" to delete it and create a new one. Follow the series of prompts. When the installation program asks for your name, enter Admin.

Once the installation is complete, your system will reboot into Windows, and you'll be logged on as user Admin. If the screen is difficult to read, reinstall your graphics card driver that you have saved.

Finishing the Job

Re-Installing the Drivers and Applications

Now you've got Windows going, but not much else. The drivers will need to be re-installed that was backed up prior. If a drivers came on your Windows or vendor restore CD, it will be probable the drivers might be reinstalled automatically otherwise the drivers that were backed up will need to be used. This can be done by copying the driver files back to the exact directory they came from. Then use the wizards to select the correct drivers. Ar'nt you glad you took a complete audit!

You'll have to reinstall your applications to reintroduce them to Windows. Some of their settings will not be changed by the re-installation, but those that were stored in the Registry were wiped out.

Once your Internet connection is running again, browse to Windows Update and download all critical updates for your version. Load the drivers you have saved and re-install your profiles.

If you chose not to save your drives you can visit the sites of your hardware vendors to update your drivers.

After the reinstall, some of your data may not show up where it should. Search for it in both your Application Data and oldstuff folders, and see if you can move it to the folder in which Windows or your apps are looking for it. If you find a folder called Identities with two subfolders whose names are long and indecipherable, try moving the contents of one to the other and see if your data reappears.

You've probably guessed that the final step is deleting the c:\oldstuff folder. Make this the very last step, however. Wait a couple of days, weeks, or even months until you're confident that all of your needed files are accessible. [2]

Restoring Profiles

Logon as Administrator, Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt. Type cd "\documents and settings" and press Enter. Then type xcopy administrator\*.* username /s /h /r /c, in Documents and Settings. Now press Enter, and when you're asked about overwriting files or folders, press a for All.

• Logon as administrator, Select Start > Control Panel > User Accounts/Passwords. Create an account for each user who was registered before the reinstall. Be sure to use the exact names. They are the same names as the folders you just moved to "old_profiles".
• Log off and back on as each user, before logging back to the Temp user account (this forces the OS to create the new profiles under each user name.
• Open the Command Prompts type xcopy c:\old_profiles\*.* "c:\documents and settings" /s /h /r /c, and select Enter.
• Press a when asked if you want to overwrite a file.
• Log off Temp and log on to each restored account to make sure everyone's documents and data are where they belong. [2]

Restoring Files

Copy the files back to their original/appropriate positions

References

1. ^ PC World Article - Retrieved on 27 August 2007
2. ^ PC World - How to Reinstall Windows Without Losing Your Data - Retrieved on 27 August 2007

Handy Utilities and Software

• WinDriversBackup Personal Edition - Identify all of your Windows driver files and save them to a secure location for Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP
• MozBackup - Back up your Firefox settings with
• Belarc Advisor Belarc will create a report detailing your system, its installed hardware components, software applications and serial numbers and will run on on Windows Vista, 2003, XP, 2000, NT 4, Me, 98, and 95. Download the free Belarc, run a report and print it out. Keep it nearby for reference later.

Disclaimer

This will probably work with all windows operating systems however it has not been tested and some of the wizards mentioned in this article are specifically for XP, however it is our hope that this article will be gradually improved in time so that it will cover all currently supported MS Operating Systems

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
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