I'm formatting. How do you backup iTunes setting?

[krackato]

Well, I'm formatting. After getting 27 different viruses, it's time to go back to a brand spanking clean install of Windows XP. Any suggestions people?

BACKED UP
email
bookmarks
music, pictures, videos, eBooks
instant messenger logs
p2p files (finished and unfinished)

Is there something I'm probably forgetting to backup (I always forget something)?

I'm not sure how to save the iTunes music library settings. Anyone?

thanks,
Krackato

 

[Winchester]

didnt see documents/papers on the list

I usually backup icons to all my programs so I can remember what I did have installed.

 

[notfred]

On OS X this is really easy, jsut copy your entire home directory to another hard drive, reinstall, and then copy it back and everything works exactly how you left it.

 

[Sid59]

Originally posted by: notfred
On OS X this is really easy, jsut copy your entire home directory to another hard drive, reinstall, and then copy it back and everything works exactly how you left it.

that's a nice feature about OSX .. the modular installs.

 

[dakels]

this is similar in both OS X and Win XP. Go to your documents folder -> my music and there is an itunes folder. You will see your music library file. If you want to play it safe you can also just export your library to an XML file and then import it into the fresh itunes install.

 

[dakels]

btw if you are formatting, consider making seperate partitions. I always make a system partiton for the OS and some applications. The rest of my data archives are on seperate drives/partitions. Makes an erase and reinstall much easier. (erase wipes a partiton, format wipes everything all partitions).

 

[krackato]

What software should I use for making the partitions? I plan on formatting the harddrive, and then installing Windows XP. Should I format, partition, and then install Windows XP? Also, I have a 40gb main system drive. How big should the OS + App partition be?

 

[dakels]

Best partitioning utility ever made IMO
http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/

Formatting utilities will allow you to partition while you format. Partition Magic allows you to partition while preserving the data on your drive.

As for the size of your OS+App volumes... Its up to you if you want to partition. Partitions will slightly slow down drive access (extremely slight, and in some ways faster) but the benefit is less fragmentation and easier changes to the OS and multiple OS boot partitions. For example, if you have a 20 gig file storage partition, and a 20 gig OS+App partition, you could probably get by with just wiping your OS partition and doing a reinstall since the viruses probably would mainly affect that partition. This way you would have not had to worry about moving data off the drive. It also makes controlling fragmentation alot easier. Partitioning nowadays is not as necesssary as it was years ago but its still has its benefits. Its up to you. Its also up to you what size you want your OS+App partition to be. If you have some big apps with say a 5gig install, I install on a partition or other drive. This doesnt really hurt my performance much if at all. Apps dont have to be installed on the OS partition or drive. Just make sure you give you OS partition at least 3 gigs of free space just so XP has plenty of swap space. Personally I would not partition, or just split 20 gig/ 20gig.

 

[hausdave]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you do not make the same mistake I did. Make sure you deauthorize iTunes prior to slicking your PC. You only get to have 3 copies of iTunes running and even though you re-installed Apple will think the other one is still running.

 

[dakels]

hausdave i think what you are talking about is only for itunes music store purchased music and store accounts not the player application itself. As for authorized music files, you can get apps that unlock that.