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I'll be the first to admit that this part should be easier than it usually is but most backup software doesn't have a button for "Back up all of my important documents." So, your first step is to figure out where you're storing files on your computer. The most efficient thing to do is to create a single folder and store everything there, but a lot of times Windows or Internet Explorer will drop files into these bizarre "default" locations that make them impossible to find again. And don't forget about things like your email and your bookmarks since these can get overlooked when you're getting started with backing up your information. If you're working with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you'll find that your files are already pretty well organized. 2000 and XP will create a directory called Documents and Settings on your hard drive, and every person who logs onto your computer with a different username will have their own subfolder underneath this main Documents and Settings folder. For instance, my home computer has the following subfolders underneath the Documents and Settings folder:
Underneath the folder that's named after your username, Windows will create a number of folders, including the following:
So, when you're backing up files on a Windows 2000 or Windows XP computer, starting with everything underneath the C:\Documents and Settings folder will cast a pretty wide net. If you're running Windows 95 or Windows 98, you'll often find the same information underneath the C:\Windows\Profiles folder, where you'll have C:\Windows Profiles\Mom and C:\Windows\Profile\Dad. But this can be hit-or-miss, so for earlier operating systems, I recommend creating one or two folders on your C:\ drive and saving all your files there. To create a file to store your documents, do the following:
Figure 19. Creating a New Folder to Store Your Documents
Once you've created this new folder, you should save all of your important files there so that you can back them up easily. You can configure some programs (like Microsoft Word) to use that new folder as their default location so that they'll store files there automatically without you needing to remember it yourself. Each program is a little different, but here's how to do it in Microsoft Word:
Figure 20. Modifying the Default "Save" Location in Microsoft Word
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