hat must you do before reinstalling Windows XP? The annotated screenshot below reveals all, so let's start with protecting your important files and settings.

 

    If you only have one hard drive, then your data is currently sitting on the same drive as Windows XP itself. This isn't healthy - if Windows falls over, your data could go crashing with it. Obviously the best solution is to invest in a second hard drive - external drives now cost as little as £50 - but this might not be a practical solution for you.

 

   Today's hard drives are gargantuan, so wouldn't it be great if you could turn one into two smaller drives that behave as if they were separate drives? Partitioning enables you to do just that. Whether or not you have a separate hard drive for backing up, we recommend you partition your hard drive if it's 40GB or larger, so you can keep your data and certain settings separate from Windows XP.

Partitioning is traditionally a destructive process, which means all of your data is lost should you attempt to partition a drive using the Disk Management Tool built into Windows XP. Thankfully, non-destructive solutions exist, including a user-friendly freebie that we're featuring here in the form of EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition.

 

   The step-by-step guide below reveals how it works - make a note of the warning that you could still lose your data if something goes wrong (try to burn a copy of your most precious files to DVD before attempting to partition your drive). When resizing your drive, add a minimum of 500MB to whatever figure is quoted as the minimum in EASEUS. The more space you leave your system partition (drive C) the better, though, so if you can, aim to leave your C drive at least 30GB in size.

 

   Note, if you have a recovery disc provided by your PC manufacturer, don't partition your drive prior to restoring your system - some recovery discs wipe the partition record and restore your system to a single hard drive, wiping anything that's on either partition. Instead, you should partition your hard drive after restoring your PC, and then take a drive image as explained below, which you then use in place of your recovery disc in the future.

 

Whether you've partitioned your drive or have a second hard drive, it's time to back up your data. Skip this step and you'll lose all your personal documents, settings, email and more besides. While the Windows Backup tool is competent, you don't want to be scrabbling around looking for program settings, email messages and so on to back up, so try Genie Backup Manager, a trial of which can be downloaded from here.

 

    After installing the program, reboot if prompted and then start Genie Backup Manager. Click the Backup button on the main screen to start. The wizard is self-explanatory for the most part: you can back up to CD or DVD as well as another hard drive or partition. When it comes to choosing what to back up, Genie makes this simple - just tick what you want to save.

 

   There are three tabs to explore: My Profile contains key system information and files, including your email messages and settings, your media files and even the fonts you've installed. My Folders lets you pick specific folders and files to save, including My Documents. Finally, My Plugins lets you back up key settings for a number of programs. Some are already included, or you can click Download new scripts to get more for free from the internet.

 

    The final steps in the wizard enable you to tweak your back-up settings - in most cases, the default settings are fine. Once you've completed the task, click Backup Now. Resist temptation to skip the verification process - if your backup is corrupt it'll be irretrievable.

 

   If you have hard-drive space to spare, take a second backup of your entire hard drive using Macrium Reflect Free (click here). This gives you a fall-back option in case you forgot any files or settings in your main backup. Check out issue 198 of PC Answers for a guide to using it as part of the magazine's main "Transfer to a new PC" feature - that'll be appearing on this site by the end of the year.

 

What else do you need to source before reinstalling Windows XP? You should ensure you have all the hardware drivers you need - at the very least source your modem or network drivers to ensure you'll be able to get back online to download the rest. Check your manufacturer's web site for updates and download these to your back-up drive, ready for installing post installation.

 

   If all this sounds like too much hassle, take a look at a driver back-up program like DriverMax (click here). After registering for free, you can back up your drivers quickly and easily, then restore them after reinstalling Windows XP.

 

   A number of software patches have been released since Service Pack 3 came out last year, and that's not to mention useful tools like the .NET Frameworks, Windows Media Player and other updates. You can obtain most of these after reinstalling Windows XP through Windows Update.

 

   Are your Internet connection settings somewhere safe? If you're on dialup or broadband, make sure you can remember your log-on details and write them down. If your ISP didn't provide you with a CD when you signed up, check the web site for a download or the details you need to manually configure your connection.

 

   Last but not least, gather together your program CDs and serial numbers (don't forget your Windows XP product key!). Right, you're ready to reinstall...