Backups

Where can I backup my files?

Typically, you will backup files to your home directory on the computer named “home”.
On a Windows machine in the EECS domain, this directory appears by default as H: or U:.
One way to copy files to home.eecs is to:
1. Open “My Computer,” then open the H: or U: drive.
2. Click on “My Computer” again and open the folder you would like to copy from (e.g. C:\temp\dsk01) and paste it into the destination directory on the H: or U: drive.
Caution: Files with identical names may be overwritten. Please use care to avoid accidental deletion when backing up files.

Note: Data copied to home is not immediately archived to tape. See /idsg/backups/archive for a log of all backups that have taken place.

What is already backed up?

Check your home directory to see what is already there (e.g. click on “my computer” then double click H: or U: drive as above).
You may have your Mozilla (Firefox, Thunderbird) profile(s) stored in your home directory as well (see “Mozilla” below ).

What should I backup?

Files on desktop — On Windows computers, your desktop files are typically stored at C:\Documents and Settings\your username\Desktop.
Files in your personal folder — Personal files such as documents are stored in the following directory: C:\Documents and Settings\your username\My Documents
Internet Explorer: favorites (bookmarks) — Internet Explorer keeps a copies of your “favorites” in the C:\Documents and Settings\your username\Favorites folder.
Outlook/Outlook Express: locally stored email, address book — If you use outlook express, it typically keeps a copy of your address book here in your profile directory, C:\Documents and Settings\your username\Application Data\Microsoft. This folder includes your address book “username.wab” and your local email boxes in the Outlook or Outlook Express folders, e.g. “inbox.pst” (with a .pst ending)
A note on Mozilla — Depending how your system was installed, you may have your Mozilla profiles stored in your home directory on home.eecs. These are typically just folders on the H: or U: drive called “Thunderbird” and/or “Firefox” Look inside for your folders and files like the ones in the open “users” folder shown below.
Firefox: bookmarks — Look in C:\Documents and Settings\your username\Application Data (you may have to adjust your folder view settings to ‘show hidden folders’) and locate the “Mozilla” folder. Once inside, navigate to “Firefox\Profiles,” and finally to a folder with a name like “kf7nf09n.default.” In this folder you will find the bookmark.bak file, which contains your bookmark data.For best results when restoring Firefox, We recommend that you back up the entire “Profiles” folder; but the “bookmark.bak” file is enough to preserve your bookmarks.
Thunderbird: address book, locally stored email — If it’s not copied to home.eecs, look in C:\Documents and Settings\your username\Application Data (you may have to adjust your folder view settings to ‘show hidden folders’) and locate the “Thunderbird” folders. Inside, you will find, again, a “Profiles” folder containing another folder named, e.g., “xp43lxnu.default.” This folder contains “abook.mab” (your address book file) as well as the “Mail” and “ImapMail” folders, which contain local and IMAP mail, resp. We recommend backing up the entire “Profiles” directory, but copying “abook.mab”, “Mail,” and “IMAPMail” is sufficient to protect your important email data.
Files in random places on your computer — Besides those in the desktop and personal folders, it’s a good idea to make sure important files elsewhere on your computer are safely backed up.One way to look for these is to use the search feature:
1. Click Start -> Find -> Files or Folders.
2. Choose to “Look in” your local hard drives (you may only have a C drive, but possibly a D and other hard drives).
3. Think of what types of files you would like to look for (e.g *.doc for word documents, *.txt for text documents, *.ppt for powerpoint, *.xls for excel, etc..) Type in each extension type as *.extension with a semicolon in between each (e.g., *.doc; *.txt).
4. Click on “Find Now” button
5. Look through the search results by scrolling to see if there are any files you haven’t backed up.