Guest Author - Chris Curtis

Backing up your computer means more than simply making sure you have copies of important documents. Think about what it would mean to you if your computer went down and you lost all of your internet shortcuts. How much time would you need to spend to recreate those bookmarks? Avoid the frustration of having to recreate them by regularly backing up your favorites files.

• Click on File | Import/Export
• Select Export Favorites
• Click on Next
• Select your main Favorites Folder to get all subfolders
(you can also back up just a specific folder if you so desire)
• Click on Next
• Export to a File - Click on Browse
• Navigate to the folder where you want to store your favorites file
(ex: C:\My Documents\Backups)
• Give it a file name – Example: "Bookmarks021503"
• Click on Save
• Click on Next
• Click on Finish

This process creates an HTML file. After I complete the process, I always double check the file to assure I can retrieve the information. To open the back-up file, using the "My Documents" window, navigate to the folder in which you stored the backup file; then, double click on it. It will open in the Internet Explorer browser.

I put my bookmarks file in a folder called "Backups" in the My Documents folder. I am then assured that when I back up the "My Documents" folder to CD-RW, my favorites will be retrievable in the event of a computer crash.

If you are an active net user, I would recommend that you perform a backup at least monthly but more freguently if you regularly save new favorites.