1. Buy a backup hard drive. Something
like this. This will not only prove useful for this, but also for running backups and stuff when you've reinstalled everything. I bought one to help me rebuild my comp, and it is an invaluable asset still.
2. Put the whole of C:\Documents and Settings\ on it.
3. If you have any other important stuff on your comp in other places, but them in there. For example fonts or if you have your documents in another partition, but them in there.
4. Download all of the installer files for all the programs you have on your computer, or make sure you have the installation discs handy. Put all those installers on the backup hard drive in their own little folder. If there is any software that came with the comp, there is a chance that you will be able to download it from the manufacturer's website.
5. Shut down your comp.
6. When you originally bought your comp, you will probably either have got an XP installation disc with it, or you will have a recovery DVD to restore it to factory settings. If you dont, you're basically screwed - go out and buy a Vista or XP disc. Put it in the disc drive, and boot up. Install Windows as normal.
7. Install all your programs from the installers on the backup hard drive or your installation CDs.
8. If there were multiple users on the comp, make all of them now.
9. Copy the users documents from the backup hard drive to the comp. Just the documents for now, not the whole of Documents and Settings.
10. If you want, you can leave it there. You'll have lost things like bookmarks and stuff, though. If you want to restore IE favourites, just copy the Favourites directory in your profile on the backup HD to the one on your local drive. If you want to restore Opera settings, just copy the whole of Application Data/Opera accross. I'm not quite sure about FF settings, although it probably works in the same way as Opera settings.
