-As always your articles are detailed and give an insight to information one would likely not be aware of.
-There is a more uncomplicated method: Most people when buying a PC, mostly laptops, are unaware their C: drive should be divide/partitioned to at lease a C and D drive. Thereby if a major corruption in the operating system occurs your D: drive will have its files intact leaving you to ONLY either re-image OR format the C: drive followed by a clean Windows install.
-Since Win7, and now Win8, I have put my files/favorites/etc. off the C: drive to another drive in the computer; typically D: drive.
-The method is simple and very quick: Go to C: Drive > open Users > open your user folder e.g. John > and for each folder within this folder right-click selecting Properties > click the Location tab > note the location for all the folders shows C: and the location address > change the C: to D: (or like I do E: because I have 4 separate hard drives to choose from > click OK and all your files are "moved" (not copies but moved) to that other drive location you chose > do the same for each folder > but at least 4 folders duplicate themselves with some default files in this original folder, not to worry your files are moved in this case > double check all folders whether a Location tab is shown or not > now as you work everything continues to work normally but uses the new location D: to store your files. Whenever you re-image or do a fresh install on the C: drive follow this by repeating this relocation method and all your user files instantly re-appear. If you plan to install Win8, this method guarantees quick integration with your previous file arrangements and eliminating the need to manually retrieve and move/copy your files/shortcuts from a predestinated holding folder.
- Finally, I do backup these folders and other folders on my working PC's to a home server for safe keeping should the whole hard drive fail by using "Syncbackpro V6.0" regularly; this app is Win8 compatible. I do a C: drive image using Norton Ghost V15 in Win7. But, Norton Ghost is not, at least for now, compatible with Windows 8, therefore I turned to Acronis V15 which is compatible, So... do you feel this is a smoother method?
