Formating harddrive questions?

[dlh75]

Can all my emails be saved before I format my drive or anything related to my internet like favorite and other files,etc. Or will that all be in the ISP database. I have SBC Yahoo DSL. Please help.

DAVID

[KenKun]

The files you have mentioned above are on your local machine ..
you can copy them to another HDD or burn them to a CD, and re-use them on your new OS.

The files` location depends on your OS version.

[dlh75]

I have a cd rw and have Windows Xp home edition. I am formating because I am changing mobo. I tried to find folders but was unsucessful. I have backed up just everything I wanna keep except my emails and other usefull internet items. Could I just save the whole Program file. Would it contain the folders for these.

[KenKun]

The favorite folder location is on C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Favorites (copy it to the desktop to locate it easily for burning)
Your email and address book can be backed up through the Export command in the File menu of OE.
Or look here: http://www.sitedeveloper.ws/tutorials/outlook.htm
and here: http://www.freebits.co.uk/backoutlook.html

Regards

[dlh75]

Will this still work even if I don't use outlook express for my email. I just use the Yahoo mail.

[KenKun]

You mean the free yahoo web based service?
It doesn`t have to do anything with you formatting your HD. Your mails are stored online not locally.

[dlh75]

No I have the ISP SBC Yahoo DSL thru the phone company.

[chris64]

How do you access your email.

List each step.

If you go to a website to check your email its probably webmail.

[chris64]

By web mail I meant web based mail not email you get from the internet.

[dlh75]

Yes I click on the email button on my browser after I log in on SBC Yahoo DSL. My girlfriend can check hers thru yahoo messenger it says she has mail whenever she logs on
her name and messenger pops up.

[dlh75]

would all email be web based since it comes thru the web. I'm not talking about spam either. Were you

[chris64]

Sounds like web based mail to me. Since you can check your email where ever you go. If you can't figure out for sure if its web based or not you can go to a friends house or the library and check your email. If it shows all your email than its web based.

[chris64]

Originally posted by dlh75
would all email be web based since it comes thru the web. I'm not talking about spam either. Were you

Well web based meens your emails are stored on a remote server where as email such as Outlook stores the email locally on your hard drive.

[dlh75]

IS AOL web based email Because I had that and could check mail from any PC. Just needed acount and password. Just wanted to make sure before i format.

[PartsMan]

Isn't that one of the Options?

It is for mine .... I can choose to store it at my ISP or on my PC or both .....

Of course the ISP limits the amount of their "storage" space I can use, but text doesn't take much space.

[dlh75]

I just called tech support like I should have from the begining. They said that it would be fine. to format no lose in data. Thanks for replying and giving me advice.

DAVID

[jadison]

Just so you and anyone else who comes across this is clear:

Webmail - this is basically email that arrives at many various online email accounts such as AOL, Hotmail (or MSN), Yahoo, Rocketmail, etc etc. You can use your browser to access these accounts simply by providing a username / password. All email is stored online, so there is no need to worry about it getting lost if you format your HD, but...

You can also use Outlook Express to grab email straight from your Hotmail account (or other IMAP / POP3 based email accts) and store it locally on your HD. If you format your computer, these emails (and any contacts you've entered in) will be lost unless backed up (refer to KenKun's post above for how to back 'em up).

ISP / Business Email - Whenever you signup for internet access through a company like Time Warner, Comcast, or in my case Grande Communications -or- if you work for a business who has a web presence ... they normally give you an email account(s) of which you can use software like Outlook Express, Outlook, or Eudora to retrieve that email. You enter in an Incoming and Outgoing email server address (i.e. mail.yourISP.com) and a username / password which the ISP / Business gives you and your email is stored locally on your HD.

[jadison]

I am formating because I am changing mobo.

I'm a little sketchy on this, but can't you just replace your motherboard without having to re-format? (or is it a matter of product activation?)