Okay i am planning on formatting my c drive. This is the only drive on my computer so i want to play it safe. What all do i have to back up apart from my personal data. Do i have to back up things like sound drivers and other stuff. If yes then what is the other stuff and where is the sound driver files located. Is there something else i have to back up. If yes then what. Thanks in advance

Why not go to the below site research and download the drivers before you format? http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/

Can anyone give me the naames of the things i need to back up?

Do you have a good reason for formatting, or is this 'just because'? Go ahead - it could be an education Saying that XP is the most stable MS OS is like saying that asparagus is the most articulate vegetable

Things to back up: Personal documents, photos, etc Bookmarks (IE favorites or whatever) Email addresses or correspondence Downloaded program files - unless you don't mind redownloading Drivers that weren't supplied by Windows and that you don't have discs for - if you weren't paying attention when you first installed, might be tricky to remember There are some applications that claim to be able to back your drivers up for you - DriverGuide Toolkit, Driver Magician, etc - most (all?) aren't freeware And of course, it goes without saying - test your bootdisk first to ensure it's working and provides DOS access to your CD Saying that XP is the most stable MS OS is like saying that asparagus is the most articulate vegetable

If you are using your IBM recovery software, you shouldn't have to worry about drivers. Do yourself a favor BACKUP!