Question about re-installing OS

[JTH]

Hi, recently my Windows ME computer has become really slow and has developed several problems, probably virus related. I was advised to re-install and have finally decided that it's the right thing to do.

I've also got an XP computer with an 80gb. hard drive that will be able to hold the data until I need to put it back. My idea was to take it out, plug it into my ME hard drive and copy and paste from Windows Explorer. This is possible right? But is there anything I need to do or know first (like set the second HDD as a slave or something) and is there any file(s) that you would recommend I back up that I might other wise forget?

Thanks in advance!

[DragonNOA1]

You are going to take a WINXP boot drive out and slave it to your ME drive? If WINXP is formated w/ NTFS, ME will not be able to see it and therefore you will not be able to backup your data to that drive.
On you XP computer, right click on the hard drive in my computer and goto properties, what is the file system? FAT32 or NTFS?

[not important]

Also, if the problems are virus related, it wouldn't be a good idea to put that info onto another HDD.

[JTH]

I plugged it into my Me computer today and it didn't detect it all. I don't know which format was used on the XP drive as it is.

"Not important" - I had the same concerns but I thought that if I backed up virutally incorruptable files like .mp3 and .doc I would still be okay.

Anyways, what I might do now is go the long way around and just burn my music etc. onto Cd-RW's.

[Confused]

Coming out of a XP PC it is probably NFTS and ME being a WIN9X kernel OS cannot see or write NFTS.
Chas

[DragonNOA1]

Originally posted by JTH virutally incorruptable files like .mp3 and .doc

A lot of viruses come on files with the .doc extention, so they could be a virus. And it, along with any other file, has the same chances of being corrupted.

Also, if you put the XP drive back in the original and slave the ME drive then you will be able to copy mp3's over from the ME to the XP, which I suspect that is what you are doing.

[JTH]

Oh yes of course, I should've thought of that option - thanks DragonNOA1!

But I have a question about the virus issues. Am I safe backing up my Mp3's, MPEG's, favourites and cookies, yes? I don't think there is a problem with any of my Word files but what is the risk of backing up My Documents?

Thanks again!

JTH

[DragonNOA1]

Just make sure what you back up is what YOU want to back up. Make sure you need and use every file and that you know what it is. If you come across a "e9474jknfn.xls" file, or whatever, that you have no idea what it is, delete it. But usually everything in "my documents" is stuff you want or that you put there... so there isn't too big of a risk.
Lastly, I wouldn't back up your cookies. Really no point to do so and some cookies are spyware and are intrusive, sending back usage data and such.
Good Luck!