Many people tend to not realize one small and simple (and usually inexpensive) tidbit when it comes to preserving your data. Many more people are very hesitant to do the old “format & reinstall” Windows when their PC starts to act very slowly and programs like CleanCache and CCCleaner don’t help. Maybe their registry is to the point that many programs don’t work well and drivers aren’t performing that well. Or maybe their drive is just fragmented to the point that it will take weeks just to defrag. Sometimes “repairing” Windows just won’t do the job.

Many people don’t want to format and reinstall because they are afraid of losing all of their personal data (pictures, documents, music etc..). The issue is that all of your personal data is on the same drive as your programs, your operating system, and all of the system files. Well, there is a very simple solution that can usually cost under $100 – under $150 if you go all out. Get a second hard drive for your PC. Here are a few suggested drives from Amazon.com:

This is a simple yet extremely effective solution to the concerns / issues at hand. You don’t need anything high end, you don’t need a 10,000 RpM (RpM = Revolutions per Minute a.k.a. the “speed” of the drive) Raptor drive since this will not be a system drive (but if you want to make it your primary – I’d say go with a 7,200-10,000 RpM drive so programs load faster. This is not needed with a data storage drive, I have a 5,400 RpM drive that is my data drive and I have no issues with it. Sure, it took 8 hours to format (it’s a 1 TB (1 Terabyte = 1,024 Gigabytes) drive) but pulling up my data is quick and easy with some simple changes to my desktop.

After the drive is installed and formatted double click on the My Computer icon and then go to that drive (usually a D: or E: drive). It should be empty. First put some folders in there, right click anywhere and select NEW-FOLDER (or go to File-New-Folder) and call the new folder documents (simple). Right click that folder and drag it to your desktop. When you release select “Create Shortcut Here”.Double click on that folder and then open up your My Documents folder (usually on your desktop). Hit CTRL-A to select ALL and then right click (don’t let go!) and drag them all over to the new folder (release the right click when the cursor is over the new (empty / documents) folder. When you release, select COPY (I prefer COPY over MOVE with large file transfers like this in case any errors happen). It can take a long time – depending on how much “stuff” you have in there. When you are done, do the same with anything else you may have (if you have a separate folder for music, pictures, office documents, etc).

Now that your data is over to the new drive, feel free to verify that it is all there (and properly stored) and then go ahead and delete the files on your main drive (C: ) and the My Documents folder (NOT THE NEW ONE!).

Now, if you need to format and reinstall you only need to worry about the system drivers (which you should have – another suggestion is to create a folder on the new drive and store the drivers on that!) reinstalling your software (which you should have the discs for), and Windows updates.
Another suggestion is to get a DVD+/-RW drive. This way, you can also store your important files on DVDs (usually about 4.7GB each). If you shop around you can find 100 packs once a month or so at your local electronics or office supply store for about $25. Drives usually come with some burning software which will allow you to copy files over and write them to a DVD – just take care with those discs- the information is stored on the top of the disc (the label) – put them in a hard plastic case or a regular hard-covered CD-wallet.

There you have it – a simple, yet effective solution to your fears of losing all of your data the next time you need to reinstall Windows!