Backing up (XP) User Profile

[John Gray]

I feel the need to back up my User Profile, but want to avoid backing up those directories which contain transient data, like Temporary Internet Files, Firefox Cache, TEMP directories, and so on.

I tried Googling for a list of directories which it was pointless to back up, but didn't find anything sensible.

Has anyone come across this, to save me hunting through a listing for the exceptions?

(Even more useful if someone can find this for Windows 7, where the various User Profile components are spread around the directory structure with gay abandon...!)

[HansV]

In XP, you can backup the entire profile with the exception of Local Settings (and its subfolders). If you wish, you can also exclude the Cookies and My Recent Documents.
In 7, you can backup the entire profile with the exception of AppData\Local, AppData\LocalLow and AppData\Temp. If you wish, you can also exclude Searches.

[John Gray]

Just got round to looking at this again.
For XP, what would be your view on not backing up "Application Data" and the lower directories? If that were excluded, that would cause almost nothing of All Users to be backed up, and a fair amount of the actual user's user profile...

[HansV]

Application Data contains many user-level settings and files, for example:

Windows: the shortcuts in your Start menu, Quick Launch toolbar, Send To folder etc. (and in Windows 7, your Libraries)
Firefox: preferences, bookmarks, settings for extensions, etc.
Microsoft Office: your personal templates, toolbar customizations, Outlook nicknames, etc.
and lots more.

So I think you'll leave out too much if you don't backup Application Data (or its Windows 7 equivalent AppData\Roaming).

[John Gray]

Yes, that sounds eminently sensible - thanks, Hans, as usual!

[Hey Jude]

Just got round to looking at this again.

Found Mozilla's useful info in this very topic for different Win versions http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Profiles I hadn't gotten around to backing up my 7 version so this nudged me in that direction.