What people refer to as a normal "backup" isn't what I do. When I want to 'backup' my stuff, I just open my burner program (EZCD Creator). EZCD has two different burner programs.....one for movies and one for data/music. Using the DATA program in Creator Classic, I browse at the top to open subfolders (I have three harddrives broken up into partitions to keep my stuff organized) until I reach the My Documents folder and then burn that whole folder to a CD. I also have created new folders on a separate partition (same one that is holding My Documents) called 11-18-04OLDMAIL, 11-17-04OLDADDY, 11-17-04OLDFAVS, and 11-17-04OLDQL.
Prior to a burn, I go to Search, and type in *.dbx which then gives me all the mail and mail folders in one window, then I click Edit, Select All, and right drag everything to the OLDMAIL folder......this gives me a current copy of everything in my OE account and the folder has the current date so I know when I had done the last 'backup'. I do this for each of the folders I created.
So.......I choose the My Documents and all four of the folders I created with the most current backups of my mail, addybook, favorites, and quicklaunch.....and add them all to the project I want to burn, and using a dvd type disk because it will hold 4.7GB of DATA, I do the burn.
I use DVD-R disks because they are the most reliable for me....even though I can't erase them and rewrite like you can with a DVD-RW. I would rather not take the risk that if I have to use a disk in another computer that it won't be seen or something happened. It's easier on my sense of well being to have a sure thing in my hand than worry that I've saved a couple of pennies trying to be frugal and found out that I've lost everything.
If you don't have as much data to fit on a dvd type of media, and can fit everything you have to save on a regular 700MB cdr or cdrw disk, make sure you use the GOLD/GOLD or GOLD/GREEN type finish. The silver/blue used to be very popular and I have quite a few blanks still here, but I have found that the newer cdrom on the market just can't see anything on the blue ones anymore (or I get lucky and get ONE out of ten to be seen and I've immediately made a copy of it to gold/gold and tossed the blue ones).
The blue disks are still out there on the shelves waiting for unsuspecting souls to buy them up so they are on sale ALOT to get rid of them, but you are running a big risk with them now.
DVD media is dark PURPLE so don't confuse the blue with the purple.....
TONI