How do I backup computer files to reformat c drive? First figure out what device or medium you would like to back up your files onto. I would recommend an external hard drive. You can use CDs or DVDS but the best to use is an external hard drive. 500mb hard drives are inexpensive these days. Now check out the file size of your hard drive by going to My Computer and right clicking the hard drive and going to properties. We will check how much memory was deleted when we are all done.

Follow up:

Backup documents

Once you have identified what you will be backing up your files onto, pay a visit to My Documents. Back up all the files in their you need and delete the ones you don't need. To select certain files, hold the CTRL key as you click on files. Back up all the word files, power point files, and spreadsheet files.

Backing up pictures

Now check out My Pictures folder. Do you have any pictures their that you still need? Back those up also and delete the ones you don't need. The same goes for the My Music folder. People tend to have a lot of music and this is where the external hard drive comes in handy.

Now we have taken care of the obvious places. Back up any files that you store on your desktop and delete them after you back them up.

Finding hidden files

Lets do some deeper scanning for files. Open up Windows search located in the start menu. Search for jpg to find pictures, search for mp3 to find music, and search for .mov/.avi/.mpg/.mp2/.wmv to find videos.

Backing up bookmarks and favorite websites

Once you have backed up any of these hard to find files, go to your internet browser. In Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or whatever browser you use, you will need to backup all of your bookmarks/favorites.

Backing up Downloads

Windows vista also has a Downloads folder that you may want to check out also. Go to Documents and go into Downloads to see what files there that you need to download.

Finding program files

Some programs will save your files in the program directory. To find the directory of a program, right click a program shortcut and click on properties. Find the open file directory and click on that. The folder containing all of a program's files will open up. Back up any program files that you think you need.

Now you should be ready to reformat your computer. I have covered all of the obvious places that people save files. Good luck on reformatting your hard drive and from now on, use the external hard drive to store most of your large files.