Saving And Restoring Favorites, Signature Files, And Other Files On Your Hard Drive

You can save and restore your list of Favorites (Bookmarks) from web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox, your signature files in Outlook, and any other personal files saved on your hard drive for use on your new (or newly re-imaged) computer.

Saving Your Web Browser Favorites (Bookmarks) And Outlook Signature Files

• Login to your old computer.

To save your Internet Explorer Favorites (Bookmarks) links:

• Start Internet Explorer.
• From the File menu, select Import and Export. The Import/Export Wizard opens.
• Click .
• Select Export Favorites. Click .
• Select the Favorites folder Click .
• After the Export to a File or Address bulleted item, click Browse. The Select Bookmark File dialog box opens.
• In the Save in field, use the drop-down triangle to navigate to your server storage space on \middfiles.
• Change the name of your bookmark file to reflect the browser and date of this save, for example IE 'bookmarks-3-15-2010.htm'.
• Click Save. The Export to a File or Address field will reflect your choice of filename and location.
• Click .
• Click Finish.
• The message Successfully exported favorites should appear. Click OK.

To save your Mozilla Firefox Favorites (Bookmarks) links:

• Start Firefox.
• From the Bookmarks menu, select Organize Bookmarks.
• Click the Import and Backup button then click Export HTML.  The Export Bookmarks File dialog box opens.
• In the Save in field, use the drop-down triangle to navigate to your server storage space on \middfiles.
• Change the name of your bookmark file to reflect the browser and date of this save, for example FF bookmarks-5-4-2011.html.
• Click Save.  You will not receive any notice confirming your save.
• Close the Library window.

To save your Signature folder for Outlook:

Note:  If you only have one or two signatures you may prefer to recreate them using an old sent message once you have your new computer.

• Right-click Start and select Explore from the pop-up menu.
• From the View menu, point to Explorer Bar and then select Folders from the submenu (if not already checked).
• In the Folders list at left, click on C:\Documents and Settings, then click on your username.
• Continuing in the left pane, click Application Data, then Microsoft.
• Slide the left scroll bar down so your U:\ drive folder on \middfiles is visible in the Folders list at left.
• Click and drag the Signatures folder (if any) in the right panel to your U:\ drive folder on \middfiles in the Folders list.
• Use the drag and drop to \middfiles procedure to save any other files you will need.

To Save your Sanity -- Double-check your Work:

• Take a moment to look in your Middfiles U:\ drive folder and confirm that you can see the items you backed up using the instructions above.  Be sure the file size is not 0 KB.  This would indicate an unsuccessful save.

Use the instructions that follow to help you restore these files to your new (or newly-reimaged) computer.

Restoring Saved Files To Your New Computer

• Login to your new computer.

To restore your Internet Explorer Favorites (Bookmarks) to your new computer:

• Start Internet Explorer.
• Click the Favorites button.
• Click the drop-down triangle beside Add to Favorites.
• Select Import and Export. The Import/Export Settings dialog box opens.
• Click the radio button beside Import from a File then click  .
• Check the box beside Favorites. Click .
• Click Browse.  The Select Bookmark File dialog box opens.
• Navigate to your server storage space on \middfiles using the left-hand pane.
• Select the file you saved from your old computer.
• Click Open. The Type or Browse to a File: field will reflect your choice of filename and location.
• Click .
• You will be asked where to place the imported favorites. Select the Favorites folder.
• Click Import. The message "You have successfully imported these settings" should appear.
• Click Finish.

To Restore Other Files

Restore your Signatures folder (if you saved one from your old computer) and any other saved files to your new computer. Your restored signature folder should reside in the following location: C:\Documents and Settings\your-username\Application Data\Microsoft. For Windows 7 computers the path is C:\Users\your-username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures.

• IMPORTANT: Close all Outlook windows.
• Right-click Start and select Expore from the pop-up menu.
• Navigate to the Signatures folder in your \middfiles folder so the contents are visible in the right panel.
• Press Ctrl + A to Select All files.
• Press Ctrl + C to Copy all files.
• Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\your-username\Application Data\Microsoft so the contents of the Signatures folder (if any) are visible in the panel on the right.
• Right-click a blank space in the folder in the pane on the right and select Paste from the pop-up menu to paste the files into your Signatures folder. Click Yes or Yes to All to confirm replacements.

A Final Note

We encourage you to save all documents created with production software, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, in your personal folder on \middfiles. Saving data on our file servers offers the following advantages:

• Your data is stored on robust central computers that offer password protection for your files.
• Your data is accessible from any networked computer on campus or through a browser using NetStorage.
• \middfiles is backed up by someone else so lost files can be recovered. Call the Helpdesk at (802)443-2200 to recover a file.
• The server is periodically scanned for viruses.