Reinstalling Windows 7 - Keeping Settings

Trojan Horse · 30 Apr 2015 at 08:30

Hello there!

I need to reinstall Windows 7 because I have a lot of issues with my current install... however I need to keep the majority of my settings and games. I have about 500gb+ of games and a 3mb connection so I need to keep all my steam and origin games without deleting them.

My questions are:

1) How can I keep all of my firefox settings (mainly saved favourites, passwords etc)
2) How can I keep my steam game data and move into the new steam folder
3) Would it be best to do a complete wipe of my SSD before I install?

I have 2x 3TB drives + my 128gb install SSD. I am thinking of doing this fresh install on a new 512gb ssd or something (soon Ill buy one)

What advice do you guys have for me? Thanks!

tribz · 30 Apr 2015 at 08:40

1) Copy your Firefox profile in C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles to somewhere. After reinstalling Firefox, copy the contents of the profile folder (it will have a random folder name) over the new profile contents.

2) Assuming your games are stored in your Steam folder, close Steam and copy the entire Steam folder somewhere. After reinstalling Steam on the new drive, copy Steam back overwriting the new install. When you first run a game, it might want to install stuff like Direct X again etc. Same for Origin but Origin normally puts games in a different folder so replicate that on the new drive or go into settings and tell it where your Origin games folder is. When you download a game, it will check what you already have and just install it if it can find the game folder.

Copy your Documents folder also as some games save data there and copy it back to your new install.

Stoner81 · 30 Apr 2015 at 13:27

1. Do a Google search for MozBackup

once you install Firefox again run it once to create a profile and then use MozBackup to restore it.

2. Copy your entire Steam folder to another drive and after you install Windows copy it back again.

Also don't forget to back up any other data you want to keep like My Docs, Pic, Music etc.

3. When you go to install Windows make sure that ONLY the SSD is connected and delete all the partitions on it. Let Windows install and once it is done shut down and connect your other drives then switch on again.

Stoner81.

KIA · 1 May 2015 at 22:03

Create a system image using Macrium Reflect, just in case.

holygamer · 6 May 2015 at 18:40

Instead of using programs that need installing, use Portable installations. Get Firefox Portable. Once you've setup Firefox how you want, to create a backup of Firefox simply copy and paste the Firefox Portable folder somewhere else!