file backup question
 

I'm installing SuSE 7.3 personal as a dual boot with Windo$e (not) ME. Besides any important personal things like school papers etc, are there any windows files that I should back up that will be put in danger by a defrag or a fscked up repartition? I'm just not quite sure what to be worried about I guess. Thanks yet again...someday, I'll learn enough to give back! :)

With Windows, you never know. Backup may be useful if you plan to resize its partition.
But proplems are rare. Just look what you're doing and don't delete Win partition by accident

Thanks for your help, just one more question...if I was to get paranoid and want to back-up some files, are there any specific ones that I should be sure and get? This is where I'm a little foggy. :(

To be on the safe side I'd back up the windows directory ie C:\winnt on an NT or 2000 machine or C:\WINDOWS on a 98 machine, you should fit the lot on one CD, that is where all your windows settings, profiles etc are.
I'd also recommend running defrag in windows before the install just to be on the safe side.

i dont want to be the jerk that says it but........ you should be backing up your system on a regular basis!!!

I get a kick out of people here at work that crash their system and "think" that because i'm in the "IT" department i can wave my magic wand and get thier documents back, when i ask them where thier back ups are they look at me like i have 3 heads and say " well dont you do that?" i say " yea sure all my important documnets are stored on a zip disk as back up, but no i'm not responsible for your documents! sorry"

Backup all YOU think is important. Windows can be reinstalled, your valuable files not..

Over the days I've been using Windows, one thing that most would ignore is bookmark!! I always wasted time rebuilding it. If you're an Internet Exploder freak, it's c:\windows\favorites. I regularly back mine up on another partition. AND I back up the entire Windows partition using Ghost. Ghost can ghost it back in 10 minutes shall anything happen. ANNNNNNNND, I have a habit to back up a fresh Windows install onto a CDRW. So bring the trojan/virus/hackers on. I'm game! :o