What computer files to back up -- and how to do it

If you're backing up anything -- whether you're copying to an external hard drive, optical disc, or over the web -- you're ahead of the game, but for most people, backing up their files usually amounts to making a copy of the My Documents folder and calling it quits.

But there's lots more you can -- and should -- back up than just your documents, pictures, and music. And today Killer Tech Tips offers suggestions on how to improve the comprehensiveness of your backup by showing you six things you probably never thought about backing up before -- and how to get the job done painlessly.

Some highlights:

> Your webmail - Readers regularly ask me how to back up their webmail account and I normally tell them to use a POP client (like Outlook or Thunderbird) to download their mail to their local computer, leaving a copy on the web. Boom, instant backup. If you have Gmail there's an easier way if you use this utility: Gmail Backup. Yahoo! Mail users may also try YPOPs! to do a similar thing, though I have never tried it.

> Your cell phone - Losing a cell phone often means a massive headache of recreating your contacts, calendar items, and other information from scratch. Nokia users can follow this backup guide, and I know similar tools exist for other model cell phones (do a little searching based on your phone's manufacturer and "backup"). I'll also add that numerous SIM card readers are available on the market which are designed specifically to let you backup your cell phone data with the push of a button. (They're widely available online; here's a good example.)

> Your drivers - If you've ever had to reinstall Windows from a Microsoft CD, you know what a pain it can be to find all the drivers you need to keep your computer running. The easier way: Back up the drivers before you reinstall with DriverMax.

> Your bookmarks - You can use an automatic bookmark syncing tool like Xmarks, or back them up by hand periodically. (In Firefox, go to Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > Import and Backup. In IE, File > Import and Export > Export to a file > Favorites.)

I'll also add: Don't forget to backup any email you store locally on your PC, no matter what provider it's from. A lot of people think just backing up the My Documents folder will also save their email, but that's not the case.

Check out the full backup story here!