How do i back up Windows 7 Start Menu?

How do i back up Windows 7 Start Menu?

Can anyone tell me how to backup my Windows 7 Start Menu?

I want to backup the Folders that are in it such as Applications etc in case i have to do a clean Windows reinstall.

I have Windows 7 Ulitmate 64.

Thanks

 

If you want to back up applications you need to do an image backup. Backing up the start menu only backs up pointers to the programs, not the programs themselves nor their installation parameters.

Hit the start button and type in "backup" without the quotes.
You should see the backup and restore control panel.
You will need a backup device that can hold your entire installation.

Once you do your backup you will not have to do a clean reinstall because you can always get back to where you did the backup. I recommend doing a complete backup once you have windows installed with all drivers and updates, then another when you get all your programs installed. And again from time to time as you change things.

 

If you did have to do a clean install your idea wouldn't help you. All your applications would have to be installed again from scratch. However you can use imaging software to take an image of your Windows installation and that image, and any others you create, could be restored at any time and your computer would be restored to the exact state it was in when the image was created. I take two images a month and usually just keep the last two or three. It means you never face a reinstall unless you want it.

There are several good free programs available for this but the one I currently recommend is Macrium Reflect.

You do need another drive on which to store your backup images. A second internal HDD or an external drive are the best though depending on the size of the image you could use multiple DVDs.

Sorry DOA, must learn to type faster :-o

 

DOA "If you want to back up applications you need to do an image backup. Backing up the start menu only backs up pointers to the programs, not the programs themselves nor their installation parameters."

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Yes i know this this is what it does but if i have to do a clean reinstall then i have the same folders again anyway for the programs.

Utils for my Utilities Programs for example. Its a pain having to reorganize the Start Menu again though. This is why i was asking.

 

In Win 8.1 Control Panel > File History. Bottom left is System Image Backup, same as Win 7. Win 8 also had it but cannot now remember the route in. I know it was less than obvious rolleyes

 

If I misunderstood what you want, then you might look into the
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-easy-transfer
Once you are back to your original install this will set your preferences and that includes the start menu.

 

Right click the Start Button and choose "Open All Users" from the context pop-up menu. This will launch an Explorer window that opens the Start Menu. Just drag and drop (copy) the entire Start Menu to a drive/directory of your choice. You could then ZIP the entire contents of the Start Menu (folders and shortcuts) into one tidy archive file that you can move/copy to your backup media (ext HDD, thumb drive, CD, etc).

Note that this only backs up shortcuts. If you were to reinstall windows and all of your apps, those apps would need to be installed into the exact same path as the previous install. Otherwise, the links won't work.

 

Thanks for this. I had done it before but had forgotten how to do it.