How to Back up your Network settings

Once you get your home or small business network set up the way you want it, making changes can sometimes create unexpected results. If you want to make changes to your network settings (which include the unique addresses the Internet uses to identify your computer and related equipment used for your connection), you might be concerned that you won’t be able to return them to their original settings if you make a mistake. Don’t worry—with Microsoft Windows XP, you can back up your network settings and restore them later, if necessary. It’s not as easy as clicking Undo, but it’s straightforward and only takes a few minutes.

Note: If you are using Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, you have to first install Windows Backup.

To back up your network settings

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.

2. The Backup or Restore Wizard appears. Click Next.




3. On the Backup or Restore page, make sure that Back up files and settings is selected, and then click Next.




4. On the What to Back Up page, click Let me choose what to back up. Then click Next.




5. On the Items to Back Up page, expand My Computer, and then select System State. You can back up other files and folders at the same time by selecting those folders. Then click Next.

6. On the Backup Type, Destination, and Name page, click the Browse button and select a backup destination with at least 500 megabytes (MB) of free space. Because you’re trying to back up only your network settings, it’s usually okay just to save the backup to your My Documents folder. If you want to be able to restore the backup after a hard disk failure, save the backup to a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, or a folder on a different computer. In the Type a name for this backup box, type System settings or another useful description. Click Next.

7. On the Completing the Backup or Restore Wizard page, click Finish.




8. Windows Backup backs up your system settings to the specified location. This will take several minutes. After the backup is complete, click Close.