Can downloaded files be saved to disk?

Factual Questions
1

Just in case all hell breaks loose, I want to backup everything on my PC (Dell 2 gig-hrz, 512 RAM).

At present, my location in the sticks means I’m cursed with a dial-up connection, meaning that I’d like to save all the XP updates and other downloads (AdAware, Spybot, Win Media, AVG,…) onto a handy-dandy disk–and prevent having to spend days updating my system if the HD tanks.

Frankly, I don’t even know where the Download Manager is located within the C drive.

My questions:

  1. Can I save these files to disk?
  2. Where can I find all these downloaded programs/updates on my PC?
2

Hmm. If you downloaded the files, then they’re… downloaded. I’m guessing that you installed some stuff a la “Open from this location”?

Or perhaps not. It would depend on your browser. A quick check of IE and Mozilla shows they DL to the cache directory if you just ask to run them. (c:\windows emporary internet files\cache5\yadda\yadda for IE, C:\windows\application data\Mozilla\profiles\bla\bla\bla for Mozilla).

You could check these directories, but it’s likely that whatever you’re looking for is already gone. Someone might be able to help if you explain more what the “Download Manager” you mention is.

I download stuff to a special directory so that I both know when it’s actually downloaded, and so I can scan for virii should I not fully trust the source.

3

To find where the downloaded files are, you can either manually search for them by name or download anything else and see where downloaded files are saved.

When you say ‘disk’ do you mean 2MB floppies? If so, this is going to take a lot of disks and many of your downloads are not likely to fit onto a single disk. I’d highly recommend a recordable compact disk writer. Chances are very good that all your files that you wish backed up will fit on a single CD. The prices are super low now too. When I think of what I paid a few years ago…

4

There are 2MB floppies now? How could I have missed that?

Anyway, what my junglemassive friend said. A recordable CD-writer is the way to go. I even think PartitionMagic can make a copy of your entire partition so if your HD “tanks” you have an exact copy of your OS and everything in it. Please someone correct me if I’m wrong. I’m pretty sure you can also take your HD somewhere and have it copied onto a tape station thingamajig but that would probably be expensive, difficult and downright silly. Useless, even.

5

No, I do have a CD burner (and DVD player). My hope is to save backup copies by burning them to a CD.

I’m not sure whether it’s better to keep the system files on, say, C and the program files on D, OR to have a mirror copy of everything on a separate D hard drive. Can anyone help with that? And where would “Go Back” fit into the equation?