# How to save my Internet/Network settings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-save-my-internet-network-settings/204709 "2003-09-30T15:58:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-save-my-internet-network-settings/204709/1 "2003-09-30T15:58:42Z")
I have to take my Vaio laptop back to Sony for them to reinstall my entire system etc, to try and solve a weird technical glitch with the software I use. The prospect of re-setting up all the complicated network settings (the laptop connects to an external ADSL modem, then to a wireless router, which serves two Mac laptops) is doing my head in. Is there anyway I can save the internet/networks settings? (I will burn them to CD) Eg: where are they on my system? (Win 2000). That way I could copy the settings back across. I know how to do this on a Mac, but I don’t know where they are or what they’re called on PC. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-save-my-internet-network-settings/204709/2 "2003-09-30T17:11:11Z")
Check out [http://is-it-true.org/nt/nt2000/utips/utips46.shtml](http://is-it-true.org/nt/nt2000/utips/utips46.shtml) . In Win2000 and up netsh.exe can save and restore network settings to a text file. After a day of searching, fiddling, cursing “Incorrectly criticising my grammar is worth a graphic front end so annoying it makes people’s brain spontaneously vaporise, so why is this a command line program?” I managed to get two shortcuts on my desktop that switch between two networks I’m on. I don’t know if it will store all your more complicated settings, but you could try. OTOH, if you want to be sure, I’d write everything down by hand (or c&p into a text file manually). ---
**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-save-my-internet-network-settings/204709/3 "2003-09-30T17:36:18Z")
netsh should work fine. Dunno why **shade** had a problem because the site he links tells you exactly what to type. Type just “netsh -c interface dump” at a command prompt and you’ll be able to see what settings it’s saving. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-save-my-internet-network-settings/204709/4 "2003-09-30T19:29:59Z")
Fab - thanks for this!! I managed to dump out a text file. Now… anyone have any more last minute tips for saving stuff now (eg stuff that I don’t know I need to save) before it’s erased for all eternity…? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-save-my-internet-network-settings/204709/5 "2003-09-30T20:07:32Z")
No, once I found that page everything went fine. I just wish that there had been a hint about this on the network settings control panel folder, or something. I mean, typing ‘netsh /?’ into a command promt isn’t the most self evident way of switching network settings. OK, now I know what to search for I can find the reference in the MS knowledge base. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so descriptive in my last post - I think I try to sound over the top to try to make my posts more interesting 🙂