ToastyNews.Net

Many personal users and small companies don’t need to purchase expensive software for backing up data files.

To make backup, they can simply burn the data files to a CD or a DVD. Just in case if they loose information they can restore the files from the CD or DVD.
But, that is working only for the case of data files such as documents, photos, mp3 files and other files. That does not work for email client software such as Outlook Express.

This article will discuss how to do manual backup on email client such as Outlook Express. Outlook Express is usually installed together with Windows Operating System and this email client is probably the most common email client software being used by computer users.

1. Creating Backup for Email Messages
Outlook Express data formats is in DBX, every email messages are stored in DBX file extension.
If you want to find the path to the folder that contains your emails, you can open the Outlook Express ? Tools ? Options ? Maintenance and click on Store Folder button.
To make backup for your email messages, find the folder of your email messages and copy all the DBX files.

2. Account Setting
Your email client settings are stored in the windows registry.
You may find the details in the registry. To open the registry click on Start Menu ? Run ? type in Regedit.
After the registry editor window is open, look at the left panel and click the tree menu to find “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager.”

3. Mailing Rules
Outlook Express mailing rules are kept in the registry. To open the registry editor refer to Point 2. After the registry editor is open look at the left panel and click the tree menu to find “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities.”
To make backup for this key, select Registry ? Export Registry File ? Save the file and choose name that easy to remember.

4. Backup Address Book
Backing up address book is not that difficult. Outlook Express stored the files with WBA extension.
To find the files, open Outlook Express and select File ? Export ? Address Book ? choose comma separated text file as the output format ? click Export ? select the folder for the backup file to be save and enter your desired name for the file. ? click Next ? choose the field you want to include in your backup files ? click Finish.

5. Outlook Express Stationery
Stationery is stored in Windows Registry. How to find the registry key ?
Refer to Point 2 to open the registry editor. Once opened, find for “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Stationery” and look at value of the Stationery Folder, you can see a set of string. That is the location of the stationery files. To make backup for the stationery files, copy all the files in the folder.

You use backup software if you feel like creating backup manually is too difficult. Search from the internet using keyword Outlook Express backup software.

Virus is a computer program that able to spread from one computer to another computer.
They are designed specifically to gain access into parts of your computer system and they have the ability to duplicate and infecting another computer.

Below is some of the most common methods for a computer virus to spread.

Boot Information

Every disk (hard disk, floppy disk, CD, DVD) contains a boot sector even if it is a bootable disk or not.
When you turn on your computer, then it will search for boot information.
If the computer finds a disk containing boot information, it reads the boot information and uses it to start the computer in normal procedure.
For an example if you accidentally boot your computer from a bootable CD that contains a computer virus, that way the computer virus are being triggered and it is possible to be transferred into the computer’s hard drive.

After the boot information on the hard drive has been infected with the virus, it will be loaded into your computer’s memory every time you start your computer. From that memory (RAM) the computer virus infecting every disk that attached with your computer. This is how the infection spreads.

Most boot viruses could stay on a computer system for a long time without generating problems, it was designed only to stay there and spread themselves.
Such computer viruses are designed to activate their bad behaviour on a specific date depends on the creator.
But there are some nasty boot viruses that can destroy the boot information or forcing a complete format of a hard drive right after they are transferred into a computer.

Application Infections

When a computer program that has been infected with a virus is running, the virus is loaded into the RAM.
While the virus is in the RAM, if you are running another application that application can become infected.
It means that more applications on your system are possible to be infected.
Multiple infections are very common and it will definitely generate system problems.

For some time the program files may operates normally without any problems but eventually they will have problems or the infections causes the whole computer system down.

Generally, when an application is infected with a virus, the first sign of an infection is when you are saving files it is saved without a proper names or the data that you save is incomplete.
This type of viruses are often designed to search for a programs that are used to share information between users/computers such as email applications, screen savers, office document Macros, and self-extracting compressed files.

E-Mail Attachments

Most of dangerous viruses are spreading through an e-mail attachments.
In such cases, the user does not realize that they are attaching infected file/s to an email message and send it to a friend/s or colleague/s.
By the time that email is received, the virus is triggered when the attachment file is opened then infecting a new computer.

These days mass mailing email contains worms or viruses are being released.
These kind of attacks AUTOMATICALLY scans your computer’s files and search for any email address it can find and uses your email application to AUTOMATICALLY send infected messages to every email address that it has found in your computer.

It is very important to be aware over the emails that you open. Make sure that it does not contain dangerous viruses.
Even if that email comes from your family or friends, it may contain a virus.
This is the moment where an anti-virus program would be really helpful to detect your incoming messages and to make sure that the messages you receive does not contain a virus.