You will also need a drivers disc or, if you don't have one, find and download all the drivers you need for your laptop's hardware, such as chipset, graphics, etc. Depending on whether you installed Windows yourself, or it came preinstalled, you will need your Windows install CD, or System Recovery disc, along with your Windows Product Key. Once your data is safely stored, you need to make sure you have everything else you need. If you use Internet Explorer, you can export your bookmarks as an HTML file, and Outlook Express users can back up manually by following the instructions found here.
If you use free Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird software for your internet browsing and email, then there is an excellent tool for backing up your browser and email profiles called MozBackup, which you can download from here. 12 free downloads and tips for your laptop.
