~ubuntu.cat/ubuntaires/ajuda

<para>While using Windows you will have probably stored a great deal of data, including documents, emails, photographs and music. The chances are that you will want to keep most of this information for use with Ubuntu. This section provides instructions on moving your data to Ubuntu.</para>

<title>Converting unsupported file types</title>

<para>While applications available for Ubuntu support most common file types, there are still many file types which are not supported. If you have files in an unsupported format, it is recommended that you try to convert them to a supported format before switching. This section covers some common, unsupported or only partially-supported file types and lists possible alternatives and methods of conversion.</para>

<listitem><para><emphasis role='strong'>Some types of file cannot be used in Ubuntu</emphasis></para></listitem>

<listitem><para><emphasis role='strong'>Check to see whether the file types you use are supported</emphasis></para></listitem>

<listitem><para><emphasis role='strong'>Convert the files which are of an unsupported type</emphasis></para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

<title>Converting unsupported audio formats</title>

<listitem><para><emphasis role='strong'>Many common audio formats cannot be played on Ubuntu without the installation of additional software. This is due to legal restrictions.</emphasis></para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

<para>Unfortunately, due to legal restrictions and technical issues with some common audio formats, Ubuntu cannot play certain audio formats out-of-the-box. While support for certain restricted formats can be added after you have installed Ubuntu, it can be advantageous to convert audio files to a well-supported format. This is especially important if the files have been encoded using some form of <emphasis>Digital Rights Management (DRM)</emphasis> software, as DRM restrictions can render files unplayable in all applications but the one in which they were applied.</para>

<para>The following major audio formats are proprietary and so are not supported by default in Ubuntu:</para>

<listitem><para>RealAudio</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

<para>For a well-supported audio format to replace MP3 and WMA, consider the <emphasis>Ogg Vorbis</emphasis> format. For a well-supported lossless (very high quality) format to replace AAC Lossless and WMA-VBR, consider the <emphasis>FLAC</emphasis> format. Both of these formats are open, and can be played in Ubuntu without the installation of any additional software.</para>

<para>There are many audio conversion applications for Windows available for download, and some of these can be obtained free of charge. These applications are also sometimes referred to as <emphasis>audio (re)encoders</emphasis>. Your choice of application depends on the formats which you wish to convert from and to. See websites such as <ulink url="http://www.download.com/Rippers-Encoders/3150-2140_4-0.html?tag=dir">Download.com</ulink> for a list of potentially useful applications.</para>

<para>It is still possible to add support for many restricted formats (such as those listed above) to Ubuntu after installation. See the <ulink url="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats">Restricted Formats</ulink> document on the Ubuntu community support website for more information.</para>

</sect2>

<title>Converting unsupported video formats</title>

<listitem><para><emphasis role='strong'>Many common video formats cannot be played on Ubuntu without the installation of additional software. This is due to legal restrictions.</emphasis></para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

<para>As with audio formats, due to legal and technical issues, many video formats are not supported by the default Ubuntu install. While support for some formats can be added at a later date, it is recommended that you convert important video files in unsupported formats to a format which is well supported in Ubuntu.</para>

<para>As with the audio formats, there are many video converter applications available as free-of-charge downloads for Windows. Consider converting your video files to a format which is well-supported by Ubuntu, such as <emphasis>Ogg Theora</emphasis>.</para>

<para>The following major video formats are not supported by default in Ubuntu:</para>

<listitem><para>RealVideo</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>QuickTime</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

</sect2>

<title>Converting unsupported office document formats</title>

<listitem><para><emphasis role='strong'>Ubuntu office applications can read most common office document formats without the need for conversion</emphasis></para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

<para>The default office suite of Ubuntu, <application>OpenOffice.org</application>, supports very many office document formats right out of the box. These include many of the Microsoft Office, Corel and Lotus formats. If you find that you do have files in formats which are unsupported, it is likely that your existing office suite or application will have the ability to save the files to a better-supported format.</para>

<para>The OpenDocument file formats are gaining popularity and are expected to become the de facto supported office formats for Ubuntu. While many older applications cannot save to the OpenDocument format, other formats such as .doc and RTF are also well supported.</para>

</sect2>

<title>Converting from application-specific formats</title>

<listitem><para><emphasis role='strong'>Some file formats are specific to particular Windows-only applications, and so cannot be used with Ubuntu software</emphasis></para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

<para>Many applications use file formats specific to them. A good example is the <application>Adobe Photoshop</application> file format. Formats such as these are generally able to store additional data compared to widely-used standard formats and so are still useful. You may find that applications exist on Ubuntu to convert or use application specific formats. The <application>GIMP Image Editor</application> is able to use Adobe PSD files, for example.</para>

<para>If you are uncertain whether a format is application-specific or has a usable alternative, seek help from an <ulink url="http://www.ubuntu.com/support">Ubuntu support channel</ulink>.</para>

</sect2>

</sect1>

<title>Internet connection settings</title>

<para>The Internet connection settings which are relevant to you will depend on the type and supplier of your Internet connection. Your supplier will generally be able to advise you of the relevant settings if you encounter difficulties in finding them yourself.</para>

<note>

<para>If you connect to the Internet using a network or router, see <xref linkend="preparing-settings-network"/> for instructions.</para>

</note>

<title>Dial-up Internet connection</title>

<para>Below is a list of common settings which you are likely to need:</para>

<listitem><para>Password</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Dial-up telephone number</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

<para>You may also require the following information:</para>

<listitem><para>Dial-out number</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Dialling type (tone or pulse)</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Authentication type</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

</sect2>

<title>Broadband Internet connection</title>

<para>Below is a list of common settings which you are likely to need:</para>

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<listitem><para>Password</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Dialling telephone number</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Connection type (usually PPPoE or PPPoA)</para></listitem>

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</itemizedlist>

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<para>It is possible that you may also require the following technical information, which should be available from your Internet service provider:</para>

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<listitem><para>IP address and subnet mask</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>DNS server, gateway IP address or DHCP server</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Encapsulation type</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>DHCP settings</para></listitem>

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</itemizedlist>

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</sect2>

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<title>Proxy server settings</title>

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<para>If you connect to the Internet through a proxy server, you will need to make a note of some details of the proxy server in order to allow Ubuntu to connect to the Internet.</para>

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<para>Press

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<menuchoice><guimenuitem>Start</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Control Panel</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.

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<para>

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If the <guilabel>Control Panel</guilabel> has a purple background, press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Network and Internet Connections</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Internet Options</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.

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</para>

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</listitem>

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<para>

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If the <guilabel>Control Panel</guilabel> has a white background, press <guilabel>Internet Options</guilabel>.

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</para>

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</listitem>

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</itemizedlist>

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</para>

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</listitem>

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<listitem><para>On the <guilabel>Connections</guilabel> tab, press <guibutton>LAN Settings...</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>If the <guilabel>Use a proxy server for your LAN</guilabel> option is ticked, this means that you are connecting to the Internet through a proxy server.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Press <guibutton>Advanced...</guibutton> and make a note of the contents of the boxes on the screen which appears. These are your proxy settings.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect2>

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</sect1>

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<title>Network settings</title>

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<para>While Ubuntu is usually able to automatically detect the settings for your network, it is wise to make a note of relevant network settings in case the network you are trying to connect to cannot be handled automatically.</para>

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<title>Home networks</title>

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<para>If you have a home network, perhaps connected using a router or switch, there are a few settings which you may need in order to connect to the network successfully. While most networks will be able to assign correct settings to Ubuntu automatically, some networks cannot.</para>

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<para>Follow the instructions below to obtain a copy of the network settings which you may need:</para>

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<listitem><para>Press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Start</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Run</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. Type <emphasis>cmd.exe</emphasis> into the box labelled <guilabel>Open:</guilabel> and press <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>A black screen called <application>Command Prompt</application> will appear. Into the screen, type <screen>ipconfig /all</screen> and press <keycap>Enter</keycap>. This will list a set of network settings for each of the networking devices you have installed. You may have one or several networking devices.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Now, type <screen>ipconfig /all > C:\network_settings.txt</screen> and then press <keycap>Enter</keycap>. This will store the settings you have just seen in the file <filename>C:\network_settings.txt</filename>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Locate and open <filename>C:\network_settings</filename> in a text editing program, such as <application>Notepad</application>. Print out a copy of the file if possible.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect2>

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<title>Windows networks</title>

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<para>If you connect to a Windows network, you may need some additional information in order to be able to see documents placed in network shares. If you connect to a network administered by another person, ask that person for the relevant information on connecting to the network. Otherwise, ensure that you have access to the information listed below:</para>

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<listitem><para>Domain or workgroup name</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Your username and password on the network</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Active Directory master IP address (if applicable)</para></listitem>

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</itemizedlist>

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</sect2>

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<title>Wireless networks</title>

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<para>There are several important pieces of information which you should have to hand if you would like to connect to a wireless network. These are listed below:</para>

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<listitem><para>Network name (SSID)</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>WEP encryption key or WPA passkey</para></listitem>

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</itemizedlist>

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<para>There are numerous ways of discovering this information. If your wireless network is provided by a <emphasis>wireless router</emphasis>, you should be able to find this information from the configuration pages of the router. Consult the router manual for more information on where to find the relevant information.</para>

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</sect2>

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<para><emphasis>Virtual Private Networks</emphasis> are a type of network which allow you to connect to a remote private network using a public network such as the Internet. There are many different types of VPN, which have varying degrees of support under Ubuntu. If you must connect to a VPN, first identify the type of VPN which you are connecting to. If the VPN is supported under Ubuntu, it is possible that a document will be available from the VPN vendor's website which can help you to connect to the network.</para>

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<para>Ensure that you have all of the VPN connection information that you think you may require.</para>

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</sect2>

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</sect1>

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<title>Instant messaging settings</title>

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<para>If you use instant messaging (chat) software, you will have set up a user account on an instant messaging network. Ubuntu has excellent support for many instant messaging networks by default, so you should still be able to use your existing account after you have switched. Please ensure that you make a note of the following information about your instant messaging account:</para>

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<listitem><para>Password</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Screen name or alias</para></listitem>

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</itemizedlist>

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<para>If possible, also make a copy of your buddy- or contact-list.</para>

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</sect1>

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<title>Web browser bookmarks</title>

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<para>It is likely that you have many bookmarked websites in your web browser. This section helps you back them up.</para>

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<title>Internet Explorer</title>

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<para>To backup your <application>Microsoft Internet Explorer 6</application> web browser:</para>

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<listitem><para>Start <application>Internet Explorer</application>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>File</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Import and Export...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>The <application>Import/Export Wizard</application> will start. Press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>Export Favorites</guilabel> and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select the folder from which you want to export your favorites. Selecting the <guilabel>Favorites</guilabel> folder will will export all of them. Press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>Export to a File or Address</guilabel> and choose a filename. Press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para><guilabel>Completing the Import/Export Wizard</guilabel> will be displayed. Press <guibutton>Finish</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Your bookmarks will have been saved to the filename you specified previously.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect2>

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<title>Mozilla Firefox</title>

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<para>To backup your <application>Mozilla Firefox</application> web browser:</para>

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<listitem><para>Start <application>Mozilla Firefox</application>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Bookmarks</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Manage Bookmarks</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>File</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Export...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Choose a filename. Press <guibutton>Save</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect2>

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<title>Opera</title>

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<para>To backup your <application>Opera</application> web browser:</para>

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<listitem><para>Start <application>Opera</application>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>File</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Import and Export</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Export Bookmarks as HTML</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>File</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Export...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Choose a filename. Press <guibutton>Save</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect2>

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</sect1>

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<title>Emails and mail account settings</title>

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<para>You can use the same email account in Ubuntu as you have done in Windows. If you have a web-based email account you should simply be able to access it using a web browser as you would have done in Windows. Otherwise, please note down the following information so that you can re-create your account settings on Ubuntu:</para>

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<listitem><para>Email address</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Password</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>POP3 or IMAP server</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>SMTP server</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Authentication method</para></listitem>

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</itemizedlist>

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<para>The instructions on exporting emails and email account settings are specific to particular applications. Instructions for some popular email clients are given in the following sections; users of other applications may find instructions relevant to their mail application from the Ubuntu <ulink url="https://help.ubuntu.com/community">Ubuntu community support website</ulink>.</para>

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<title>Microsoft Outlook Express</title>

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<para>These instructions are intended for users of <application>Microsoft Outlook Express 6</application>. If you are a user of a different version of <application>Outlook Express</application>, you may find instructions specific to that version from the Ubuntu <ulink url="https://help.ubuntu.com/community">Ubuntu community support website</ulink>.</para>

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<title>Exporting the address book</title>

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<listitem><para>Open <application>Outlook Express</application> and press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>File</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Export</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Address Book...</guimenuitem></menuchoice></para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>The <application>Address Book Export Tool</application> will start. Select the option <guilabel>Text File (Comma Separated Values)</guilabel> and then press <guibutton>Export</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Save the file in a memorable location. Give the file a descriptive name, such as <filename>mail_address_book.csv</filename>, and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select the details from the address book which you would like to export. If you are unsure, tick all of the options. Then, press <guibutton>Finish</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>You should receive a message stating that the <guilabel>Address book export process has completed</guilabel>. Press <guibutton>OK</guibutton> and then <guibutton>Close</guibutton>. Your address book should now have been exported successfully.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect3>

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<title>Exporting mail messages from Outlook Express</title>

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<para>Because <application>Microsoft Outlook Express</application> is unable to export its mail messages to an intermediate format, you must install another piece of software in order to export your email.</para>

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<para>Please see <xref linkend="preparing-email-import"/> for instructions on importing your email into the <application>Mozilla Thunderbird</application> application, which will allow the exporting of your messages.</para>

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</sect3>

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</sect2>

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<title>Microsoft Office Outlook</title>

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<para>These instructions are intended for users of <application>Microsoft Office Outlook 2003</application>. If you are a user of a different version of <application>Outlook</application>, you may find instructions specific to that version on the wiki.</para>

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<title>Exporting all Outlook data</title>

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<para>This method may be unreliable and should be used for backup purposes only.</para>

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</caution>

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<listitem><para>Open <application>Outlook</application> and press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Tools</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Options...</guimenuitem></menuchoice></para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select the <guilabel>Mail Setup</guilabel> tab and press <guibutton>Data Files...</guibutton></para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>A screen called <guilabel>Outlook Data Files</guilabel> will be displayed. Select the first file in the list, make a note of its name, and press <guibutton>Open Folder...</guibutton></para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>A folder will open. Find the file you just selected. If you have difficultly finding the file, it should be of type <emphasis>Office Data File</emphasis> or have the file extension <filename>.pst</filename>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Copy the file into the location you are using to store your exported settings.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Repeat this process for all of the files which were listed on the <guilabel>Outlook Data Files</guilabel> screen.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect3>

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<title>Exporting your contacts</title>

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<listitem><para>Open <application>Outlook</application> and press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>File</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Import and Export...</guimenuitem></menuchoice></para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>The <application>Import and Export Wizard</application> will start. Select the option <guilabel>Export to a file</guilabel> and then press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>Comma Separated Values (DOS)</guilabel> and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton></para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select the <guilabel>Contacts</guilabel> folder and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>. Then, choose where to save the file and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>A screen listing <guilabel>Actions to be performed</guilabel> will be shown. Press <guibutton>Finish</guibutton> to export your contacts to the location you selected in the previous step.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect3>

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<title>Exporting your calendar</title>

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<listitem><para>Open <application>Outlook</application> and press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>File</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Import and Export...</guimenuitem></menuchoice></para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>Comma Separated Values (DOS)</guilabel> and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton></para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select the <guilabel>Calendars</guilabel> folder and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>. Then, choose where to save the file and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect3>

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<title>Exporting mail messages</title>

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<para>Because <application>Microsoft Outlook</application> is unable to fully export its mail messages to a usable intermediate format, you must install another piece of software in order to export your email.</para>

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</sect3>

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</sect2>

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<title>Preparing email for export using Mozilla Thunderbird</title>

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<para>Because some mail clients (such as <application>Microsoft Outlook</application> and <application>Microsoft Outlook Express</application>) do not store their mail messages in a standard format, an additional piece of software must be used to convert the mail before export. <application>Mozilla Thunderbird</application> is a free, open-source application which is able to do this.</para>

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<para>The following instructions explain how to obtain Thunderbird and then use it to prepare mail messages for export:</para>

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<listitem><para>Open a web browser and navigate to the <ulink url="http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/">Mozilla Thunderbird website</ulink>. Follow the link to download <application>Mozilla Thunderbird</application>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Once the download has completed, run the installer package. Follow the instructions to install Thunderbird.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Once the installer has completed, start <application>Mozilla Thunderbird</application>. You should be greeted with the <application>Import Wizard</application>. Follow the instructions to import all settings - this should import your mail and some other data.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>If the <application>Import Wizard</application> does not appear, press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Tools</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Import...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> and choose the <guilabel>Mail</guilabel> option. Follow the instructions to import your mail.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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<para>Once all of your mail has been imported, you must now make a copy of it for exporting. Please see <xref linkend="preparing-email-thunderbird"/> for instructions on how to do this.</para>

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</sect2>

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<title>Exporting email messages from Mozilla Thunderbird</title>

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<para>These instructions are intended for users of <application>Mozilla Thunderbird</application> and users of <application>Outlook</application> and <application>Outlook Express</application> who imported their mail into Thunderbird (see <xref linkend="preparing-email-import"/>).</para>

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<listitem><para>Press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Start</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Run</guimenuitem></menuchoice>, type <emphasis>%AppData%\Thunderbird\Profiles\</emphasis> into the box provided, and then press <guibutton>OK</guibutton>. A folder will open.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>In the newly-opened folder, you should find another folder with a name made up mostly of random characters, for example <emphasis>fyhsxlr3.default</emphasis>. Open this folder.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>In this folder, locate a folder named <filename>Mail</filename> or <filename>ImapMail</filename>. Select this folder and copy it to a safe location.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>When you switch to Ubuntu, make a back-up copy of the folder you just made a copy of. This folder contains all of your mail folders from Thunderbird, in the <emphasis>mbox</emphasis> format.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect2>

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</sect1>

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<title>Transferring your data safely</title>

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<para>Once you have collected together all of the files and settings you might need, you must create a copy of them which can be stored safely while you initially install Ubuntu. There are many ways of storing a copy of this data, and which method you choose will depend on your particular circumstances.</para>

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<para>After you have made a copy of your files, it is very important to <emphasis role='strong'>test the files</emphasis> to ensure that they have been copied successfully. If you have many files, at least check the most important files and randomly check other files where possible. This will help to protect you from data loss.</para>

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</caution>

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<title>Direct transfer</title>

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<para>If you are installing Ubuntu onto a different computer than the one on which your data is stored, you can leave the data you collected on that computer and can safely transfer the data across once Ubuntu has been installed onto the other computer.</para>

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<para>When ready, you can transfer the data between the computers using a network connection.</para>

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</sect2>

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<para>A common and reliable way of backing-up data is by using a recordable CD or DVD disc. CDs and DVDs can be used by almost all computers and are relatively cheap. However, your computer must have a CD or DVD recorder drive installed and you may have to use several CDs or DVDs if the data you have collected is larger than the capacity of a single disc.</para>

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<para>If possible, use DVD discs as these have a larger capacity and so you will require fewer discs to store all of your data. CDs typically have a capacity of 650-700MB while DVDs can normally hold up to 4.5GB of data (roughly equivalent to 7 CDs).</para>

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<para>In order to store data on a blank CD or DVD, you must use a <emphasis>CD writing</emphasis> application. Microsoft Windows XP includes such an application by default, although other such applications are capable of storing your data just as well.</para>

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<listitem><para>Ensure that your CD- or DVD-writing drive contains no discs. Eject any discs currently in the drive.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Press <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Start</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>My Computer</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. Locate your CD or DVD writing drive - it will likely have a name such as <guilabel>CD-RW drive</guilabel>.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Double-click on the icon of the drive. A blank folder should open, with a heading called <guilabel>CD Writing Tasks</guilabel> shown in the blue panel to the left of the screen.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Leave this folder open and then open the folder containing the files which you have collected together.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Select as many files as you are able to fit onto the disc which you will be using. You can check the size of the current selection by right-clicking any selected file and choosing <guilabel>Properties</guilabel> from the menu which appears. The <guilabel>Size</guilabel> field on the <guilabel>General</guilabel> tab gives the size of the current selection.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Copy the selected files into the CD- or DVD-drive folder which you opened earlier.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Press <guibutton>Write these files to CD</guibutton>, which can be found in the blue panel. The <application>CD Writing Wizard</application> will start.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Follow the instructions given on-screen by the <application>CD Writing Wizard</application>. This will write the selected files to a blank CD or DVD.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Once the disc has been written, eject it and then re-insert it into the drive. In <filename>My Computer</filename>, open the drive and check that the files you just copied to the CD are visible there. Try opening a few of them just to make sure.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Repeat this procedure until all of the files you collected together are safely stored onto CDs or DVDs.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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<para>Once you have stored your data onto discs, ensure that the discs are well protected and labelled correctly. If you scratch or otherwise damage a disc, you may lose some of the data stored on it. Labelling discs also helps to avoid confusion and will allow you to quickly find data when the time comes to transfer it back onto a computer.</para>

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</sect2>

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<title>External hard-disk drive or other removable device</title>

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<para>If you have access to an external hard-disk drive or some other removable storage device of a great enough capacity, then you can simply copy the files you have collected onto this device. When ready to transfer the files onto your Ubuntu installation, you may simply connect the drive and copy the files from it again.</para>

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<para>Removable storage devices such as external hard disks will have a certain type of <emphasis>file system</emphasis>. For use on removable devices, the best supported filesystem for Ubuntu is <emphasis>FAT</emphasis> (also called <emphasis>FAT32</emphasis> or <emphasis>vfat</emphasis>). While other file systems (such as NTFS and HFS+) are usable, they may require additional steps to allow you to use them with Ubuntu. If possible, try to use the FAT format for your removable disk.</para>

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<para>You can discover the format of an external disk by right-clicking it in <filename>My Computer</filename> and selecting <guilabel>Properties</guilabel>. The format of the disk is shown in the <guilabel>General</guilabel> tab under <guilabel>File system</guilabel>.</para>

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</sect2>

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<title>Network share</title>

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<para>If your computer is connected to a network, you may be able to temporarily store the files which you collected together on another computer on the network.</para>

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<listitem><para>Ensure that a computer on the network has sufficient disk space to allow you to copy your files onto it.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Ensure that you are able to copy files onto the other computer from your computer. To be able to do this, the computer must have at least one <emphasis>network share/shared folder</emphasis> and you must have <emphasis>write privileges</emphasis> for that network share.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Open the network share on your computer. This can normally be accessed by pressing <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Start</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>My Computer</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>My Network Places</guimenuitem></menuchoice> and then finding the network share or the computer which provides the network share.</para></listitem>

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<listitem><para>Copy the files you collected into the network share. This may take some time depending on the size of your files and the speed of your network connection.</para></listitem>

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</orderedlist>

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</sect2>

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<title>Secondary hard-disk partition</title>

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<para>If you have a second partition available on your hard disk, or have two hard-disks, then it is possible to copy the files you have collected onto this second drive.</para>

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<para>You must be very careful not to over-write the partition on which you have stored your data. It is recommended to make additional back-up copies of your files onto CDs or DVDs in case of this.</para>

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</warning>

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<para>Simply copy the files you have collected onto the second drive as it appears in <filename>My Computer</filename>. Ensure that this drive (or partition) is <emphasis role='strong'>not</emphasis> the one which you intend to install Ubuntu on to.</para>

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</sect2>

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</sect1>

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</chapter>

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