Backing Up Email & Bookmarks
This article is part of Windows Vista Backup Strategies For Home Users

   The first step in backing up email is to move the email clients folders to a drive / partition that Vista isn't on. This is critical in the backup process. This ensures that no matter what happens to Vista itself, your email and it's settings are safe. Rather than go into detail about each email client, I'm going to point you to the appropriate information. Please note that I do not use, recommend, or support the use of Windows Mail (Vista's built-in email client). I highly recommend that if you use an email client you use Thunderbird. Online email is actually a better option for the average user and for that Gmail is my choice. See also Windows Vista Backup And Restore Center.

How To Move And Save Your Email Clients Personal Folders

Mozilla Thunderbird*** - Mozillazine's, Moving your profile folder & Thunderbird : FAQs : Backing Up and Restoring

Microsoft Outlook - Microsoft Office Assistant, Move your Outlook data file to another location (covers Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003)

                               - Outlook 2003 Add-in: Personal Folders Backup

                               - How to move your personal folders (.pst) file in Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2007

                               - Back up e-mail in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 

Windows Mail - Windows Mail for Vista: Backup and Restore Data (included just FYI)

Gmail - Gmail Tip #45: Backing Up Your Gmail Account

***See also MozBackup:
MozBackup is a (FREE) simple utility for creating backups of Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Mozilla Suite and Netscape profiles.

How To Backup And Restore Bookmarks and Favorites

Internet Explorer - Open Internet Explorer, in the menu at the top click on File > Import and Export. To save it just choose a backup location. To restore it navigate to that backup location.

Firefox - Open Firefox, in the menu at the top click on Bookmarks > Manage Bookmarks... > choose either Import or Export > navigate to the folder you are saving or restoring from. (also see MozBackup above.)