A useful eMule backup covers more than the executable. Plan for configuration, unfinished downloads and completed files separately, and keep the original installation until the restored copy has been checked.

Make a folder map before copying anything

Record the running client's configuration location, its Temporary directories and Incoming directory, including any different destination used by a category. Use the paths in the actual installation; a folder named eMule elsewhere on the disk may belong to an older copy.

Note the installed build and architecture as well. Keep this record with the backup so you can tell which environment produced it. Do not assume that a new PC will assign an external drive the same letter.

Close eMule and create an independent copy

Exit the client normally and let it finish shutting down. Copy the relevant folders to a backup destination outside all shared, Incoming and Temporary locations. Copying preserves a fallback; moving the only existing copy does not.

Check that the destination contains the expected files and has enough free space. Keep the backup private. Configuration can contain identity keys, search history and information about local folders, so it is unsuitable for a public share or a troubleshooting paste.

Preserve configuration as a set

The project's file reference describes settings in preferences.ini, identity in preferences.dat and cryptkey.dat, and other records such as clients.met. Preserve the configuration together rather than selecting a few unfamiliar files or mixing identities from different backups.

Credits owed to you live with other peers, but your client must still establish its identity. A large upload total written down in a note is not a substitute for the original identity files. Our credits guide explains that distinction.

Keep unfinished downloads together

Copy the complete Temporary folders. The numbered .part data and corresponding .part.met metadata belong together, along with available backups. A metadata file alone cannot restore the downloaded bytes.

Keep different source folders separate during the copy. Two installations can use the same numbered filenames for different downloads. Combining those directories without checking risks replacing one transfer's files with another's.

Restore to a controlled installation

Use a trusted release appropriate for the destination computer. Restore only while the target client is closed, follow the build's configuration-location rules, then point the client's directory preferences at the copied Temporary and Incoming paths.

Start one installation against those folders and inspect the transfer list, categories and shared-file list. Recheck the firewall rule and router destination for the new device using the connection guide. Restored preferences do not reconfigure the new computer's network automatically.

Verify before retiring the old copy

Compare a few known transfers and completed files, then close and reopen the restored client once. Keep the original backup until you are satisfied that paths, sharing choices and progress are correct. If downloads are missing, follow the recovery checklist before starting them again.

Sources and further reading

Project help includes older interface examples. Check the labels and options in your installed build before changing a setting.

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