Backing up customised Avatar

dear ppl I'm very sorry if this is a stupid noob question and it was posted 21937 times before
I tried searching "backup AND avatar" but all I get is Copybot and other discussion.

What I'd like to know is which (local) files can I/do I need to backup, in case of a HD-crash or other local data-loss damaging the installation and config of SL. Suppose I've spent hours trading and upgrading my looks, and one way or the other all local data gets wiped. Can I use or import certain saved directory structures containing the customised Avatar-info?

thanks

Hey Bung — sorry, currently, you can't backup an avatar via a system-provided way in Second Life. However, what you an do: if you have alt (alternative) accounts which you can send copiable and transferrable parts of your avatar to, that'll give you an extra copy. You can also:

Right-click yourself, select "Appearance". See that "Make Outfit" button? That lets you backup another copy.

At times, I've put avatar parts in a plywood cube and left it on land somewhere. Sort of a ad hoc storage garage, if you will.

I'll move this to Resident Answers for further suggestions... take care!

Bung

To almost re-iterate what Torely said...just right click your avatar. Click Appearance - Click - Make Outfit at the bottom of the appearance screen. Go in check off everything you want to save in the outfit then name the outfit. Once you've done that and you click OK your outfit will be saved in a folder in your inventory.

Now....to get into exactly what you were asking.

You don't have to backup anything like that...none of your inventory is saved on your computer or in any of the install or config files. Your ENTIRE inventory is saved on the Linden Lab servers....which is "normally" a good thing (sometimes things disappear...file a bug report).

What this means is....you can go out to your buddies house, install SecondLife on his machine...and then log into your account and have everything there just like you do at home.

- King NFM

Low tech method if your avatar is modifiable (I assume it is):

Copy down all the values on your appearance sliders in a text file. Voila!

Then you can back that file up however you like.

Just a word of caution about using the "Make Outfit" button to make a "copy."

Unfortunately this feature will MOVE items that you do not have copy perms on, into the new folder. This means you may end up breaking up parts of a complete outfit (if you are wearing the shirt, but not the pants from an outfit, the Make Outfit button will move the shirt out of the original outfit folder into the new folder, but leave the pants behind).

Second Life needs the concept of shortcuts, so that this feature would merely build you a folder of shortcuts which point back to the original items.

What an excellent notion! .. um just thought of a disadvange though;
suppose you've tweaked a hem line or colour of something in one outfit which you have copies of in another? mm, think you need those multiple copies.

..and yes! fell foul of the no-copy with an outifit myself!

Well sure. Just like files on your PC, you should have the option to create a copy, or a shortcut. There is a feature proposal on this, but I am too lazy to link it.

Thanks all.. and Torley, I guess I'm to much of a freshman to even know how to build stuff.
Also, it would feel 'unsafe' leaving certain 'valuable' assets somewhere outthere. I'd have to learn about the ins and outs a bit more before understanding why it isn't (unsafe). But again, thanks all for the insights.

One way - a bit laborious, mind, is to note down all the percentage settings on the avatar appearance sliders (height, nose size etc.!). Then you can recreate your avatar if necessary just be resetting to those values.