Just to clarify, the partition in which boot.img resides does not contain any configuration variables or any 'personalised' data relating to your installation.
If you're just asking 'What do I need to back up in order to restore all my settings and programs in case I need to re-install' then the answer is 1) Your system partition, and 2) Any other partitions containing programs which are used by mimetypes.
You could then re-install from the CD and copy/overwrite these to the new installation. Upon reboot your original 'backed-up' system would be fully functional again (just like a 68K Amiga).
Regards
Rich
