To answer your first question, there is no other particular advantage in saving the files manually, except that you can restore ONLY BitComet settings WITHOUT having to import the tasklist, too. That is, you get a more fine grained control of what you do… but that is the path of those who want to become more experienced.
As for the second issue, I’m afraid I don’t understand your argument. In fact, since you use Windows 7 it’s a MUCH better idea to let that option set to TRUE. That’s because, if UAC the setting files won’t go in Program Files directory anyway (Windows won’t allow it), but in the Users\Appdata\VirtualStore\Program Files\Bitcomet and that is even deeper buried into the entrails of the file system.
Besides, this gives way to infinite complications. E.g. if you inadvertently set UAC off later, then BitComet may be able to write into the real Program Files folder and this will make you end up with 2 sets of configuration files. Or if UAC was off earlier and you enable it later, then your settings files won’t be accessible later (newer ones may be created in the afore-mentioned VirtualStore folder by Windows and you may be coming here complaining that you can’t find your tasklist anymore).
This happened A LOT with dozens of Vista and Win 7 users before the introduction of that option and, in fact, that’s the very reason it was introduced, in the first place (we began complaining to the development team too, because it was so hard to troubleshoot so many users’ problems due to the great number of potential different scenarios that could lead to this type of bad results and due to the fact that most of the users had a hard time really comprehending how file system virtualization works in Windows and thus it was very hard for us to determine what caused the error in the first place and consequently to provide a working solution).
This was an option which was requested in chorus by ALL forum staff members (to unload the burden of configuring everybody’s client from our shoulders). Therefore, while it may still make sense for Win XP users who already had their config files in the Program Files folder (since earlier versions of BitComet) it’s pretty much pointless for most users of later Windows versions.
You can still change its value, but you have to fully comprehend its implications and acknowledge that if you start having problems with your tasklist or settings, you’re on your own, since Advanced Options are meant for advanced users (therefore it’s implicitly understood that you know what you’re doing).
If you simply want to back up your settings files regularly, from where I stand it seems much easier to do it from the %appdata%\Bitcomet folder than from the other multiple possible locations once you set the option to FALSE. That is, if I understood well, what you’re trying to do.
As a third thing, you should keep in mind that .torrent files, are in fact “configuration” files (metadata, actually), too. That is, if your intention is to restore your tasklist at a later moment integrally (i.e. after formatting your partition or after a clean Windows reinstall) you will need them too, not only the downloads.xml file. So, they should be (or not) a part of your regular backup, depending on the purpose of your backup.
