How to back up my files?

Hi there,
I would like to backup the files (photos, IDs, mail, music, word documents) on my computer, and format my drive. I've read a lot of threads about backing up, but I'm still confused. I have an external drive. Can I just buy something like "SuperDuper!" and execute this? How do I get the User ID back on the computer afterwards? (I am very bad with technical lingo, so if you can find the time to respond please try to keep the terms basic.)
My macbook is super slow, and programs keep crashing (esp. Safari and Firefox), so this is my strategy for getting it back to performance (there is no software on the computer which I need to save -- I have cds, serial numbers, etc). There are old programs on the computer that I don't even know their names anymore. Does this sound like a good overall strategy for improving my computer's operations? Are there better strategies to keep my computer running well in the future?
Thanks for your time.
Best,
Bernard
ps, my computer is:
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook1,1
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 2 MB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MB11.0061.B03
SMC Version: 1.4f12

I'd try some more troubleshooting techniques before reinstalling. Reinstalling is a last resort kind of fix.
Start with creating a new user account. Do you experience the same sorts of problems with crashing programs there?
As for backing up, yes you can use SuperDuper to make an exact copy of your boot drive to an external drive. It will even do this for you in free demo mode.

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