drum machine takes a dump

[syn]

hey all, I just bought a new dr-770 and love the sh*t out of it.I also have a (barf) yamaha rx8 and since i have been working with that one for the past 2 yrs I obviously need a way to get some of the patterns out of that on and into my new one. I have read the documentation concerning midi usage and it covers some but not all of my questions. (I am just now getting into midi stuff as is)
Is it possible to dump from one machine to another that doesnt have the same kits and other parameters? also I would like to do a sysex dump to my computer to backup all my work every once in a while, does anyone have any experience with that using roland products? what is a good program?
wheeewwww that took alot of breath out of me.
have at it, and thanx for your patience and time :-)