BleepingComputer.com: computer backup

How to backup my computer to an image using an external hard drive?

Check out Clonezilla.org for a good free and open source solution.

Use disk imaging software. The two best such apps are Acronis True Image (not free) and Macrium Reflect (free).

Thanks for the heads up on Macrium Reflect, I have never heard of that one before. I'll be checking it out and comparing it to Clonezilla.

Here's some great tutorials for Macrium Reflect for the more experienced members and quests.
http://www.macrium.com/tutorial.asp
Here's a feature I love.
http://www.macrium.com/KB/KnowledgebaseArticle50061.aspx
I want to add that I'm not affiliated in any way with Macrium Reflect; I just like their program.

I have an old XP machine that I kept as backup. I just recently found out about imaging sofrware. I decided I wanted to give it a try. I tried Macrium Reflect Free. I thought it was y easy to use and war able to pretty much just wing it. I didn't need to do anything fancy. I had it create the linus boot cd. It worked great - restored with no probem. I wish I had know about it a few years ago before I had my 2 hard drive crashes and had to re-install everything. ughh. Don't know how it compares with others - but it did what I wanted to to do.

Fay

Maacrium is fine for most users. But no backup software is going to do any good if you don't use it on a regular basis. What I do is image my system partition to a second hd every week and keep the 2 or 3 most current images, deleting the older ones.

This post has been edited by hamluis: 03 March 2011 - 07:05 PM
Reason for edit: Typo :).

Alan,

I agree with you but I am not good at doing that. It is not such an important issue on my xp computer - since it is mainly for backup and trying things on. If something happens, just want to be able to get it into pretty good working order without a lot of trouble. Probalby will not be installing too many things on it that I need.

My main computer is win 7 and I do need to start creating images on it more regualry. I do backups of data files more frequently, but if I don't get in some kind of routine for the imaging - I'll foget it till it is too late.

Fay

Okay - as long as you understand.