BleepingComputer.com: How to backup onto external hard drive

I'm trying to backup my Windows XP PC to an external 150G hard drive which has two 74G partitions - one formatted for my Mac (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) and the other for PC (MS-DOS FAT(32), or Windows NT File System (NTFS)). I created the partitions using the Mac. I use Time Machine to backup the Mac. I tried using the Backup Tool in Windows but it stops when it reaches 4G of the partition and tells me to insert a floppy disk to continue. How else can I backup my computer to the external drive?

NT Backup has known limitations, but the 4GB file size limitation is a FAT32 known characteristic.

http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm

Louis

I suggest converting the FAT32 partition to NTFS.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307881

This post has been edited by hamluis: 25 March 2011 - 06:46 AM

Use disc imaging software. The best of breed is Acronis True Image, but it isn't free. The best free alternative is Macrium Reflect. Be sure to set the option to Verify the image during creation. It takes longer, but insures a valid image.

hamlus:
Apparently the drive was already formatted to NTFS (although originally I formatted it to FAT with my Mac).

Allan:
I downloaded Macrium Reflect and completed the backup. Thanks again.

You're welcome. I strongly suggest creating new images on a regular basis, keeping the 2 or 3 most recent images. That way you will always have a safe haven.