Backing up a PC...

[1cowabunga]

I was thinking it might be a good idea to make a backup of my computer. I have a separate computer that I'm wanting to put the backup onto. Anyway, I was just wondering what might be the best software to use for this. Is Norton Ghost a good program? What would any of you suggest? Thanks.

~Sam

[TrinityOfOne]

Ghost is an outstanding program, it'll create an image across USB/LAN or write and span directly to CD/DVD.

That's a good complete backup solution but if you want something to simply back up mail/settings/data, try www.genie-soft.com, I used Backup Manager Pro for ages.

[chaswp54]

Norton Ghost is a pretty good program. There are a number of ways you can back up.
The simplest of course is just to back up your data files, mp3's, .jpg's, and other documents you create. The question you ask yourself everytime you create a new file is "Can I afford to lose this?" and if you can't, then back it up ASAP. Fact of life is that hard drives fail usually before anything else in your computer.

Simply making duplicates and burning to a cd is a way to insure that they are not lost to ANY hard drive failure. You don't need any programs other than cd burning software to do that, or you can simple make copies and put those copies on a separate computer or hard drive.

I get a little more involved with my "back ups" and actually clone my hard drive once a month to an external hard drive. If something happens to my primary HD, then I just clone back to a new drive and I don't have to reload anything except what was lost since the last "cloning".
I use Ghost 2003, but only to the extent of making a boot disk that I boot up to and do the "clone" while not in Windows XP. Unless something has changed, I don't think you can clone your entire hard drive while in windows if you are using Windows XP due to a number of files being in use while in Windows. If you decide to do the clone route, let me know and I'll give you a little run down on it. There is a catch doing it that most people don't realize.

[TrinityOfOne]

If you choose to image the system from within windows, Ghost will boot into DOS mode and continue from there.

[1cowabunga]

Thanks guys. I think maybe I'll just back up a few things here and there and put on disk for now but I might decide to do the clone later. I'll let you know if I do chas. Thanks for your help.

~Sam