Hi,
I am trying to do the right hting by completely backing up my harddrive to a
removable hard drive. What I am aiming for is a complete and total back of
the files that I currently have on the computer so that if my laptop hard
drive finally took a crap on me, I could simply get a new hard drive for it,
install XP on it again, and drag and drop the files onto the hard drive... I
don;t know if what I said made much sense, but I think some of you
understand. See, waht I've done to my computer is tweaked the he|| out of it
to make it go REALLY fast, and I've got quite a few prgrams on it that I
would prefer NOT to have to reinstall because I would be here for days or
even weeks, one of those prorgams including Windows Vista Transformation Pack
7 by Windows X-- a prorgam that transformed many of my system files to make
my GUI look a LOT like vista. Some of you may disapprove of this for your own
reasons, but I like the speed my desktop is at right now, the amount of space
it is taking up, and what it looks like.

anywyas, does anyone know how to do what I'm describing? So I don't have to
reinstall anything-- just drag and rop the files in C:/ back to any new
harddrive I might have to get?

Thakns in advance!

You're referring to a process called "Imaging". This takes a full drive and
copies ( and compresses ) it's contents into a module or series of modules.
When needed, you can reverse the process to restore the full drive or a
specific set of files and folders. An image is itself not bootable, that's
what
is referred to as a "Mirror Copy" or Clone.
There are a number of products available, I'd recommend Acronis True
Image Home.
One other note about imaging - saving to any magnetic media including an
external hard drive has it's own risks. It's always best to make a copy of
the Image modules on optical media (CD-R, DVD-R).

"mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:07165F79-420B-481D-B89E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi,
> I am trying to do the right hting by completely backing up my harddrive to
> a
> removable hard drive. What I am aiming for is a complete and total back of
> the files that I currently have on the computer so that if my laptop hard
> drive finally took a crap on me, I could simply get a new hard drive for
> it,
> install XP on it again, and drag and drop the files onto the hard drive...
> I
> don;t know if what I said made much sense, but I think some of you
> understand. See, waht I've done to my computer is tweaked the he|| out of
> it
> to make it go REALLY fast, and I've got quite a few prgrams on it that I
> would prefer NOT to have to reinstall because I would be here for days or
> even weeks, one of those prorgams including Windows Vista Transformation
> Pack
> 7 by Windows X-- a prorgam that transformed many of my system files to
> make
> my GUI look a LOT like vista. Some of you may disapprove of this for your
> own
> reasons, but I like the speed my desktop is at right now, the amount of
> space
> it is taking up, and what it looks like.
>
> anywyas, does anyone know how to do what I'm describing? So I don't have
> to
> reinstall anything-- just drag and rop the files in C:/ back to any new
> harddrive I might have to get?
>
> Thakns in advance!

"mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:07165F79-420B-481D-B89E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi,
> I am trying to do the right hting by completely backing up my harddrive to
> a
> removable hard drive. What I am aiming for is a complete and total back of
> the files that I currently have on the computer so that if my laptop hard
> drive finally took a crap on me, I could simply get a new hard drive for
> it,
> install XP on it again, and drag and drop the files onto the hard drive...
> I
> don;t know if what I said made much sense, but I think some of you
> understand. See, waht I've done to my computer is tweaked the he|| out of
> it
> to make it go REALLY fast, and I've got quite a few prgrams on it that I
> would prefer NOT to have to reinstall because I would be here for days or
> even weeks, one of those prorgams including Windows Vista Transformation
> Pack
> 7 by Windows X-- a prorgam that transformed many of my system files to
> make
> my GUI look a LOT like vista. Some of you may disapprove of this for your
> own
> reasons, but I like the speed my desktop is at right now, the amount of
> space
> it is taking up, and what it looks like.
>
> anywyas, does anyone know how to do what I'm describing? So I don't have
> to
> reinstall anything-- just drag and rop the files in C:/ back to any new
> harddrive I might have to get?
>
> Thakns in advance!
>


You need a disk imaging package - like Acronis. With that you won't even
have to do any drag and drop - just restore the image....

So, how do you restore it if you install the new hard drive? I'm assuming
that the new hard drive is completely blank.

"Gordon" wrote:

> "mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:07165F79-420B-481D-B89E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi,
> > I am trying to do the right hting by completely backing up my harddrive to
> > a
> > removable hard drive. What I am aiming for is a complete and total back of
> > the files that I currently have on the computer so that if my laptop hard
> > drive finally took a crap on me, I could simply get a new hard drive for
> > it,
> > install XP on it again, and drag and drop the files onto the hard drive...
> > I
> > don;t know if what I said made much sense, but I think some of you
> > understand. See, waht I've done to my computer is tweaked the he|| out of
> > it
> > to make it go REALLY fast, and I've got quite a few prgrams on it that I
> > would prefer NOT to have to reinstall because I would be here for days or
> > even weeks, one of those prorgams including Windows Vista Transformation
> > Pack
> > 7 by Windows X-- a prorgam that transformed many of my system files to
> > make
> > my GUI look a LOT like vista. Some of you may disapprove of this for your
> > own
> > reasons, but I like the speed my desktop is at right now, the amount of
> > space
> > it is taking up, and what it looks like.
> >
> > anywyas, does anyone know how to do what I'm describing? So I don't have
> > to
> > reinstall anything-- just drag and rop the files in C:/ back to any new
> > harddrive I might have to get?
> >
> > Thakns in advance!
> >
>
>
> You need a disk imaging package - like Acronis. With that you won't even
> have to do any drag and drop - just restore the image....
>
>
>

"mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:1BB5682C-61D4-4259-BF30-(E-Mail Removed)...
> So, how do you restore it if you install the new hard drive? I'm assuming
> that the new hard drive is completely blank.
>

Dunno - ask Acronis!

Ok, thanks for your help up to this point.. One little side question for you.
If my hard drive goes (which I hear happens very quickly on most laptops) and
I want to upgrade/get a new one, would my laptop be compatible with a 160GB
hard drive from TigerDirect? My current hard drive is a SATA6 interface, but
the Tiger direct, 160GB SATA 2.5" drives are all SATA100 or 150. the laptop
is a Gateway MX6425 (googling that, you can get the exact specs on it which I
can't fully comprehend-- atleast not enough to the point that I can answer
that question).

thanks!

"Gordon" wrote:

> "mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:1BB5682C-61D4-4259-BF30-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > So, how do you restore it if you install the new hard drive? I'm assuming
> > that the new hard drive is completely blank.
> >
>
> Dunno - ask Acronis!
>
>
>

> "mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:07165F79-420B-481D-B89E-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Hi,
>> I am trying to do the right hting by completely backing up my harddrive
>> to a removable hard drive. What I am aiming for is a complete and total
>> back of
>> the files that I currently have on the computer so that if my laptop hard
>> drive finally took a crap on me, I could simply get a new hard drive for
>> it, install XP on it again, and drag and drop the files onto the hard
>> drive...

(SNIP)

>> anywyas, does anyone know how to do what I'm describing? So I don't have
>> to reinstall anything-- just drag and rop the files in C:/ back to any
>> new
>> harddrive I might have to get?
>>
>> Thakns in advance!


"R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSpam_@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:OOu6XS$(E-Mail Removed)...
> You're referring to a process called "Imaging". This takes a full drive
> and
> copies ( and compresses ) it's contents into a module or series of
> modules.
> When needed, you can reverse the process to restore the full drive or a
> specific set of files and folders. An image is itself not bootable, that's
> what
> is referred to as a "Mirror Copy" or Clone.
> There are a number of products available, I'd recommend Acronis True
> Image Home.
> One other note about imaging - saving to any magnetic media including an
> external hard drive has it's own risks. It's always best to make a copy of
> the Image modules on optical media (CD-R, DVD-R).


mike:
Just to add a bit to R. McCarty's response to your query as well as Gordon's
recommendation of the Acronis program...

You can use a disk imaging/disk cloning program such as the Acronis True
Image program that has been recommended for your objective. When you refer
to "backing up my harddrive to a removable hard drive", I assume you're
referring to a USB or Firewire or SATA external HDD, right? And that's
perfectly fine.

Note that these "disk imaging" programs also have the facility of "cloning"
the contents of one's day-to-day HDD to another HDD, internal or external.
This is in addition to the program's facility of creating a "disk image",
which is a "snapshot" of your entire system.
The advantage of the disk cloning process rather than the disk imaging
process is that by using disk cloning you can create (for all practical
purposes) a bit-for-bit copy of your HDD so that if the recipient of the
clone is an internal HDD, that cloned HDD will be bootable and its data
immediately accessible, unlike the situation where a disk image is created
on the recipient HDD and a recovery process is necessary to restore the
image to a bootable, data-accessible state. Note, however, that should the
recipient of the clone be a USB external HDD (as apparently you have in
mind) - since that device is not ordinarily bootable - its contents
(although accessible from the boot HDD) would need to be "cloned back" to an
internal HDD should the recovery/restore process be necessary to create a
bootable HDD. On the other hand, should the HDD encased in the USB enclosure
be removable, it could be installed as an internal HDD in the PC and thus
the user would have a bootable functioning HDD that way.

While you can also use these types of programs to create disk images of your
system, note that these disk images must go through a recovery or
restoration process to return your system to a bootable functional state.
However, this recovery process is not particularly difficult to undertake.
Many users prefer the disk imaging process rather than the disk cloning
process because the backups are usually faster to complete than creating a
disk clone. Another advantage of the disk imaging methodology (albeit a
minor one in my opinion) is that the file(s) created through this process
utilize less disk space than a full clone of the system.

In any event, whatever process you choose - backing up your system in a
routine manner to an external hard drive is simple, straightforward, fast,
and most important of all -- effective - when you use a disk cloning/disk
imaging program. Unlike backup programs that merely back up your data
files - that is, the files you've created in the various programs and
applications you use - by cloning your hard drive (or creating a disk image
of your system) you are backing up your operating system, your registry, all
your programs and applications, your configuration settings, your data
files - in short, everything on your source hard drive.

You would do well to undertake some research on the net re these disk
imaging/disk cloning programs to get a more detailed understanding of these
types of comprehensive backup programs.
Anna

"mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:1BB5682C-61D4-4259-BF30-(E-Mail Removed)...
> So, how do you restore it if you install the new hard drive? I'm assuming
> that the new hard drive is completely blank.
>
> "Gordon" wrote:
>
>> "mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:07165F79-420B-481D-B89E-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> > Hi,
>> > I am trying to do the right hting by completely backing up my harddrive
>> > to
>> > a
>> > removable hard drive. What I am aiming for is a complete and total back
>> > of
>> > the files that I currently have on the computer so that if my laptop
>> > hard
>> > drive finally took a crap on me, I could simply get a new hard drive
>> > for
>> > it,
>> > install XP on it again, and drag and drop the files onto the hard
>> > drive...
>> > I
>> > don;t know if what I said made much sense, but I think some of you
>> > understand. See, waht I've done to my computer is tweaked the he|| out
>> > of
>> > it
>> > to make it go REALLY fast, and I've got quite a few prgrams on it that
>> > I
>> > would prefer NOT to have to reinstall because I would be here for days
>> > or
>> > even weeks, one of those prorgams including Windows Vista
>> > Transformation
>> > Pack
>> > 7 by Windows X-- a prorgam that transformed many of my system files to
>> > make
>> > my GUI look a LOT like vista. Some of you may disapprove of this for
>> > your
>> > own
>> > reasons, but I like the speed my desktop is at right now, the amount of
>> > space
>> > it is taking up, and what it looks like.
>> >
>> > anywyas, does anyone know how to do what I'm describing? So I don't
>> > have
>> > to
>> > reinstall anything-- just drag and rop the files in C:/ back to any new
>> > harddrive I might have to get?
>> >
>> > Thakns in advance!
>> >
>>
>>
>> You need a disk imaging package - like Acronis. With that you won't even
>> have to do any drag and drop - just restore the image....
>>
>>
>>
At the very first use of Acronis, you make a bootable CD which can then
restore a cloned disk.

Or, you can remove the cloned disk from its enclosure and insert it into the
laptop. Note, that you need to make certain that the external drive is
compatible with the laptop.

Jim

"mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:8E1E0EA8-12D1-4E32-AEC5-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Ok, thanks for your help up to this point.. One little side question for
> you.
> If my hard drive goes (which I hear happens very quickly on most laptops)
> and
> I want to upgrade/get a new one, would my laptop be compatible with a
> 160GB
> hard drive from TigerDirect? My current hard drive is a SATA6 interface,
> but
> the Tiger direct, 160GB SATA 2.5" drives are all SATA100 or 150. the
> laptop
> is a Gateway MX6425 (googling that, you can get the exact specs on it
> which I
> can't fully comprehend-- atleast not enough to the point that I can answer
> that question).
>
> thanks!
>
> "Gordon" wrote:
>
>> "mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:1BB5682C-61D4-4259-BF30-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> > So, how do you restore it if you install the new hard drive? I'm
>> > assuming
>> > that the new hard drive is completely blank.
>> >
>>
>> Dunno - ask Acronis!
>>
>>
>>
I would doubt that a SATA6 is the same as either SATA 100 or SATA 150 if for
no other reason that in such a case they would not need to create a new
version of SATA.

However, you should compare the connectors, etc., for the various kinds to
see if they are compatible.

Jim

OK, I got the Acronis now... I understand it I mean. They also said that you
can just put the image on an external and boot from the external, then put
the image onto the C:\ (which would be the internal).

About the hard drives though, it's a VERY minor difference between the hard
drives as far as I can tell. Can anyone check what it is between them and
tell me if it will be fine? Like I said, googling MX6425 will get you the
gateway page with the super-advanced specs of my laptop.

thanks!

"Jim" wrote:

>
> "mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:8E1E0EA8-12D1-4E32-AEC5-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Ok, thanks for your help up to this point.. One little side question for
> > you.
> > If my hard drive goes (which I hear happens very quickly on most laptops)
> > and
> > I want to upgrade/get a new one, would my laptop be compatible with a
> > 160GB
> > hard drive from TigerDirect? My current hard drive is a SATA6 interface,
> > but
> > the Tiger direct, 160GB SATA 2.5" drives are all SATA100 or 150. the
> > laptop
> > is a Gateway MX6425 (googling that, you can get the exact specs on it
> > which I
> > can't fully comprehend-- atleast not enough to the point that I can answer
> > that question).
> >
> > thanks!
> >
> > "Gordon" wrote:
> >
> >> "mike_302" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> >> news:1BB5682C-61D4-4259-BF30-(E-Mail Removed)...
> >> > So, how do you restore it if you install the new hard drive? I'm
> >> > assuming
> >> > that the new hard drive is completely blank.
> >> >
> >>
> >> Dunno - ask Acronis!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> I would doubt that a SATA6 is the same as either SATA 100 or SATA 150 if for
> no other reason that in such a case they would not need to create a new
> version of SATA.
>
> However, you should compare the connectors, etc., for the various kinds to
> see if they are compatible.
>
> Jim
>
>
>