Backing up my harddrive

[Guest]

I have a 120 GB harddrive that is only 1/4 full. When I go to make a backup
of this drive, do I have to back up all 120 GB (i.e., files + empty space) ?

 

[Guest]

Oops, I just came across a post below that recommends making an image of the
drive via various backup programs... thx

 

[Ken Blake]

I have a 120 GB harddrive that is only 1/4 full. When I go to make a
backup
of this drive, do I have to back up all 120 GB (i.e., files + empty space)
?

No, not at all. You can back up the 30GB of files you have or even less.
There are many different approaches to backup. Some people make an image of
the drive, some make a clone, some back up just their data, etc. Not
everyone needs to do it the same way.

 

[Plato]

I have a 120 GB harddrive that is only 1/4 full. When I go to make a backup
of this drive, do I have to back up all 120 GB (i.e., files + empty space) ?

Only the data is backed up, NOT the free space.