Backup of HP partitioned drive

[Guest]

I have a 70.3 gb drive designated as Presario (C, of which only 6.8 gbs are
being used, and a 4.13 gb drive designated as Presario RP (D, which
contains a system recovery image of everything originally placed on the
computer by HP.

I recently had to do a Full System Recovery which restored everything that
was originally placed on the hard disk drive by HP. After the restoration it
took me several days to: 1) remove all unwanted material placed on my
computer by HP; 2) change all settings to match the changes I had made since
purchasing the computer; and 3) install all programs and applications I had
installed since purchasing the computer.

I do not want to go through this procedure again. I have tried several
times to get help from HP, but get conflicting and confusing statements from
the technicians at HP. Can any one tell me in clear and understandable
language if I can: 1) partition the C: drive into two or more partitions; 2)
place a backup image of the 6.8 gbs on the C: drive on a new partition; 3)
place a copy of the backup image on the new partition on an external storage
source; and 4) restore the image of the 6.8 gbs to the C: drive in the event
of a system failure or the need for a new hard drive. If I can do the
foregoing, what are the best procedures for accomplishing my purposes? Any
help will really be appreciated.
Robert

 

[JS]

Yes to all.
Use a third party tool like 'Partition Magic' to create an new partition.
Use Norton/Symantec's Ghost or Acronis True Image to create an image backup
of your C partition.
Best to use another internal or external drive to store the image backup
should the internal drive fail completely.

JS