Suggestions for easy Windows XP Professional laptop backup to external USB hard disk

[barman]

I have a Windows XP Professional laptop with a 40GB hard disk and a
second 40GB hard disk that I use primarily for backup. I love the
Second Copy backup utility, and it runs and makes archived copies from
my primary to my secondary hard disk periodically.

But I'd like to have a bootable complete system image copied as well
from my primary, and a snapshot made of my backup disk. I am thinking
of purchasing a 160GB external USB drive.

Are there any suggestions of software strategies, as well as particular
external drive hardware, that would easily enable me to do something
like:

(assume primary is C:, secondary is D

0) Partition external into 4 partitions, E:/F:/G:/H:, each @ 40G
B

1) Let target1 = [E: or F:]

2) Let target2 = [G: or H:]

Repeat forever
a) Make a complete system image of C: onto target1
b) Set target1 to its opposite value
c) Make a complete system image (or even just a data copy) of D: onto
target 2
d) Set target2 to its opposite value
e) Sleep (for several days or weeks till I reattach the external
drive and instigate the process again)
End repeat


.... and to easily restore C: or D: to the past or second-past backup?
Thanks!

Dilip

 

[Peter]

I have a Windows XP Professional laptop with a 40GB hard disk and a

second 40GB hard disk that I use primarily for backup. I love the
Second Copy backup utility, and it runs and makes archived copies from
my primary to my secondary hard disk periodically.

But I'd like to have a bootable complete system image copied as well
from my primary,

How do you get a "bootable complete system image" on your primary?

....and a snapshot made of my backup disk.

Why do you need to create a snapshot of your backup disk?

I am thinking
of purchasing a 160GB external USB drive.

Are there any suggestions of software strategies, as well as particular
external drive hardware, that would easily enable me to do something
like:

(assume primary is C:, secondary is D

0) Partition external into 4 partitions, E:/F:/G:/H:, each @ 40G
B

1) Let target1 = [E: or F:]

2) Let target2 = [G: or H:]

Repeat forever
a) Make a complete system image of C: onto target1
b) Set target1 to its opposite value
c) Make a complete system image (or even just a data copy) of D: onto
target 2
d) Set target2 to its opposite value
e) Sleep (for several days or weeks till I reattach the external
drive and instigate the process again)
End repeat


... and to easily restore C: or D: to the past or second-past backup?
Thanks!

Just create separate images of your primary disk. Store image files
on your external USB drive and name them differently.

 

[John Worman]

I have a Windows XP Professional laptop with a 40GB hard disk and a
second 40GB hard disk that I use primarily for backup. I love the
Second Copy backup utility, and it runs and makes archived copies from
my primary to my secondary hard disk periodically.

But I'd like to have a bootable complete system image copied as well
from my primary, and a snapshot made of my backup disk. I am thinking
of purchasing a 160GB external USB drive.

Are there any suggestions of software strategies, as well as particular
external drive hardware, that would easily enable me to do something
like:

I'm not sure if my procedure is what you are looking for, but I have a
spare hard drive for my laptop. I put it in a usb enclosure then I make
a clone of the working drive to the spare using retrospect.

If I have a drive failure I can take the spare out of the enclosure and
install it in the drive bay.

John

 

[barman]

What I mean is that I want to have a recovery disk for C:. So if C: is
damaged, I can then restore C: from the more recent of E: or F:. My
backups onto D: include historical versions, so I also want to have a
backup of that volume. When you suggest creating separate images of my
primary disk, how can I do just that? Diskcopy? Thanks!

--Dilip

 

[Peter]

What I mean is that I want to have a recovery disk for C:. So if C: is

damaged, I can then restore C: from the more recent of E: or F:. My
backups onto D: include historical versions, so I also want to have a
backup of that volume. When you suggest creating separate images of my
primary disk, how can I do just that? Diskcopy? Thanks!

Diskcopy? Oh, no, use imaging software for efficiency and simplicity.
Personaly, I would create WinPE CD with ghost32 and script the whole
thing (rotating image to external USB hard drive).
I would boot off that CD every time I want to create an image.

 

[barman]

Okay, I do have Ghost, though the documentation is very dense. But
going back to my scenario, what would be appropriate hardware (can I
buy a standard hard disk and put it into a USB enclosure, or should I
look at USB2 disks like the Maxtor One-Touch?) and a way to implement
my algorithm of making backups to alternate partitions? Thanks.

 

[barman]

What should I look for in finding a hard disk that would fit in a USB
enclosure? Would that be a better way to go than using a USB2 external
disk? Thanks!

Dilip

 

[Rod Speed]

What should I look for in finding a hard
disk that would fit in a USB enclosure?

Basically one that takes the minimum power, because
many of the enclosures dont cool the drive adequately.

Would that be a better way to go than using a USB2 external disk?

Thats all they are, standard drive in an enclosure.

 

[barman]

One more point ... I heard that Ghost won't work with a USB 2 hard
drive. Is that the case? If so, can I buy a USB 2 hard drive and make
backups, including a complete system image to a partition in an
external drive without Ghost? I know that most USB 2 drives ship with
software, which presumably could do incremental, manual, and complete
system backups to specific partitions? Thanks!

Dilip

 

[Peter]

One more point ... I heard that Ghost won't work with a USB 2 hard

drive. Is that the case? If so, can I buy a USB 2 hard drive and make
backups, including a complete system image to a partition in an
external drive without Ghost? I know that most USB 2 drives ship with
software, which presumably could do incremental, manual, and complete
system backups to specific partitions? Thanks!

Ghost32.exe running under WinPE (BartPE or else) can easily image
to external USB 2 hard drive. I have made a quick test and it imaged
with 1200MB/min using fast option. I had used an old Maxtor
OneTouch device.