How do I backup my computer?

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Is it better to "clone" a (bootable) backup copy of my hard drive to my new external HD, or to just do "backup image," which allows compression but is NOT bootable?

Bit of background/context: I recently got an Apricorn 500 GB external HD (USB and/or eSATA), which comes with Apricorn's "EZ Gig II" backup program. Apricorn has gotten very good reviews across a broad spectrum of sources and EZ Gig II can run from "one-button" simple back-ups to fairly elaborate "customized" clone/backup images for the more experienced.

I had pretty much decided to:
• Do an initial full/total system & data "clone image" bootable backup.
• Do periodic (i.e., monthly) partial/updated data backup images.
• Do replacement full/total system & data "clone image" bootable backups annually thereafter.

However ... in the EZ Gig II program, the "Clone Disk" full system/data backup process warns: 'Typical mode is used for hard disk cloning. This mode pre-selects the most common settings to make the cloning process easier. All your partitions from the old hard disk will be copied to the new one in a few simple steps, making your new hard disk bootable. All of your partitions will be automatically resized to fit the new hard disk.
Note: You will have to remove the old hard disk when the cloning process is complete.
Suitable for most users.'

This sounds like if I clone my HD to my external HD I have to remove the original HD? That just doesn't make any sense.

What do you think? Obvious option is to do the original/annual "clone disk" full system/data (bootable) backup to the external HD and then just ignore the instruction to remove the "remove the old hard disk." And then proceed with the monthly incremental backups.

Does that sound reasonable/rational/doable?

HOLY COW!
ALL I WANT TO DO IS SAVE MY E-MAIL FOLDERS TO A CD!
HOW COMPLICATED IS THAT...........
I HEARD YOU CAN BACK UP THE FOLDERS AND FREE UP SPACE SO YOUR COMPUTER CAN BE FASTER.
AS YOU CAN SEE...I AM A NOTICE....AND DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO IT......TOOTLES

Leo,
I invested in a large capacity USB external hard drive for the specific purpose of making an image backup. When I went to choose the image backup program, the salesman advised me to make the backup on DVDs instead, "since the DVDs would be bootable and the hard drive wouldn't." I feel frustrated by my lack of knowledge and would appreciate knowing what extra steps would be involved in making a functional image backup on the external HD instead of DVDs.
Thank you.

Leo, I TOTALLY agree with what you say about keeping the backup as far away as possible from the original.
A local school library burned down - all of the contents were lost. The laptop on the librarian's desk looked like a cinder coughed up by a volcano. The laptop held an inventory of the library's contents - all of the info needed for the insurance company to pay out. The backup was on a CD in the desk drawer under the laptop. It turned into a little puddle of plastic. Fortunately, we were able to recover the data. If you're curious, there's a picture of the laptop here: http://www.datarecoveryworldwide.com/ (I don't think I can paste a picture in here). Incidentally, one of the things that kept the HD from being too far gone was that the laptop was sitting on a cheap plastic and cardboard three-ring binder - it provided just enough insulation so that the guts of the HD weren't totally fried (just well-done). Now the school district keeps backups in another room - AND keeps cheap three-ring binders under laptops!

I have Acronis True Image 11 Home.
I've been LQQKing at your postings on the subject of backing up.
Could you please post by the numbers, the steps to back up a C: drive with Acronis True Image.

Your doing what I want to do in Backing-up, I just want to go forward now.

Thanks,
Dennis in Sacramento

i THINK HE WANTED THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION. ONCE I PLUG IN MY EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE ETC THEN HOW DO I GET THE FILES TO SAVE TO IT. EASY QUESTION BUT WAS NOT ANSWERED

I like carbonite online backup service - carboniteremote.info

When I try to back up to my external hard drive to a disk or disks I get a message {"You have too much information for one disk"}.
Fine, I'll use as much disks as it takes, but HOW?

Leo,
im on vista and i went into control pannel and then into backup and restore center and then into backup computer and i selected my external hard-drive but it says underneath the drop down box (the one where you choose what drive to backup to)next a yellow triangle with an explanation mark "this disk cannot be used to store a windows complete pc backup image because because it is not formatted with NTFS"

I don't see a question in there but it sounds like the drive is probably formatted with FAT32. See this article How do I convert to NTFS?

14-Nov-2009

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