Copy main computer's hard drive to portable hard drive.

[anotheoldgit]

I wish to make an exact copy of my Window's XP computer's hard drive, and then transfer it onto my portable hard drive.

Would I also have the facility for the potable hard drive to receive and update onto it any alterations I had made to my computers main drive?

Would I as a complete novice be able to carry this out?

What would happen if after I had done this, I happened to plug my portable drive into my Window's Vista laptop?

Thank you in anticipation.

[ACtheTROLL]

http://www.acronis.co.uk/
does it all

can you? - don't know - read the book
if you follow instructions - yes you can

nothing - vista won't affect it - you are creating a mirror fileset - not duplicating the drive - just backup to a folder

[anotheoldgit]

Thanks Ace for your answers to both of my questions., this one and the one regarding numbering files.

Regarding this Question, will it only back up folders or will it also backup my programmes, ie Word, Excel etc?

[ACtheTROLL]

True Image Home 2009
ceates an exact image of the entire drive(s) (partitionS)

usb is supported - so your external is ideal

if all goes tu - you restore the image ... and 20 mins later your system is working

only 1 danger ... if the problem is due to something you loaded - and then you image it ... it will restore the problem.

I've used imaging for many years Not with acronis - I know but at work we use powerquest - a more techie prog) acronis is for home - and is excellent for that

... my method is a virgin image ... just o/s and drivers - progs come and go.

a second image ... basic progs added ...

a third image ... current system ... 1 week old
a fourth .... current system

the software will save incremental backups - so using 3 and 4 just walk through the backups ... 1 week old and current .... alternating

http://www.acronis.co.uk/homecomputing/product s/trueimage/
the software will create bootable restore dvds so 1 and 2 go on dvd ... somewhere safe ... that way you can recover a basic system in most situtions (useful to prove if its the software or machine)

if you don't need it - just backup - today - burn to dvd ... then add to the backup whenever you do something.

[anotheoldgit]

ACtheTROLL

Thanks very much for spending your time explaining it all to me but, I am no expert and also a little long in the tooth.

Forgive me but you have completely lost me on this one, so i think I will stick to the copy and paste method.