Suggestions Needed

[TKF]

I have 3 computers I'm wanting to clone to a 250 GB external HD but not sure the best way to go about it, should I partition the external HD in to 3 partitions, 1 for each computer? or....

Suggestions please of how you would do it.
Sorry if this is a stupid question noob here.

Appreciate any help.

[carnageX]

Do you want to boot off of the drive with each image as 3 separate "computers" or are you just backing them up? If you'r ejust backing them up, just image the drives, and just rename the HDD image files so they're different from each other. If you're going to try to boot from the drive, then yes, partition the drive.

[TKF]

Thanks carnageX
To have backups, I'm cloning them just to be safe in case of a major catastrophe...would it be best to clone them as bootable?,
Advantages/Disadvantages?
For 2 of the computers I only have upgrade Disks.

[Mak213]

Cloning just takes the image as it is now and has it saved up for that rainy day. Imaging does the same thing. So really what you want to do is backup with increment updates. That way when you make a change or get a update that will be added to teh backup. This way you wont have a image from 9/30/07 and then your PC crashes in Feb and you have to resort back to Sept.

I only suggest this option if you do make many changes and file changes. Liek word documents.

Also stom software like Acronis backs up the whole drive that the OS is installed on. So if you have it installed on a 320 GB drive it will want to back all that up. So a 250GB external wouldnt work.

[TKF]

Thanks Makaveli213
The backup would probably be the best way to go due to the size needed for imaging,and to keep everything fresh,wasn't sure how that worked,thought it just imaged the data.
If I use the external HD for just backups could I create a zip file for a full backup (each computer) and then add increment backups to each file?
You can probably tell I backup regularly

Thanks for the help and suggestions

[carnageX]

I know with Norton Ghost you can compress the image files (but be wary that too much compression,or any compression at all, can result in part or all of the backup image not working). And I know that Ghost only backs up data, and not the entire empty space. I hae a 320GB drive which I hav eeverything installed on, and I used a 160GB drive as a backup drive. I just make GHost images of my C: drive on the 320GB, and use normal compression method, and it backs it up on the 160GB no probs.

[TKF]

carnageX
I,m probably just going to use that external HD for backups and try to make a full backup of each computer and put it in its own file and add to them as needed. if possible.
The cloning software I was going to use was from the HD website its a version of acronis I think.
I was going to try to reinstall XP on one of the computers that is why I thinking image I only have a upgrade disk for it and if the reinstall didn't work I would still have and OS image to put back on it

Thanks for the suggestions and help

[EricB]

Originally Posted by Makaveli213

Also stom software like Acronis backs up the whole drive that the OS is installed on. So if you have it installed on a 320 GB drive it will want to back all that up. So a 250GB external wouldnt work.

Man, that drives me crazy. that why I went back to drive image 7.