backup to laptop hard drive connect to USB port

[orypecos]

I want to backup my desktop to a 2 gig laptop hard drive connected to a usb port. This is in case my hard drive crashes or gets a infection of some sort. Is it possible to do this? And what files should I copy over and how? And if I need to, can I format the old hard drive if it gets an infection and then move the files over from the laptop hard drive? I am unemployed right now, so funds are short, so that is why I am trying to do all this with stuff I already have. I have another hard drive in the desktop. Would it better to somehow make a mirror of the main drive and then somehow lock that drive so any infection can't get to it?
I am using a variety of safeguards to avoid infection and do have backup disks, but would rather not have to reload everything from disks in the event of problems that I can't fix. That is what I had to do before.

 

[Nelviticus]

You need a USB version of something called a 'hard drive caddy'. In the UK you can get these for about 10 UKP (about 5 USD at the moment). It's a box that you put the HD in and which has a USB connection. Make sure you get one for 2.5" hard drives as some of them are for the larger 3.5" hard drives.

An alternative to a caddy is an adapter that lets you connect 2.5" hard drives to a 3.5" connector, but that would be more fiddly and probably the same price.

If you just want to transfer important files you can just use Windows' built-in 'files and settings transfer wizard'. You will still have to re-build your machine in the event of a disaster - re-installing all your applications and so forth - but at least you'll have a backup of your favourites and your 'my documents' folders.

A better solution would be to buy something like Norton Ghost, which can take an image of your whole hard drive and store it elsewhere. The image can then be used to restore the drive completely - a bit like a digital photocopy. That costs money though, about 40 UKP.

You could do the same thing with a second internal hard drive as you could with an external one but you'll still have the problem of how to copy your system. Simply doing a file copy of the drive's contents won't work while Windows is running. How would you restore it later?

You really need drive imaging software if you want to be able to restore your drive without re-installing everything.

Nelviticus

 

[Nelviticus]

For more information on the software side of things (and potential pitfalls) have a look at this thread:

thread779-1079690

Nelviticus

 

[bcastner]

Acronis True Image.