Well, I do back up important data, but I don't do OS images. There should have been poll options for us.
i feel imaging the OS is very important. it allows me to experiment with anything, knowing that no matter how bad i brick my machine i can restore an image in less than 2 minutes and be back in business. before, i would reformat and re-install everything. i did it so often i knew my 25 digits Windows CD key by heart. lol
The only problem with my current backup plan is that i back up everything to one external HDD and if it fails i really really screwed. I gotta get a lower capacity external drive as a second backup.
I see no reason to back up to an internal drive.the idea is ludicrous and serves no purpose. Back up in case of failure to an external hard drive.
Maybe. But I partition my HDD, C for OS & D for Data. So if I bork my OS & my external HDD fails. Then I still have an image of my OS on my D partition.
There are other reasons for making images than just "in case of failure"... I partition my internal drive into C (OS), E (Data) and F(Backup). I make images of various setups on the internal F drive so I can experiment and swap them in and out easily if I want to. For those who try a lot of apps and setups, this works much better than constantly installing/uninstalling until something breaks. Using the internal drive for images is much faster than using the external usb drive. All important data is backed up on the external usb drive.
i save to a secondary internal drive because imaging/restore is much faster than going though USB 2.0 to an external hard drive. once the image is saved to the internal hard drive it is then backed up to an external drive. and a USB key.
Both... and then some. I back it up on a Western Digital Elements external HD. To an encrypted key drive. To a DVD-R. And on my old box, also to the 40 GB HD (EIDE) that came with it, which I replaced. I had it around for when I wanted to reformat the 160 GB HD I replaced it with, with the Western Digital Data Lifeguard tool on it, would slave the 160 GB drive and wipe it. And I'd keep images on there too. Now I also keep images for my new box on there as well. I need to get another SATA HD now so that I can do the same if I ever want to reformat this box now, and put that tool on it. I'm looking at them right now. When I get one I'll also keep images on it. I like to put them on several different types of media in case 1 or more become faulty or lost. And I have images of several different stages: One of a fresh OS install and nothing else. One with nothing but Windows updates/patches One with all updates, and my programs One with everything... the updates, programs, and data... and I update this one fairly regularly. Like every other month.
No purpose? I have two internal hard drives how so? This computer I am using also serves as my backup server. I have two internal hard drives (soon it will be three) one drive host my main system, the other drive is for backups. Every night selected files from main drive are backed up to the backup drive. I addition, the other computers on my LAN are also backed up to this drive across the network. I also store images on that drive. Now if you are referring to backing up to a partition on the same hard drive, then I would have to agree with you, but you then did not spell that out. As I already mentioned I use "both" internal and external drives, the external more for it portability that anything else.
I have backed up to both internal and external from time to time, but primarily I like to back up to external WD and Maxtor drives.
You laptops don't have internal hard drives? I agree though, an internal drive, with the implied meaning of only drive should never be used for backups and therefor do not apply.
