Can True Image create a bootable restore external drive?

Newbie question:

I've seen software that can create a set of bootable spannable DVD's for restoring laptops. However, since Vista and installed software is like 50GB, I was wondering if there is a way to buy a Maxtor external drive, and use True Image to create a bootable external restore drive?

Lets say my hard drive gets really destroyed.

Can I simply plug in an external USB or Firewire drive, and have it magically restore the entire OS back to the way it was?

What kind of external drive do I need? What kind of software do I need?

 

True Image can create a bootable disc, however:

I believe the bootable disc, is only for CDs/DVDs.

Your BIOS would have to support booting from a USB or Firewire devices, some don't, especially older ones.

Here's what I'd suggest since I *know* it will work.

Use the "Bootable Rescue Media Creator that comes with True Image and make a bootable CD with the full version of True Image on it. That way it'll have drivers to support USB, SCSI, and posibly FIrewire devices.

Then just create normal backups to the external drive.

Then when or if you need to do a full restore, boot from the CD you made and use it to do the restore from the external drive.

You could also configure the backup to put the full version of True Image on the external drive, then try booting from it, if it works, you're all set, if not you have the bootable CD to fall back on.

 

Yes, it can be done fairly easily.

The external drive can be made Aconis bootable booting into their TrueImage Backup program.

Then the second partition could be a data partition to hold your backup archives.
I have several external drives this way.

Check line 4 of my signature below for the link to MudCrab's excellent posting.