Backing up applications etc

Pythagorous

Hi guys,

Sorry if this sounds like a silly Q, but I'm curious if you guys typically back up all your various downloaded applications and programs etc.

I use idrive (just switched from carbonite due to costs) to do a continuous online backup of my personal files (photos, music, spreadsheets, word docs, pdfs etc) and also a monthly external HD backup.

I'm just thinking if my PC totally crashed and I had to start from scratch I would have redownload and install all the programs etc. Is there a way I can back these up to avoid having to do this?

Thanks

Laz123

Here's a good free one (just for today on Giveawayoftheday) http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

closed

disk image to external drive

Pythagorous

Laz123 wrote: »

Here's a good free one (just for today on Giveawayoftheday) http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

Thanks for the link. Is there a catch? Non free lunch and all that, or is that an old wives tale and there really are free lunches out there

Pythagorous

closed wrote: »

disk image to external drive

What's a disk image?

closed

a backup program which takes a snapshot of your drive contents, programs, windows, data, everything apart from free space, copied to one (sometimes more) files on an external drive.

To restore a dead system, you would boot from a boot cd, and point it at the backup on the external drive and it would result in an identical system to the one you had at backup time

As well as the one above, most hard disk manufacturers have a free disk imaging program on their website.

maxblast, acronis trueimage SE, macrium reflect free, clonezilla

gaming_guy

....................

Pythagorous

Super. Thanks Closed. I have a sumvision ext HD so hopefully it has a free disk imaging program.

closed

you'll need to find out which type of disk is in your machine or usb enclosure

Pythagorous

closed wrote: »

you'll need to find out which type of disk is in your machine or usb enclosure

This is probably a stupid Q, but how do I find that out!?

closed

device manager