best way

[redvette]

Hi Gang

Since I have my being dropped fixed, by the way this 2wire router/modem is working like a charm. I am using the DSL pro and the speeds are up and most important I am not being dropped all the time, much thanks for that help.

Now if you think you have a HD going bad, what is the best thing to do. I know you should be backing up your stuff all the time, but say you have not done this, and you really feel like you better. I have 2 WD HD's both 120GB's about 2 years old, XP home, 2sp, and it shows when you do a defrag the 2 drives are at 84 and 96%. What is the best way to go, an external HD, a USB device, what.? I would like the safest way and a way where you can keep up with your add on's, etc. I hear a lot about a program called "Ghost". Is it a matter of just dumbing you stuff on to and another, device.? Or is this putting it too simplified.? I would like some thing reliable also. I keep the computer cleaned out of old programs, cache, temps, etc.

Thanks and take care............Gunny

[ski]

Now if you think you have a HD going bad, what is the best thing to do.Run the diagnostics at the WD site.

[redvette]

Hi Ski

Excuse my ignorance here but what will that do, in respect to what I was asking to do.? I mean I will do it but what will that gain me in saving all my stuff on my drives.? I figure what you are saying is to check and see if my drive is really going bad. OK I can do that but my main concern is really saving all the stuff on both my drives. The question was more or less hypothetical, like what if. So if I do the diagnostics at WD and it says I have a drive that is going bad, what then.?

Thanks...........Gunny

[kilgoretrout]

Get a 300GB external usb hard drive and back up your data now. If you want to image your partitions on the internal drives to the backup drive, I'd recommend Acronis True Image over Ghost. I'd do a clone of your boot drive with Acronis and create a seperate partition on the remaining unallocated space to hold the image(s) for the the partition(s) on the non-boot drive. Search the board for "Apricorn"; they make very nice external enclosures and include a version of Acronis True Image with the enclosure. I know this has been discussed before.