Chuck001

As I understand it, the problems with MS backup are: 1. It does not backup every file 2. I still have no way to restore the files. Until I have a working system, I cannot access the USB drive. If I have a working system, MS Backup will not restore all the critical files because Windows thinks they are in use. Is there a way around these shortcommings?

I currently have a Windows XP Media Center Edition system that I purchased from Dell. Dell provides me with an XP recovery CD that, in case of a disaster, will allow me to restore the system to its original factory condition. Note also that Dell does not supply me with the original Windows installation CD. I am looking for something that will allow me to restore the system to something more current. I believe that I need procedures and/or or OEM software that will allow me to: 1. Backup the entire hard drive (i.e. LocalDisk) to an external USB drive (NTFS Format) (compression is desirable) I suspect it must also be capable of unloading files that Windows thinks are in use. 2. In case of a disaster, restore my hard drive (i.e. LocalDisk) to the image that was saved on the external USB drive. This is a complete restore. I do not want errors indicating that the file was in use and could not be restored. Does anyone have: -any procedures they can recommend? -any OEM software recommendations? -any other suggestions on how to accomplish my goal? Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks,