What is the Best Backup/Image Software (Ghost/DI/True Image)?

What is the best backup/image software to use? Thoughts on Pros and Cons?

Ghost 2003
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/
Drive Image 7
http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/

True Image
http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/

Do any not support Western Digital External USB 2.0 external hard drive?

I use Ghost 2003, but it is not for novices. The reason I use it is that it
reboots to DOS to do the backup -- this means that the contents of the
partition or disk being backed up do not change during the backup process,
which will always happen with programs that do "hot" backups from Windows.
I therefore consider it more reliable than others because it produces an
absolutely perfect image every time. As I say, hard to use though if you
are a beginner, and the e-manual included with the CD is not easy to follow.
Ghost does not work directly with USB 2 drives, but does allow USB drivers
to be installed on the emergency recovery diskette so that you can backup to
an internal partition, transfer the image file to the USB drive and then
restore for the USB drive using the emergency diskette if your computer
crashes. All very complex, I know -- but every single one and zero on the
image is identical with the original every time - I don't think there are
other backup programs that can promise that.

Mike

"InfoQuest" wrote in message
...
What is the best backup/image software to use? Thoughts on Pros and
Cons?

Ghost 2003
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/
Drive Image 7
http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/

True Image
http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/

Do any not support Western Digital External USB 2.0 external hard drive?