Best backup for Windows Xp - Ghost, Drive Image, or other?

I just did a test doing this with an 80GB HD.

I have a second drive in teh system I backup to.

I create an ASR backup using XP's Backup program
(Programs/Accessories/Backup), and use Tools/ASR Wizard.)

It creates an image of the whole drive on the drive I
specify. You need an empty floppy. At the end of the
backup, it writes some other system files to the floppy.

So, if for example you need to restore to a brand new
drive, you would have your XP CD in the CD; boot to the
CD; press F2 when it says to for ASR at the bottom of the
screen; pop in the floppy; and after a few hours; you
will have the system restored to the new drive.

I actually tried this when my main C: drive was saying it
had a HW error on boot. I checked it with some Diags, and
diags said it was failing. Got a new drive. Did this
process, and it failed.

But after I manually rebuilt the system, and applied all
current patches (SP1a, and all others), I did it from my
new drive to a third drive I had, and it worked like a
charm.

I have to say I am confused about the general process I
should use with this method for ongoing backups. I just
created an ASR backup to the third drive (plan on backing
up the other two to it). And, it appears that it did not
set my archive bits. My general plan is to (and has been
in the past) to do a full backup, then do nightly
backups. I had been using differential, but maybe I
should use daily. But am confused right now about which I
should do there; and whether after teh ASR backup I
should do another full, or an incremental, then dailies.

Told you more than you want to know I suspect.
-----Original Message-----
I want to backup my entire 20 gig HD before I re-format?
Can someone please
suggest the best program to use that will allow me to
easily re-install the
OS plus all the programs and data?

Thanks in advance.

Jim


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