How to backup other internal hard drives

[bulajap]

Hi everyone......

I recently bought a new computer with Win 7 Ultimate. besides the main C: drive it has 3 other internal hard drives.

Can windows 7 built in backup utilityu backup the other internal drives?
Or shgould I use something like Macrium? Will macrium backup all of my internal drives?

you suggestions are greatly appreciated.

thank you

Joe

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I don't know about Win 7's backup utility because I never used it (I was scared off by all the posts on people having problems with it) but I use Macrium Reflect all the time to backup multiple drives on my desktop machine and multiple partitions on the SSHD in my notebook. I even use a mix of cloning and imaging. On the desktop, I image the boot drive and clone the data drives (most people will just image all drives but I'm just ornery enough to have to be different). On the notebook, I image the boot related partitions separately from the data partition. I also keep a clone of the SSHD on the original HDD for a spare in case the SSHD makes a final journey to computer never, never land.

 

[Mark Phelps]

I recently bought a new computer with Win 7 Ultimate.

I seriously doubt any new PC would have four actual "drives"; instead, it most likely has one "drive" with several partitions on it.

The problem with doing an image backup to the same physical drive as the source partition is that if there is a hardware problem with that drive, you risk losing your backups.

Better solution is to do image backups to a second internal "drive" (not partition on the same drive) or to an external drive.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I recently bought a new computer with Win 7 Ultimate.

I seriously doubt any new PC would have four actual "drives"; instead, it most likely has one "drive" with several partitions on it...

Many of the big custom builders (such as the ones you see advertising in magazines like MaximumPC) can sell you a computer with multiple drives.

...The problem with doing an image backup to the same physical drive as the source partition is that if there is a hardware problem with that drive, you risk losing your backups.

Better solution is to do image backups to a second internal "drive" (not partition on the same drive) or to an external drive.

I agree although a second, internal HDD can be taken out by a hardware failure, typically the PSU, theft, or virus, etc. that takes out the other HDDs. An external HDD that is connected only while making the backup is much safer.

 

[whs]

I think Mark is right. The OP is probably talking about 4 partitions, NOT physical drives. It has become a bad habit mixing up both words - even Microsoft does it.

A system with 4 preinstalled partitions has become a bad habit by the OEMs - especially since they make all 4 partitions primaries which makes it more difficult for users to create additional partitions. Many users run into the dreaded dynamic partition problem.