Intel Imac- need to back up Leopard and Windows

[macdougal]

Just bought used Imac 2.0GHz 250Gb aluminum onto which a nice seller setup/installed Leopard/Bootcamp/Windows Vista. Now I'm ready to back up the Imac to an external HD. Seller included a free Simpletech 500Gb USB external HD.

How do I backup both Leopard and Windows?
Do I need 2 external drives? Or partition the single external HD and put both systems on it?
Use Time machine or Carbon Copy Cloner and/or Winclone?
To complicate matters, the seller did not include the original Windows Vista CDs, so if I need to restore the Imac's HD after a crash, is a Windows clone on an external HD the way to go?

Thanks for any help.

Even the Apple store near me couldn't answer these questions which I was sure they had run into before.

 

[aki]

its your choice but in this case i use superduper for leopard backup ((but ccc works 2)) to a partition on one hd and winclone for bootcamp backup to well actually to my desktop/internal hd but i will get a better plan sometime

((my bootcamp partition is actually small and i install most softwares on external hd))

you dont need lots of drives partitions is ok and winclone can just make a file which u can store anyplace eg your desktop

time machine is good if you trash stuff by mistake often.....but superduper/ccc means u can boot from a backup if u need 2, with time machine u need to do a restore process takes tiiiiiime....

no windows dvd/cds is not good!!one day u will want them.....

 

[macdougal]

Thx Aki for the good info

 

[neilhart]

Backup and Restore

You could search on this topic and find the answers.

This subject is one of my favorites.

Check out this thread.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/470062/

Neil

 

[coocooforcocoap]

As folks said, Time Machine + CCC or Superduper for mac images, and Winclone for the Windows images. Works great and does not cost much, except for the harddrives I like to clone using CCC regularly as well as use TM for files deleted/lost/overwritten between clones.

If someone would write a small app to include this process in one step, that would be a hit! Hmmm...maybe an apple script that would:
1) start a TM backup, when done
2) run CCC, and
3) run Winclone
all in the background....

Cheers!
coocoo

 

[aki]

coocoo automatic backup is a good idea!!!but i have question when i do superduper backup i leave my imac coz i want the backup 2 be safe.....is it really ok 2 do a backup in background and still use the system???still some automatic superbackupeverything soft would be good i could run it overnight......probably one day superduper or ccc or both will cover bootcamp backup as well i guess

 

[coocooforcocoap]

coocoo automatic backup is a good idea!!!but i have question when i do superduper backup i leave my imac coz i want the backup 2 be safe.....is it really ok 2 do a backup in background and still use the system???still some automatic superbackupeverything soft would be good i could run it overnight......probably one day superduper or ccc or both will cover bootcamp backup as well i guess

aki, I run ccc and continue to work, albiet checking email and simple stuff like that. it only takes about 30 minutes if that. TM is always running in background, so I am not an expert on this, but I have never had a problem with working and backing up at the same time. i have 4gig mem in my mbp and i like to use it. i guess there will be a day when the bootcamp is covered, maybe 10.6...
coocoo