How to Synchronize data on two hard drives

I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop Model 5305 which has just had a nasty crash. I use this computer as my primary for work. I have a 250 GB Lacie external drive hooked-up via a USB connection for backups. I need to know how to, after loading the Lacie with Windows XP (home), keep all my info duplicated and synchronized lest I have another crash and need a complete duplicate to keep working. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I am currently running "Disc Check (chkdsk)" in the hopes of getting my hard drive to work properly. I ran the online version of Bitdefender which located two viruses and was able to clean them but the system has not run properly since the crash. How do I locate the dump file and send it to this BBS for more knowledgeable analysis? Thanks for any help.

 

Try the synchronization feature built into XP to see if it does what you want.

Open any folder...My Computer will do...go to Tools>Synchronize, click the Setup button and try it out. If it doesn't suit you, all you'll have lost is a little time.

 

a drive imager will make total system backups - ghost or drive image should do. there are others

any backup prog - including the 'backup' util on the XP cd - can do normal backups. many burn progs - like nero - have a backup util as well.

folderwatch is a non-freebie that will copy designated files/folders to an alternate location on the fly. go to diginaut.com

the MS freebie powertoys 'sync tool' may work as well but it's not an automatic one. u may be able to schedule it.

under system tools u should have 'files & settings transfer wizard' as well on xp. that should get most of the stuff under mydocs plus the mail and account settings.

 

Synchronize

My external drive has been used for periodic backups. Should I delete the backups before installing Windows XP or just leave them there and install XP? Thanks for the suggestions. I will try them and let you know how I fared. Where do I find the dump log and how do I post it here?

 

on the ext? i'd keep em 'as is' and, if u make out ok, then consider purging and making new ones.