Use of Clone for backup

Please be gentle, I'm a newby:
I've been using Norton Ghost's Clone (2003) utility to achieve backup coverage in my "slow box" (1 Ghz drive, Win Me). Using a mobile hard drive rack, I regularly clone my C/drive, then remove the clone drive from the unit - this is against the time that the main drive cooks, rather than simply quits. This has worked so well that I haven't yet had to resort to swappijng the clone "in anger ". Now, I'd like to use the same method to protect my "Fast Box" (2.4 Ghz, WinXP Home). Since it's a micro board, I have room for only 1 mobile rack, but my plan is to migrate the operating system to a recently installed SATA drive, and then use the process detailed above to set up a backup routine.
Questions: A,B/Will my Ghost 2003 work in the FastBox environment, or/and does the newer version of Norton Ghost still contain the Clone utility (two questions, I know) - I've read some less than complimentary remarks directed toward Symantec of late, but my experiences with their products have been great for the past few years;
C/If I do get a cloning operation going in the XP environment, does the "Machine SID" factor enter the picture, since I won't be bringing a different machine into the matrix?
D/Is my plan to clone my operating system into the SATA drive, then set up to boot from SATA, fraught with danger, etc.? Sorry about the long-ish post, but I'm anxious to get this operation underway, but anxious-er not to do something really stupid not having consulted the experts beforehand. Any and all comments, criticisms, and the like gtratefully accepted, and - yes, I always post back.
Oh yeah, just one more thing (as Columbo used to say): how about simply cloning the operating system regularly to the SATA drive? If that's a viable alternative, should I partition the drive (320 Gb) and use a separate partition for the clone, and would this pose a problem for the best-use condition for the rest of the drive, as well as the possible need to boot from that partition in the future? Over to you-all...
gus boy

 

Definitely yes. I don't actually clone my drives, but rather image thim. To do this, Ghost 2003 runs in DOS (PC or MS) so the xp environment is irrelevant, and it also can clone NTFS and FAT, although I prefer FAT on my home machines.

Don't believe so, but good sense dictates that you separately back up all valuable data.

I keep images of the drives rather than cloning them, and keep multiple images on a partition as well as on DVDs for backup. Would definitely partition the drive with only a small (10-20GB) for the OS and larger partitions for the programs and data and images.

I still use ghost 2003 to image my xp home and my xp pro x64; I make a bootable CD from which it boots and runs much faster than from a floppy.

 

Hi Sparrow,

Sorry to butt in,but I found your post interesting,since I use an
almost identical procedure to what you're using,so I must be doing something right

Same here.I don't know what your reason is,but for me it was to have fewer
permission and access issues,also when using Linux.

I saved Ghost 2003 from the NIS 2003 Pro install.
Got rid of AV and other bloated programs,but saved all the utilities.
Good stuff.

Pete.

 

Hi DiggerP

I've found it impossible to recover photos from a HDD set up with NTFS when XP crashed - a case where a user password protected a directory and forgot the password! There are lots of interesting and useful features in NTFS, but none that a home user needs. I usually make one NTFS partition for the rare possibility that a file may come along that's too large for a FAT partition but will fit on a DVD.

I like to use my old DOS utilities, including those by Peter Norton, which can see FAT disks.

I also keep linux around, mostly as a canary "in a coal mine" because it saved a HDD once (with two partitions with separate versions of windows, 98 and XP) that was trashed and it looked like the HDD was a goner except for the fact that linux still booted and ran fine.

 

Hi sparrow,

I won't make this long since it cuts into the thread,but this is funny,
my experience was the same except for being Win2K and XP.
I ended up cloning to a FAT32 formatted drive,so all NTFS attributes were lost
and I was able to access everything again.
I also keep a few rescue discs around, XP- as well as Linux Live CDs.
They saved my neck a few times
While I couldn't use all my regular programs,I could still use the internet
and email,important for information or to get help.
Let the critics say what they want

Pete.

 

Thanks to all for the clarifications and suggestions. It'll take me a while to follow through, but when I decide how best to set up my backup techniques, I'll post again with the results.
gus boy