ok. fair enough. since i am still stuck. i will listen to both things you have said... lol

since this WD blue 1tb went on sale for $40... i got it. I will install this drive, setup my main 1tb to be in RAID 1 with it. https://slickdeals.net/f/10342964-1tb-wd-wd10ezex-blue-3-5-internal-hard-drive-40-free-s-h

AND I will create a backup image to a partition on my 4tb hdd. Overkill, maybe. but it serves multiple purposes. RAID 1 in case the drive fails. and the backups for whatever else may happen, such as virus, or accidental deletion of a file.

how big of a partition should i make to keep the backup images on? assuming i am backing up 1tb of data as an image. i want to keep the backup on a separate partition just for organization.

thanks ghot and atrhur for explaining this... since i was still undecided, i chose both. and i was planning on getting a 1tb hdd at some point. also because i ordered the hdd rails from coolermaster, they come in a set of 2 pairs. so, i have an extra hdd rail to use.

This post was edited by noob_whacker on Jul 11 2017 10:44pm

If you use backup software, you don't need RAID1...it's just overkill.


As for the partition size on your storage drive for a single C: drive or a RAIDed C: drive...you just need room for about 4 backups...which will be about 1/2 of the data on the C: drive.


/e Here's the difference....



Backup software: cures, failed C: drive, cures ransom-ware, infections, Windows file corruption...etc. <---- requires 1 HDD for the C: drive....and a partition on a storage drive to store the backup(s)

RAID1 cures one drive of the RAID set...failing....that's all. <---- Requires two HDDs for the C: drive.

This post was edited by Ghot on Jul 11 2017 10:49pm

With the backup, if the C: drive fails. then do you need a 2nd working drive to install the back on? Or can you just open the backup on the drive the backup was stored on?

Once you've made a backup and the backup software's bootable CD, you can restore the backup to ANY partition on ANY drive.


The ONLY rule is that the partition that you want to restore to, must be the same size or larger than the C: drive (partition)



/e



I have 3 HDDs. One is the C: (D: E:) drive and the other two are: 2TB storage drives.


I made the C: drive partition small...aka...120GB then when Windows, and anything else are all installed I make a backup.

The SIZE of the backup is 1/2 the size of the DATA on the C: drive (partition)
BUT, it came from a 120GB partition...so....If the C: drive dies...then I can restore that 120GB partition to ANY 120GB or greater partition on any HDD in my comp.



This post was edited by Ghot on Jul 11 2017 10:58pm

im wondering if you can restore that backup to the same drive in which the backup is stored on in the first place?

like as of now i have 2 different hard drives. if i backup one hard drive onto the other. and one hard drive fails. would i need to buy another hard drive to put the backup on? or is just 1 hard drive fine, to use the backup on the same drive in which it was stored?

Yes !!!!!!!

You just need a partition on the storage drive, that is as big or bigger than the partition that the C: drive uses.


/e The Acronis bootable CD, can grab your backup from w/e you stored it and put it on a similar sized partition on ANY other drive in your comp.
EVEN when Windows is broken.

This post was edited by Ghot on Jul 11 2017 11:10pm

ok thanks. ugh, i ended up canceling order for new 1tb hdd, not really needed, although might be sorta nice lol

ill just backup then, thanks.

There's one other great thing about backup software. It allows you to test drive ....any game, program, tweaking etc., with no worries.

No matter how bad you mess up the C: drive, the bootable Acronis CD can fix it in 5-10 minutes.


I have 27GB of data on my C: partition. That makes a 13GB backup and takes 2.5 mins.



Tips:


1. Shrink your OS partition down...to approx. 120-200GB. <----- You can use EaseUS to do this.
2. That way, all you will ever need in the case of C" drive failure, is a 120-200GB partition on ANY other HDD in your comp.

i am trying to learn how to use EASEUS. i have rebooted my pc like 4 or 5 times now. and am back at square 1. i accidentally made too large of a partition, and then i removed part of that partition. and then the part i removed became "unallocated space". and i wasnt able to merge that unallocated space back to the main bigger chunk of space. i was only able to merge that unallocated space to where it was just taken from. so i guess i cannot freely move partitions around and merge them. they have to be "next" to each other?

so you are saying to make a partition for 200 GB using EASEUS. then use Acronis to only backup my OS onto that partition?

get gparted for partitioning and merging partitions.