I only have basic info on my brother's desktop computer. It is a desktop , Pentium ?CPU @ about 1.6 GHz, ?512 RAM, 60-80GB HD and running XP x32 Pro SP3 OS, + a new HP Pavillion dv97000 2 duo T5550CPU @1.83 GHz, 4.0 GB RAM, 350GB HD running Vista Home Premium x64 2007 SP1. I purchased two 650 GB Go WDElements EHDs to alternate backups of both computers, so one can be kept in a fireproof safe. I think I want to partition each of them so he can keep any specific files from the old computer separate from the primary Vista partition --in a volume <20GB provided I can simply transfer his JPEG files on the x32 to the x64 photo program without degradation of the files. On the otherr hand, if his new Kodak Z1015 operates on x32 applications,will I need to keep that on the XP x32 computer? I purchased Migo's XP to Vista Easy-Sync Suite with the plan to simply transfer all the XP files he wants to save (photos, etc) to the Vista computer and then just keep those files on the HP, backing them up as x64 files. However, I have been unable to get Migo to tell me if the program is compatible with both XP x32 and Vista x64 programs. I don't want to break the seal on the CDs until I know it is what will work and is necessary for my purposes. Does anyone have this information or can tell me how to contact them by phone instead of email? Or does anyone know if XP x32 can be simply transferred to a Vista x64 system using proprietary M$ software? I have also purchased the Migo PC Backup Pro 10 software which is compatible with XP Pro x32 and both x 32 and x64 Vista and has an excellent backup feature set and good reviews. Does this capability make the Xp to Vista program unnecessary for my purposes?. After researching , I have directions on how to partition an EHD, how to format them in XP or Vista and how to create a dual boot system. It's not really clear to me--is a dual boot XP x32 and Vista x64 system even possible? I must admit that because of others' comments, I'm not sure which of the information is accurate. As you can tell this is an area about which I am not knowledgeable so I would very much appreciate verification of the right procedures. Is it possible that I can just simply partition and reformat the EHDs to NTFS and then use the MigoPCBackup10 program to perform the automatic differential backups?. Or do I need to do something more complex? If I have two EHDs for backups, do I need to do anything special regarding naming the partitions so as not to cause problems in accuracy of differntial backups i.e. since the archive bit is not reset do I need to differentiate the names on the two EHDs? If my brother has a bootable recovery disk for his HP and installation discs for the desktop, is it still advisable to create the backup partitions as bootable systems/discs? I might add that once the critical data is transferred off the old computer, he plans to replace the hard drive but may decide to continue with an XP OS. Can anyone give me the right step by step instructions on how to accomplish the preferred format process? I understand that the older (XP x32) OS systems must be formatted before formatting the partitions with the newer OSes , is this correct? Since my laptop has the XP MCE 2002 SP3 OS, I'm thinking I would format the XP x32 partitions with my OS since he has MC, a TV tuner and bluray HD player on his HP. Would that present any problems? Or should it be formatted with the same OS he will lhave on his new desktop HD? I know I have asked a lot of questions in order to cover this topic thoroughly. I hope it will be helpful in covering the full gambit of issues others may have with this subject and I thank you in advance for your thoughtful responses to my questions. Sincerely, str8up