I have got a computer that i am mucking around on, just testing things and other stuff. I have already had to reinstall the O/S a few times because i gets ruined. I will proberly have to reinstall more times as well. So... I want to get a program to make a clone of the O/s after a fresh install, That i can put on a slave drive. That way if it gets wrecked i can recover the O/S without having to reinstall. Which program would be best for this. Thanks.

There are several. I use an older version of Norton Ghost, there's Acronis, and others.

Could use a number of linux live cd's too. Could even make a barts/ubcd4win disk with the built in Microsoft's NTbackup. I still trust ntbackup.

I have tried Acronis but it said that once cloning i wouldnt be able to use the old hard drive.I think meaning it would delete certain files. I Will give norton ghost a go

If you are going to start from scratch, I suggest making a small OS partition and put all your programs and data on a second large partition. That will make backups and restore much faster. It also saves your stuff if you have to restore the C: drive. Do yourself a favor BACKUP!!!

" I want to get a program to make a clone of the O/s after a fresh install, That i can put on a slave drive. That way if it gets wrecked i can recover the O/S without having to reinstall." That is exactly how this particular system is setup, with the little exception being that I additionally configured Acronis DI for periodic (every 3-4 days) incremental backup that is saved on the slave drive (overwriting each prior image). I have restored the images on a number of occasions and not once have I had a problem with the process, but I recommend you make sure the slave that will store the backup drive images has at least free space that equals 1.5x the drive you intend to backup. I don't think I'll ever need to reinstall Windows again unless a massive hardware failure (quickly knocks on wood) occurs on the two drives simulteanously.

what can i say? i use acronis true image 8.0, my favourite feature is that i can start working in seconds while your system is still being restored.