How does true image backup?

When Acronis True Image 11 Home backsup your system on to an external hard drive, can you do it in a seperate folder on the external?
Because i already have stuff on the external will it erase them files to make the backup?
Or do i have to partition the external? If so can True image 11 make external hard drive partitions?

Thanks

 

with true image, just do an image backup of "my computer" that will backup a single partition and compress it. If the partition is a 100gb but only has 20gb in use, after compressing the saved backup will be about 17gb. It will easily fit on an external drive.

If you have more questions the link below has all the answers
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=65

 

Thanks but does the external have to have a partition or not? Will it erase everything else on the external?

 

i just used it to backup my laptop to a external hard drive and used it to restore my computer with out some programs that were messing up and it worked no problem for me.

 

When you do a image backup, when finished the backup is in a compressed TIB file. This file you can save it on any folder in the external drive.
(example would be like the program WINRAR, it will compress something into a rar file, which you can save anywhere)

Whatever you do DON'T do a clone, a clone is a direct copy of one hard drive to another. A clone will overwrite everything on the external drive. I think that is what you are refering too.

image backup = compressed TIB file of a system partition.
clone = direct hard drive to hard drive copy.

both can be used to restore your hard drives.

 

Thank you, somedoy who reads the post properly.

So when i get my new pc, it will have vista ultimate 64 bit, i want to install all the drivers and such so all my hard works properly. When this is done i can do an image backup of everything on the new pc, in to a TIB file aand just put it where i want it?

Then if something goes wrong and i have to restore i can just use the backup i made and my pc will go back to just having vista on it with all the drivers installed?

Thanks