Just got my 500GByte back up drive

I am just installing my external USB 500GByte HDrive. It comes with the following software which auto installs on first boot/connected to my primary PC.

This is my numerous PC(s) and their capacities:

Main PC: 40GByte primary, 160GByte Secondary
New laptop: 40 GByte
Old Laptop: 20 GByte
OldPC: 9 GByte primary, 120 GBYte secondary.

Has anyone any experience of backing up numerous computers to one Western Digital 500GByte Hard Drive - is it necessary to partition the external drive to simplify the back up process ?

Can I install incremental backups so don't have to do the whole lot ?

Thanks in advance - BP.

Found this:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=207&p_created=1008908212&p_sid=LaoPyTjj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MiwyJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9mbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD0yMDc*&p_li=&p_topview=1

I heard today from a friend about this: http://www.drobo.com
Never again external USB drives which usually overheat and destroy harddisks more often than internal harddisks.

thanks for that help (;-)

I had to get a 1TB drive to backup my 500GB drive. When will it all end?

LOL @ Beaker

It ends when your drive size approaches the maximum size available, at which point it gets harder and harder to come up with the space to hold your backup. :-?

murphys law says your all wrong, and anyway I'm getting awhole series of something downloaded to my half terabyte drive next week. coool.

of to watch highlander (the original) on itv4 now. (;-)

I'm watching that! :D

B'ah, I love highlander, but cannot start watching a film unless its right at the start.

*Dabz picks up his wacom pen and waves it about like a sword*

Dabz

Well, it starts again on ITV4+1 in 25 minutes. ;)
There can be only wand! Or something.

Heres a thing - do not mess about trying to get Norton Ghost 2003 to back up to USB hard drives - it does not play ball.

If you but a Western Digital MyBook Essential thing, don't get your back up about the fact the supplied backup software is only a 30 day trial - meaning you inevitably will buy it. It is very well designed software - and is executing a few backup plans concurrently.

There is 2 types of people - those who back stuff up and those that suffer hard drive failures with no back-ups.

I'd rather be in the first group thanks.