btw, troubles with ghost.
Only good for a few uses. You loose all your data (and all updated roms for intstance)
If you update your ghost often, then it takes with it all your crap that !@#!@ing up your system.
Getting your system up to a base install is VERY easy. Takes a few hours with configuration. This is all that ghost saves you (and it takes a huge chunk of space).
Here's what I do with ghost. One, the newer versions of ghost support writing to cd drives. Your arguement about ghost image taking up alot of space is a mute point then. 1) you write your backup to CD, 2) backing up your systemtakes space anyway.
Here's what I suggest you do if you want data security. It will involve multiple partitions. Here's how I setup my computer.
partition 1) windows and main program install. windows, office, visual studio, other programs I use daily that I couldn't imagine a computer without. Then I ghost that partition. That way I can always get a fresh windows install just by restoring that partition.
partition 2) data files. Like word documents, resumes, checkbook info, other home office type stuff. I also backup my registry to that partition
partition 3) games.
partition 4) programming projects
Now, I don't ghost partition 2 through 4 as there is no reason to ghost those. I just make a cd copy every month of partition 2 and 4. I will include saved games (maybe) from partition 3.
As for my mame stuff. I burn all that to CDs. As a new mame comes out I just remaster the final CD with the new stuff.
But as lilwolf says, reinstalling windows every 6 months is a good idea. Hence I can save time with ghost since I just ghost partition 1 in 5 mnutes and I have a fresh install of windows with the prgrams I use daily. Just need to reinstall games or just restore the registry info needed from the registry backup. Remember, you just can't reinstall windows, you need too run windows update to to get the security updates and such.
Lilwolf is correct that in the consumer market ghost really just saves you time. Instead of format c: then reinstalling windows which takes alot of time ghosting will take only 5-10 minutes and you get the same result. Sometimes time is more important that space. Frankly, I don't want to waste an entire saturday reinstalling windows and everything else important on my machine. Within an hour I can reghost my computer and have a fresh computer that is productive.
If you setup your computer well you really don't need backup software, just a cdr drive.
Hehe, my mame machine is quite different though. I store the roms on my main machine and just map a network drive. So I just have 1 partition on my mame machine with one ghost image. All the data that machine uses is not on that machine. It will probably not get ghosted that often as it doesn't change that often.
Hehe, as smitty pointed out, if happen to have a system that supports raid no backup software needed. Setting up a redundant system is cool. If oyu get something that supports hot swappable drives is even cooler!