How do I backup an Acer to a big harddrive which has other stuff on it I don't want to erase?

wileki

See question above.

wileki

Thanks.  Unfortunately, I didn't expect it to need almost 500G to store! 

IronFly

PC model and System OS, please.

wileki

ATC-605-UR13

Windows 8.1

IronFly

ok, it's easy and you can use your external HDD without delete files or anything else.

 

Follow this instructions:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/how-to-make-system-image-backup,26542.html

 

Please do also a recovery media using Acer erecovery, so with recovery media and a system image you can reinstall your OS to the latest system image you did, even with a broken HDD.

 

wileki

Thanks.  Unfortunately, I didn't expect it to need almost 500G to store! 

JordanB

I used both Acer recovery backup and also did the windows image.

For the Acer recovery backup, I used a SanDisk 32 GB USB drive ($12 Amazon) for the main backup, and then I used a 8 GB USB drive for the drivers and acer files backup. Instead of an 8 GB flash drive, you can use 1 DVD. I read the manual and they explain it very well. The PDF manual from acer's support website says to do it the first week after you bought the computer....which is what I did. Then I put both of those USB drives in a labeled envelope and put in my fireproof storage box and hopefully they'll never have to be used.

The Windows image utility can be found on File History page. I put an image on an external 1TB usb drive and another image on an external 300GB drive.