Got new MBP, selling old iMac, Best Way to Backup??

[megamouse]

Hi, just got a new MBP and thinking to sell my 2 year old iMac.

I would like to backup all my files in the old iMac and then format the HDD and reinstall Leopard on it.

I would like to use the backup dmg as a bootable image for future use, if possible.



I can think of three ways:

1. Start up my iMac, connect my USB external HDD (I don't have a firewire one), run Disk Utility, under Restore, copy iMac's HDD to the external one;

2. Start up my iMac with MBP's Leopard DVD, run Disk Utility from top menu. under Restore, copy iMac's HDD to to the external one;

3. Connect iMac to MBP, start up my iMac into Target Disk Mode. Run Disk Utility on MBP, under Restore, copy iMac's HDD to to the external one.



1 is the simplest way, i think. Option 2 could be safer. Option 3 is the most complicated one, and I want a bootable backup. Which one should I use??


Thank you.

 

[ghking]

SuperDuper will clone your whole drive for you onto an external drive that you can boot from
and its free

 

[spinnerlys]

Super Duper clones the entire hard drive, so all the applications, Libraries and other System files will be copied too. And that takes usually longer than a normal copy, the capable read and write speeds will not be reached.

Option three only functions if you use a firewire cable.

Option one seems to be a good one, except you need all files outside of your User folder. Every setting of yours, Applications, mail, bookmarks, ...., are saved under /users/you/Library, so copying your user folder might be more than enough.

Or Super Duper.

 

[megamouse]

ah, I see, thanks guys.

I came across carbon copy cloner, but not sure the images are bootable.

Will use Super Duper now, thank you