need to make a back up

What I've done in the past, was plug my mac straight into a winXP computer via ethernet, get the private IP address on the mac side (169.xxx.xxx.xxx) and then add that as a network place in windows. Then go in, and copy whatever you need from the mac's HDD.

The only reason I did it this way, is because I couldn't get it working the other way around

 

Well, in the particular case of Carbon Copy Cloner as well as SuperDuper (so by extension I would have to imagine any other app to clone Mac drives), neither can make clones to PC formatted drives. SuperDuper even explains it in a window that notes the inability of the other formats other than Mac OS Extended to "properly host HFS+ files along with all their attributes, resources and ownership".

So- to shorten the story I can't see a way to do anything along the lines of cloning, much less being concerned about restoration. I would really try to get the money together to manage to get an external- with externals of 1Tb offered for just a hair over $100 various places it really would simplify things a lot for you at a historically low price.

 

Yeah, that is too bad! Hope something turns up for you soon, because although not having the $$ for a backup sucks, losing your data sucks even more! Have anything you can sell off on Craigslist etc? Good luck to you!