brett <account@cygen.com> wrote:

>> You cant do that, you need to have the replacement in the closet too.

> So basically I'll need to purchase a backup internal HD and put it up
> in the closet. When the primary crashes, I get the backup HD out, put
> it in the USB cradle and copy the image from the 2nd PC onto the
> backup HD. Then put the backup HD into the laptop. That sound right?

Yes.

> The only problem now is that HP requires you to send in the
> laptop for HD replacement (under warranty). There's about
> a 4 or 5 day turn around time. So the backup HD really won't
> come into play while the laptop is under warrenty.

Yes, you basically have to give up on the warranty if
you need to have a working laptop quicker than that.

> I guess in this scenario, I can keep doing the images and also backup
> certain data files. While the laptop is away getting fixed, I can access
> the data files (MS Money, Outlook) on the 2nd PC.

Yes, that will work fine.

> Once the laptop arrives, I copy the image onto it
> and restore the modified data files from PC2.

Yep.

> In regards to incremental imaging (Acronis TrueImage), if I'm doing incrementals
> every night and on Tuesday I copy a 4GB file onto the HD, then on Wednesday
> delete it and then do an image restore on Thursday, is the 4GB file restored?
> I imagine it isn't since the last incremental doesn't have it.

Correct. But if you do want it, you can restore the second to last incremental image.

You cant if you use differential images instead of incremental images.