I use two programs to handle backup/sync.

• For the system partition - Macrium Reflect Free. http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp[^] I try to set my system partition between 30-50 gb, and use Macrium to image it. Works fast, and gives me a system restore in case things go wrong. The free version provides a recovery disk, but be aware that it if you are using a raid controller, you may need the pay version. (or diff image solution)
• For data, documents and code - Beyond Compare 3. http://www.scootersoftware.com/[^] Totally awesome for sync. This program will sync folders, but also has the added utility benefit of comparing the contents of individual files. It is fast - fast - fast. It supports command line scripts for automated syncs also. Using windows scheduling: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Beyond Compare 3\BCompare.exe" @"C:\Program Files (x86)\beyond compare 3\sync.txt" ---------- sync.txt log normal "Synclog.txt" filter "-desktop.ini;-thumbs.db,-Recycler\" option confirm:yes-to-all load "d:\Documents" "\\mynas\backup1\Documents" expand all sync create-empty mirror:left->right

> "my songs can truly be portable and eliminate the brick I carry around every day." Get a decent MP3 playing phone. I have a slightly older Sony Walkman phone (w810i) which I put a 2gb stick into for storage. It does connect with cable USB and acts as a flash drive, but as I said it's a bit older, and I find it to be much faster to pull the stick and plug it into a separate reader. The main thing is as it's my phone, I always have my music with me. I have a cable in my car plugged into AUX on my sterio which not only allows for MP3 via phone, but also full speaker phone. An upside to this is that if I receive a phone call while I'm listening to music, it interupts the music. I'd figure the new iPhone or the newest Sony Walkman phone would both be interesting upgrades.