Clone Hard Drive
A clone is a direct copy, bit for bit, so that the data stored on the cloned drive is identical to the data on the original drive. From the operating system to the hidden directory files, from your desktop to the device drivers, everything is copied identically. Swap the old drive out for a freshly made clone and there should be no functional difference. You can also use the cloned drive in another PC, and aside from some potential missing drivers due to hardware differences, it should work just like your old system, making it an ideal backup in the event of a damaged PC. The downside to this, however, is that a direct bit-for-bit clone will usually be the only thing on the backup drive.
Destination Drive
Cloning a drive, or even saving a backup image, requires having someplace to save your data to. When backing up an entire drive, you'll want to have a drive of equal or larger capacity set aside for backup, and nothing else. You have to real options: A bare hard drive, or an external drive.
A bare drive is exactly like the drive you already have in your laptop or desktop—it's the actual drive, but not yet installed in a machine. Once you've acquired the drive, you can either install it as a second drive or purchase a compatible drive enclosure for it. For cloning purposes, you'll want a drive with at least as much memory as the data you're cloning (the amount of used memory in the original drive).
The other option is to buy an external hard drive. These are self-contained drives, usually connected through a USB connection. External drives may be larger deskbound drives or pocket-sized portables, but they generally all will work as a suitable backup medium, and many will also offer additional features, such as encryption or automated backup software
A bare drive is exactly like the drive you already have in your laptop or desktop—it's the actual drive, but not yet installed in a machine. Once you've acquired the drive, you can either install it as a second drive or purchase a compatible drive enclosure for it. For cloning purposes, you'll want a drive with at least as much memory as the data you're cloning (the amount of used memory in the original drive).
The other option is to buy an external hard drive. These are self-contained drives, usually connected through a USB connection. External drives may be larger deskbound drives or pocket-sized portables, but they generally all will work as a suitable backup medium, and many will also offer additional features, such as encryption or automated backup software
Clean Up Files
With both a backup utility and a drive to back up to, you're ready to clone your drive, but this is also a good opportunity to do some digital spring cleaning. There's plenty of data you want to back up, but chances are you also have plenty of stuff saved—drivers for old devices, programs that aren't needed, media files you couldn't care less about—that doesn't need to be duplicated.