I have a 320g HDD and a 40g external I want to create a backup on. Is 40g enough?

[olylance1]

Question is can I make an image or backup on a 40g external drive with the the main HDD being 320g. Or do I need to get a bigger external drive

 

[dor_nob]

What is you operating system, and what backup software are you using?

 

[ss202sl]

Depends on what you're backing up. If it's just data, then how much data. Most backup software has some form of compression.

 

[hang-the-9]

Question is can I make an image or backup on a 40g external drive with the the main HDD being 320g. Or do I need to get a bigger external drive

Drive size does not matter, it's how much you are backing up. It's like asking if you can use a 50 gallon drum to hold what is inside a 500 gallon drum. If that 500 gallon drum only has 40 gallons in it, of course you can.

Also read the details on the program you will use for a backup, you can compress a backup, but some files like JPG, AVI, DIVX or other already compressed files, will not reduce in size during a compressed backup.