Need some some advice on backups.

[spat55]

I have a 1TB Black Caviar WD, and i would like to make a raid 1. I know that i will have to back it up and get another 1TB to do this but what should i use to back it up with? Also when I have installed the Raid 1 how do i get everything back to normal without the need to reinstall windows 7.

 

[spat55]

never mind.

 

[aramisathei]

I suggest Acronis for backing up your system.
It makes images very well, and it's pretty easy to use.

For hardware raid, you'll need a secondary medium to hold the backup file (you can't store your backup on the drives you're putting into the raid since it creates a new, singular partition).

Once your backup is done, plug the drives in and set it up your raid array via bios/hardware controller, and then use a recovery boot disc (Acronis lets you make these from flash drives) to restore the image.

You'll need Acronis 2012 since the older versions don't support raid arrays (2011 might, but 2010 doesn't).

If you're trying to have Windows create a software raid array, create a second partition on your current hdd (so you don't have to do anything with your current Windows install), and then create a dynamic disk with the remaining free space and the second hdd.

I'd recommend a hardware array, since it isn't OS dependent, but that's a matter of personal preference.