External hard drive backup query

[Barno]

A bit of a noob when it comes to these things so I'm looking for advice. I want to do a fresh install of windows xp and once I've done that I'd like to make a ghost image of the drive so I don't have to go through all this again. Also, I want to backup my photos and music before I reformat the drive. Would an external hard drive be the best solution? Can they hold a ghost image at the same time as music, photos etc?

Thanks.

 

[Humate]

i think that must depend on the software you intend to use. I know norton ghost just spits out an image file that can be stored alongside anything you like... mind you, that was 2+ years ago.