I use the Macrium Reflect [free for home use] for my desktop and laptop disk drive images.
Those image programs save HOURS if one ever needs to re-image a drive.
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I also have a 2nd partition on my hard drives and I use those for my data. They usually survive a disk drive crash.
Additionally, USB external drives are too cheap for anyone not use backup their data.
IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO LOSE YOUR DATA, YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO NOT HAVE AN EXTERNAL BACKUP.
To be more explicit, for the last 8 years, whenever I set up a brand new windows PC, I create a new partition (Usually Drive D, or whichever the first available letter that is not already occupied) and designate it entirely for data.)
Usually I just reserve triple the space occupied by the new system "C" Drive as C (to allow future software also to be installed to C), and the remainder to drive D. As the hardware has evolved, and hard drives gotten larger. This has gotten easier and easier to accomplish.
I have been able to upgrade one or two Windows versions without affecting my data at all.
The same strategy can work by having a newer faster 2 GB drive exclusively for software, and a much larger physical drive for Data. That is the ideal.