# Computer help: making a backup sector on existing hard drive
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-making-a-backup-sector-on-existing-hard-drive/568154
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 19, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-making-a-backup-sector-on-existing-hard-drive/568154 "2011-01-19T01:05:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-making-a-backup-sector-on-existing-hard-drive/568154/1 "2011-01-19T01:05:09Z")
I know there is software out there that can do this automatically, but I’m wondering if there’s an easy way to do this just through windows.
I want to create an ISO or backup file of the contents of my main C: drive. I have already created a D: partition on the disk. I want to make the partition or the file secure from being infected by viruses, preferably hidden and/or password protected. I have also created a user and admin accounts on the computer.
Thanks in advance.
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### Author:  [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-making-a-backup-sector-on-existing-hard-drive/568154/2 "2011-01-19T02:19:34Z")
If you’re talking about creating a backup partition on the same physical drive as your data, you may want to re-think that strategy. That will be OK if your computer gets a virus or whatever, but when your hard drive fails, the backup partition will be just as dead as the main partition.