Would making a Ghost or Acronis solve my problem?

I’m not sure exactly what I need, as I’m not that computer savvy… My laptop needs to be sent in for repair which will wipe my hd clean, therefore I have to back up my hd. Problem is, I have several lovely programs courtesy of this forum, and do/can not reinstall them. If I were to make a “ghost image” would it keep everything (programs, cracks, serials etc) just as it appears on my hd now? I’d like to restore everything exactly as I have it now… If not, is there a method to accomplish what I’d like? There seem to be several programs, which is the most reliable and easy?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Happy Holidays!
Answer #1
If I were to make a "ghost image" would it keep everything (programs, cracks, serials etc) just as it appears on my hd now?
Yep,A disk image contains all data of the imaged partition,I recommend you use acronis true image instead tho but it’s up to you,I just like
it better (Also,In case it’s not obvious enough,You should save the image to an external hard drive),That being said,I wouldn’t entrust
my personal data with complete strangers if I were you,Before sending it for repairs,You might wanna use DBAN to wipe it clean.
Answer #2
Ahh, I hadnt even thought of that – yes I’m def gonna wipe it clean. Thanks for the answer, I’m just relieved that a solution exists, so off to find acronis. Thanks again