...and how do I backup a partitioned hard drive and/or copy all contents to an external hard drive. I am trying to copy my father-in-laws hard drive so that I can re-format it and use it for myself. When I do a copy and paste, it will copy until it says that a particular file, application or program is running or being used by another user and is unable to copy. The computer is running XP, it's a VAIO. Should I delete the extra user accounts and then try copying or is there another simpler way to do this? I have a feeling that I am making this more complicated than I need to. Oh, the EHD that I am attempting to copy to is a Maxtor 1TB OneTouch 4 Plus, not that it makes any difference but just in case.