Norton Ghost - as good as it seems?

I need a utility that can make a perfect mirror image of everything on my primary hdd and save it on my secondary hdd. It needs to be able to restore all or parts of that image back to the original drive or to a new one at any time, and I want a scheduling function so I can set it up to update the mirror image at regular intervals while the system is idle.

I have heard good things about Norton Ghost. Is it worth my money and time, or is there another application that can do what I want better? It doesn't have to be free; I don't mind paying for a program that will keep my wedding photos, 200+ hours of game saves, and my tax records from vanishing if the drive suddenly dies on me.

 

I used to have Norton Ghost some time ago and found it bloaty, but maybe it is better now, I don't know.

Here is an alternative, however, you may wish to explore - Acronis, and it is a little bit cheaper, and for the most part I like it. It has all the features you outline.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Acronis_True_Image_Home_2009_d2236.html

 

I was hoping for a better option. I reflexively dislike anything called "Norton" after a very bad experience I once had with their antivirus. Granted, that's how I found MGs, through the Malware forum, so some good came of it, but still...

I'll check out Acronis. Thanks!

EDIT:
*checking* It's cheaper than Norton ghost too...! I think I like this one.

 

I used Ghost for years Mimsy and now use Acronis and like it. Ghost did not cause me any trouble but used more resources if I recall (older version). I used Norton on XP but now use Acronis on XP and Vista. Also think more here use Acronis, so if you need help more would be available...

 

I like Acronis but can't compare it to Norton as I've never used it. As to backing your pictures up, I would never rely strictly on multiple hard drives to keep them safe. Put them and your game saves on a quality CD/DVD.

 

I've actually got both, and Norton, I had to call help desk, and some fellow helped me finally get ghost working....and they were very friendly, but...

Acronis is what I use, seems real easy, from first time, so I prefer Acronis...