I've read there are several backup solutions available in Linux, but I haven't tried any of them; I'm new to this level of computer use, plus I'm a slow learner. From what I've read so far it could be pretty easy for someone who does know his way around Linux to remaster Knoppix into a general-purpose solution for backing up Windows or any other partition/filesystem which Knoppix can access. You'd boot the Knoppix (or some catchy new name) CD, start the backup program it contains and choose from a menu of which partition(s) or file(s) to backup and on what media, etc. The result would be much like the bootable DVD that NTI's Drive Backup 3 creates, only it would restore much faster because the restore program on the bootable DVD would be (a minimal version of) Linux instead of creaky old DOS.

(Edit) Upon further reflection I see that, in a computer with only a DVD burner from which the remastered Knoppix CD would have to run, it would be necessary to remove the Knoppix CD in order to burn a backup DVD of the system partition. So the question becomes: once the program on the Knoppix CD which will do the backup is configured, how big a program has to remain in RAM while burning the DVD?

I don't see why the burning program couldn't appropriate most of the RAM, since the burning process can be pretty much DMA between the hard drive and the DVD burner. Am I wrong?