possible to back up vista software?

sorry but when it comes to software and operating systems im quite clueless.
i was wondering if it is possible to create a back up of my os ( vista ultimate )
from my hp computer.
i want to do this as i have already once encountered a problem with my hard drive and lost vista along with all my stuff. and i took it to my local shop to see what they could do. im not sure exactly what they did but i got a new hard drive with the same hp oem version of vista i originally had.

so basically is there any way to backup my copy of vista that i currently have no cd for. or will i just have to buy a new copy if something happens again?

thankyou.

Yes. Programs like Symantec Ghost can clone a hard drive or partition, either by copying
to another hard drive directly, or by creating an image file (which then be backed up
on another media and restored later if needed).

I just used this technique to restore a friend's PC yesterday (riddled with malware),
good thing I had made a ghost image after installing his OS and drivers a couple of
years ago. Yes, he had to backup his data files to another drive, and yes he will have
to reinstall his applications, but he was so happy that his PC was fast again.

Vista utlmate also has a nice back program. I use to back up my OS partition.

Correct. There is a "Backup and Restore" option in most versions of Vista including Ultimate.

I highly recommend clonezilla. It is free and works awesome. You also have many different options to back up to, such as a network share or a usb or e-sata drive.

thnx for the help guys.
i think ill go with the vista backup option as it seems to be the most straight forward.
even though you cant really customize what you want to back up.

i might look more into the clonezilla and booting it off a usb.but seems liek a bit mroe work.

thanks again