Making Duplicate Copy of OS

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> AFAIK you can have one copy of the OS software for your own use???

As with everything else, check the small print in the EULA for the specific
software you are talking about. But if you are talking about Windows, then
as far as I know, the EULA permits you to make a copy as a backup.

Be careful what you define as "use" though. A backup is just that, and only
that. In other words, it's supposed to be there in case your OS gets
screwed up and your original disc is lost or damaged, so that you can
reinstall or add components etc. You still only have one licence and that
means one installation on one machine (assuming we're talking about the
typical "home user" scenario). If you "use" the backup for anything else,
to install on another machine for example or to make further copies for
whatever reason, you are (most probably) breaching the EULA depending on
exactly what you do.

> What's the best method of copying? Copy the CDs to drive and then burn to
> cd? Or, right click and " duplicate", and then burn?

I think the best way is always to use dedicated duplication software, which
specifically says that it is making a "disc duplicate" or a "clone". Not
sure about the technical side, but copying files and folders often doesn't
work, because I think there's all sorts of stuff on an original that isn't
getting copied or isn't getting copied into the right place or in the right
way. You are going through your operating system and files that you copy
may in some way carry a trace of the original copy/paste process. For some
files this isn't a problem, but I guess for others this may alter the nature
of the file sufficiently that it won't work in the same way on the copy.
Some of the more clued up folk might be able to explain it better than that.

A disc duplication on the other hand is literally a bit-by-bit reproduction
of what's on the original, doesn't matter what the data is or what it does,
where one drive reads and the other writes. You either need two drives, of
course, or you can usually make some sort of image file of the original disc
in the software's native format and then burn this to the second disc.

Tanel.