I use Norton Ghost utility. This will copy a disk partition to another partition on the same disc or another disc. Thus you get a complete mirror image and don't have to worry about programs and registries.
I have two discs on my system, a 3Gb and a 6Gb. I work on the 3Gb (C drive) and every month or so I "ghost" the 3Gb to a partition on the 6Gb (D drive)for backup purposes. The whole process takes about 10mins and I end up with a perfect copy which you can boot from.
Don't know how much Ghost costs, but have a look at the Norton (Symantec) web site, you may even be able to get a free beta version.