Backup-wise, the only OS I can't back up as an image with the operating system are Linux distros. I can always go in with CloneZilla when the machine is off for an offline copy, but on OS X, Windows, AIX, Solaris, and even Android (with the adb backup command) I can make a restorable system image.

The proper way of doing system imaging on a running linux distro is using LVM snapshots - which needs to be setup first.

I have to admit, I really like Windows 7. I've tried various distros of *nix and they all left me in the cold when I realized that I had to hack a bunch of files to get my video/lan/wireless/modem working, and then pray like hell that what worked for one guy on a forum someplace would also work on my machine but never did.

That's because you can't filter the sound advice from the crap. Do you run every registry edit that is spewed on forums when solving a windows issue ?

I've heard this more often than not, but it took me two weeks and three different Apple stores to convince them that there was an issue with the motherboard...and that's with showing two different guys a MemTest86+ that was scrolling memory write failures, then swapping the memory modules into my laptop and having it test flawlessly. I literally had to have my boss take the laptop to a third Apple store and intentionally cause a scene to get them to replace it on principle, because nobody would listen, because THEIR diagnostics were coming back clean, but files were still going unwritten to disk. Admittedly that's just one anecdote, but Origin PC has sent me every single part I've ever asked for after ten minutes on the phone. If you're alright with doing your own hardware repairs on a laptop, Origin's got the better warranty in my experience.

I had to fight with dell for 2 months before they replaced a broken motherboard. And we (a university) are a big Dell customer.