Using Linux is ok for some of us, but for thoise that don't have the experiance to do that, Acronis True Image is a good solution. Not only are you booting into a very small OS of it's own, (I beleive it's a version of the old Dr. DOS), you immediately have cloning options in a menu driven system that is very easy for someone with limited computer skills to use. Further, the software can be had at pretty reasonable cost.
-JT