How to delete system area from backup disk?

I was installing a new HD in my laptop and used the Seagate Acronis software
to clone the HD to a Maxtor external USB drive. I later figured out that
was the wrong thing to do, I should have (and did) make a drive image on the
external drive and restore it. That worked fine but now my 320GB external
HD is down to 275GB and I can find no way to delete the clone files that I
copied there from my laptop because they contain system files and apparently
Vista protects them to the point that I can find no way to delete them.
Tried the acronis software and Vista Disk Management with no luck. I am
running Vista Home Prem.

Thanks for any help:)
Neil

Format the drive!

"Neil" <NOMAIL.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:CB0819CE-B423-406F-897A-6FD67FB267EC@microsoft.com...
>I was installing a new HD in my laptop and used the Seagate Acronis
>software to clone the HD to a Maxtor external USB drive. I later figured
>out that was the wrong thing to do, I should have (and did) make a drive
>image on the external drive and restore it. That worked fine but now my
>320GB external HD is down to 275GB and I can find no way to delete the
>clone files that I copied there from my laptop because they contain system
>files and apparently Vista protects them to the point that I can find no
>way to delete them. Tried the acronis software and Vista Disk Management
>with no luck. I am running Vista Home Prem.
>
> Thanks for any help:)
> Neil