For my PC I use SyncBack to automatically backup MyDocuments to an internal slave drive and an external hard drive at 2am. This works well since the 'puter is running 24-7.

What's a good method for a laptop? I hate to have to remember to do it, but I don't want to leave the laptop on 24-7 since they run so much hotter?

Is there a good set it and forget it way to keep my laptop backed up?

On my laptops I have all my data stored on a central server. So, the data is still backed up daily. If I need to take the laptops where they will be away from the server, I'll copy needed files to a USB drive or the local drive.

I'm with Scott here. I keep all my laptop's data on another system, but with Windows XP pro, I use the "Offline Files" feature to sync the folders I need to the laptop so I have anytime access.