[Slinkie]

This is probably not the correct place to ask but I'll start here and accept
all negative comments and be thankful for any advice and apoligize for
my violations. I don't know how to ask the question so I must explain.

I have made a WinXP install CD and it works as I want it to.
When I wish to reinstall my WinXP I would rather not use the install
CD so I made an image of the hard drive. The image restores the hard drive
and WinXP works just fine.

When the computer has restarted I do nothing other than shut it down
and I make another image of the hard disk. That image is sometimes
smaller and sometimes larger than the original image. The difference in
size varies from only a few bytes to more than 1KB. If I restore from that
second image and again do nothing more than restart the computer and
image again there will once more be a difference in size. I f I repreat the
process many times each image will be slightly different in size, perhaps
slightly larger or smaller each time.

My WinXP is FAT32. I have no swap file. The images are made in DOS using
GHOST or some other DOS or CD bootable imaging program. The results are
the same even if I use some sort of LINUX bootable CDROM. Makes no difference.

I have experimented and proven to myself that the change in size is due to a
change in the registry, C:\Windows\System32\Config\*.* or to NTUSER.DAT
Yet when I look at the the size of those files there is no difference between them.

If I've somehow made myself clear then the question I suppose that I am asking is:
"Why the change?" Yes, it is small but to my thinking it should not be different.

Now just one more thing. If you know the program DeepFreeze (www.faronics.com)
if I use FREEZE then there is no change no matter what i do.

I hope I have explained this so someone can understand and the question is so
"off the wall" that few people, if any, other than myself would care.

But can any of you here comment or suggest or shed any light or contribute or
even solve the mystery?

Thank you and I wold be delighted with any of your comments.

###############

[jaclaz]

How EXACTLY are you making the image?
From what you report it seems like you are doing an image of the "used sectors" ONLY of the hard disk.

If this is the case, it is possible that the difference is in "cluster" occupation (size of file vs. size on disk)

You will have to compare with something like the tools here:
http://www.partition...m/utilities.htm

Of course if you use DeepFreeze or similar software there are no changes whatsoever (that's exactly what that kind of software is supposed to do).

You can also try running ERUNT to defrag the registry before taking an image though cannot say if it will change this behaviour.

jaclaz

[nitroshift]

Moved to the appropriate section of the board.



nitroshift