[spacesurfer]

In my last poll, topic went a little stray with a battle of imaging vs unattended.

Here's a new playground where you can offer your opinion on what you prefer.

I think both have their place in different scenarios.

[Xpaninity]

I chose Imaging because I have to many applications and games wich I don´t want to go through with all the installations and reebooting again and again.

I don´t do much unnattended of this reason.

This post has been edited by Xpaninity: 24 July 2006 - 01:44 PM

[Biohead]

I reinstall because I don't really know any good free imaging software and lack the experience in it. I don't use unattended because I've not got round to making a disc yet, and I also use Vista.

[MrCobra]

When I upgrade hardware I do a fresh install and then image my OS partition to a hidden partition and DVD.

[CoffeeFiend]

I mainly reimage (or copy VM's containers for virtual PCs), and use unattended installs to create new images. Sysprep is your friend... Life's too short to reinstall it all unattended all the time. As Vista comes, we'll all be using imaging anyways

[Shindo_Hikaru]

My way of using both tends to use alot time but is worth the effort.

First - create a new Windows Setup disk with all current updates intergrated/slipstreamed.
Second - install all applications, drivers and such.
Third - get any updates needed for step 2.
Forth - Once completed create an updated image. (1 primary and 2 Secondary)

The time imbetween recreateing a new setup disk is based on updates from the time of the current disk and software updates.

As for any documents and personal files i have it seprate from my windows installation for the purpose of not loosing them to a needed format. It is backed up with RAID.

Here is the setup

Hard Disk 1 - 37 GB SATA (WD Raptor) Windows installation and applications

(RAID 1)
Hard Disk 2 - 500 GB SATA WD - Personal files
Hard Disk 3 - 500 GB SATA WD - Personal files
(RAID 1)
Hard Disk 4 - 320 GB PATA WD - Personal files
Hard Disk 5 - 320 GB PATA WD - Personal files

[bledd]

Shindo_Hikaru, on Jul 25 2006, 06:06 AM, said:

Here is the setup

Hard Disk 1 - 37 GB SATA (WD Raptor) Windows installation and applications

(RAID 1)
Hard Disk 2 - 500 GB SATA WD - Personal files
Hard Disk 3 - 500 GB SATA WD - Personal files
(RAID 1)
Hard Disk 4 - 320 GB PATA WD - Personal files
Hard Disk 5 - 320 GB PATA WD - Personal files

omg, thats nuts

i use 2x74gb raptors in raid0 for windows + apps

then a 320gb drive for stuff, 2x250gb for videos, 80gb for music, and 2x320gb (non raid) for backup

[awilliamson]

I reinstall from scratch, but have developed a checklist of items and serial sheet for all applications. It's a little tedious, but I don't really perform the clean installations too often.

[Thunderbolt 2864]

Since I got Acronis True Image, I've used that. Its too much hassle to reinstall everything again.

[Jeremy]

Thunderbolt 2864, on Jul 25 2006, 09:15 AM, said:

Since I got Acronis True Image, I've used that. Its too much hassle to reinstall everything again.

Same here. I also plan on using DeepFreeze in the future so nothing quirky happens to my system over time.

[Shindo_Hikaru]

The process of what i do it to ensure system updates are all current within an allowable amount and program updates, so i do not have to waste time for update downloads.

Which would you have to restore from a image of your install that would require 30 some updates and programs that require other long list of updates or an current image of windows that has updates intergrated that only requires 6 or less.

As far as RAID0 for installation disk, it is nice to have but when one of your drives dies, then it is off to the store or online to find the exact model. Although the same could be said for my own drive but in all truth, why would i need a raid0 for my installation disk, only to perhaps make my system faster for games and CAD, and such.

Note here is my MOBO connectors

2 SATA
2 SATA - RAID
2 PATA
2 PATA - RAID

all in all i can have 12 drives on my system.

all on my motherboard, no pci/pci-e controller cards.

[pmshah]

Shindo_Hikaru, on Jul 26 2006, 12:03 AM, said:

The process of what i do it to ensure system updates are all current within an allowable amount and program updates, so i do not have to waste time for update downloads.

Which would you have to restore from a image of your install that would require 30 some updates and programs that require other long list of updates or an current image of windows that has updates intergrated that only requires 6 or less.

As far as RAID0 for installation disk, it is nice to have but when one of your drives dies, then it is off to the store or online to find the exact model. Although the same could be said for my own drive but in all truth, why would i need a raid0 for my installation disk, only to perhaps make my system faster for games and CAD, and such.

Note here is my MOBO connectors

2 SATA
2 SATA - RAID
2 PATA
2 PATA - RAID

all in all i can have 12 drives on my system.

all on my motherboard, no pci/pci-e controller cards.

I am just curious. What make & model of motherboard are you using? How much ram & power supply
capacity? Is it a server board?

This apart I always have several copies of windows running on my system. One for my normal work which I never disturb. Others for testing new software, new uodate patches, freshly prepared cd/dvd , visiting dangerous sites, etc.

Never use imaging on my own machines since my configuration keeps changing constantly & hardly have the need to reinstall on my main working installation.

[spacesurfer]

Quote

I reinstall from scratch, but have developed a checklist of items and serial sheet for all applications. It's a little tedious, but I don't really perform the clean installations too often.

I tried something similar to this, but then I discovered MSFN's unattended installs and registry tweaks. I rather use registry tweaks to easily customize the system during an unattended install.

I still create an image, however, after my unattended install because it's faster.

[Shindo_Hikaru]

The system specs i gave is for my P4 Canterwood PC, old but good for a low entry server use. My new system is quite insane, in the department of SATA and PATA connectors

[sven]

I reinstall everything. I started making unattended cds 5-6 months ago, but my system just changes too often for me to have a concrete install cd. I would use imaging, but it’s too late. Either way, I format around every year-year and a half, so all I really so is put it to its basic original state, then install the programs I need (no games, etc)

Works for me, and it's something to do while I'm working on my homework (hey, 3 hours without computer distractions, it’s great )

[ripken204]

i reinstall b/c everytime i want to reinstall, i add in the new update pack of hotfixes. so imaging would be useless for me.

[Andromeda43]

I've addressed this question before, to the point of my fingers bleeding from so much typing, so I'm not going to go through all that again. Well, not in great detail anyway.

There seems to be a huge misconception about the UnAttended ReInstall.
If done right, it reinstalls all the windows files, fixing lots of little screw-ups caused by corrupted windows files, but does NOTHING to drivers, data files, etc. It simply "REFRESHES" windows.
Here's how to do it right:
********************************************
Re-Installing Windows-XP
If you need to reinstall Windows-XP and want to keep all your current installed applications and settings:
1. Start Windows-XP
2. Find the location of your source files (a folder called "I386" , May Be on Your Install CD or a folder on your HD) You may find several i386 folders on your PC but you want the one that has the .cab files in it along with the command file "Winnt32.exe".
3. Run WINNT32 /unattend ,,, For example, D:\I386\winnt32.exe /unattend (type this command into the RUN box, then press ENTER).... Leave just one space where I've put three for emphasis, at the end of the command and before the switch (/unattend).
I've often needed to do this to repair something that had gotten corrupted and I didn't want to do a clean install.
*********************************************

Then for the more major screw-up where windows won't even boot any more, having a Ghost Image on a bootable DVD is the cats' Meow. In just a few minutes, you're back up and running. No fault, NO foul!

For just a quickie restore, having a Ghost image on a second HD or second partition on Drive 0, is the ticket.

With my SATA drive, a complete Ghost backup of C: takes me all of four minutes. A restore takes about the same time. (using the second partition on my SATA drive)

Doing a backup followed immediately by a restore, performs a fabulous "Defrag". All files are re-written in perfect order with NO spaces and NO fragmentation. I do this about once a week to keep my HD in perfect order. My resulting HD efficiency is phenominal. I've seen NO defrag program that will do this and surely not in such a short time.

Since I kept my C: drive in FAT-32 mode when I upgraded from 98/SE to XP several years ago, I can run my Ghost program (Ghost.exe) from a bootable floppy or CD and then from some simple DOS batch files, I can delete my Pagefile and my old Restore files as well as all the temp files and other junk files from the HD befor doing the actual Ghost backup. This cleanup of the HD saves me about 2 gigs of space in the resulting Ghost Image. Allowing me to get the entire image written to a single DVD.
Ghost does the writing to the DVD and even includes the boot info from the floppy as the boot sector on the DVD.

I have a series of backup DVD's going back over two years. I try to make a new DVD at least once a week.
I do the quickie backups to D: at least every two to three days.

I've also written and implemented a VBScript that forces a System Restore point to be made every time I boot up my system. (which could easily be three to four times a day) Better to have more restore points than you need, than not having the one you really need, when you really need it. I put that script into my Startup folder so it runs on every boot. I share this technique with many of my customers.

It's no big deal though, as those extra restore points will be deleted when I do my next Ghost backup.

I've assisted users worldwide to set up a Backup system like I use and they really love it.
So Quick and So simple.

Norton's Ghost 2003 is the program I use. It's still available over the internet for under $10. I don't use the entire Windows install, only Ghost.exe on a bootable floppy or CD.
It's almost identicle to the program that Norton bought from 'Ghostsoft, Inc.' back in the late 90's.

Happy Computing!

Andromeda43

[sebaxz]

Unattended, cuz i have all my system ready to go and then i must install, less appz. But sometimes it's better a fresh clean install

[TravisO]

You forgot to add the option that says...

Call up Dell and spend $299 for a new computer

Don't laugh, it's more common than you think.

[Andromeda43]

I'd rather have a bad case of poison ivy!