[amenx]

I have 2 images, one after a fresh install with just the basic drivers and the other a semi-fresh install with most of the programs that I normally use, ie, CD Burning, MS Office, Anti-virus, Multi-media apps, etc.

A fresh install is just too much of a time wasting hassle.

[prx984]

i use whichever makes the most sense for the scenario. if i have really fowled up my computer ill reimage it to when i had it all nice and neet. if i change hardware, i reinstall then make a new image so windows is totally configured and setup for the new hardware. an "optimization" so to speak.

[Andromeda43]

amenx, on Aug 4 2006, 02:27 PM, said:

I have 2 images, one after a fresh install with just the basic drivers and the other a semi-fresh install with most of the programs that I normally use, ie, CD Burning, MS Office, Anti-virus, Multi-media apps, etc.

A fresh install is just too much of a time wasting hassle.

You can sure say that again!!!!

When you've already done a fresh install once.....why go through all that pain and agony again?????
Just make your Ghost or whatever, backup Image of that nice clean install and whenever you might need it again just do a Restore of that image. If you change any major hardware items, just make yourself a new Image file.

An install can take an hour or better (just for Windows), while a Ghost Restore (for instance, because that's what I use) can take as little as three minutes on a SATA hard drive.....a bit longer on an IDE drive. Or even longer from a DVD, but it's almost seamless. Start it up, go have lunch and come back and its all done.

I've been using Ghost (originally from Ghostsoft, Inc.) for about ten years now.
I love it!!!!!

I've just finished recovering a very badly fouled up HP/ Pent III/ Desktop PC.
Someone had totally removed Outlook Express from it. Getting that back in and working properly was no easy chore. But now it's done. There is NO factory restore disk for this old PC that started out years ago in a bank. MY next step now will be to finish the cleanup process and make them a Restore CD, using Ghost 2003. The CD will be self booting with the Ghost program on it, so I can do a restore even to a brand new HD.

When you've got the best, you can forget the rest.

Cheers!
Andromeda43

[HyperHacker]

Ideally I'd use imaging. The problem with that is I have to get to the state where everything is still fresh and working good, and I have all my programs configured the way I like them. But by the time they're set up like that (which can take months because I'm lazy ) things aren't fresh anymore and problems start to pop up. I'd say by now everything is set up how I like it, but now it's starting to need reinstalling again. Doh!

Maybe next time I'll try to set up quicker and make an image before things start going bad. As for reinstalling, I haven't bothered to make a UA CD, so it's attended for me. I have a TV and a few game systems right next to the computer, so no biggie.

[spacesurfer]

HyperHacker, on Aug 6 2006, 10:08 PM, said:

Ideally I'd use imaging. The problem with that is I have to get to the state where everything is still fresh and working good, and I have all my programs configured the way I like them. But by the time they're set up like that (which can take months because I'm lazy ) things aren't fresh anymore and problems start to pop up. I'd say by now everything is set up how I like it, but now it's starting to need reinstalling again. Doh!

That's why I made a list of Tweaks to apply after a fresh install and all the program I need to load. I just go through everything on the list to get my system. I can do it in about 4 hrs to get a system I want, before I connect to the internet.

So, when I'm done, I have a fresh-base image with no software. Another image after all the tweaks and progs.
Therefore, it doesn't take me months.

I keep a third image as well so my first and second are untouched, but the third one is replaced with a newer one as things change.

[Andromeda43]

I can fix computer problems.....it's what I've done for the past 26 years.

What I can't fix is lazyness. There's no fix for it and really NO excuse for it either.

Lazy? You're on your own. There's NO help for you in any forum.

Good Luck though,

Andromeda43

[playsafe]

Well, I usually prefered to re-install.
But now, I use VMWare and after all basic installations that are required, I make copy of the whole machine.
I dont use Imaging softwares because, I dont know about any free one. I used Norton ghost sometimes for my friend though.

Can anybody suggesta good freeware Imaging software?
I read a poll on msfn about good imaging softwares but they were not freeware.

[Andromeda43]

You don't need the entire GUI version of Ghost.
All you need is the Ghost.exe file and a bootable floppy or CD.
That's the most basic use of Ghost.
Add Mouse.com so you can use your PS2 mouse to run Ghost.

I've created a great Ghost boot floppy which I use several times a week.
It's all menu driven. Here's the Ansi-Color menu:

 GHOST 2003 Menu

1. Run Ghost to make a new image, Windows XP
This program will delete all temp files, cookies, histories, etc.
The Cleanup works only on a FAT-32 partition.

2. Run Ghost
This program runs Ghost alone, with NO cleanup being done.
Use this version to do Ghost Restores or Ghost image without cleanup.
You must use this option on any NTFS partition.

3. Run Ghost on Windows 98 (deletes the Swapfile and all temp's.)

4. Delete all Restore points (Windows XP. Works on FAT-32 partition only)

5. Delete Windows "Pagefile" (Windows XP. Works on FAT-32 partitions only)

Type in a number at the DOS Prompt and press ENTER.

**********************************

This setup is designed to work on a Windows 98 system as well as a Windows XP system.
It's all you need to do full HD backups whenever you like and on any system with a floppy drive.
Most CD burning software will take this floppy and create a bootable CD from it. I use Nero to do it on my own PC.

Good Luck,
Andromeda43

[spacesurfer]

Andromeda43, on Aug 8 2006, 12:48 PM, said:

5. Delete Windows "Pagefile" (Windows XP. Works on FAT-32 partitions only)

You don't have to delete the pagefile (pagefile.sys). Both Ghost 2003 and TrueImage copy it as a zero-byte file. It's has been discussed here.

I've confirmed this. I created a Ghost image of a fresh system. The size of the fresh system was about 1 Gb. When I made the ghost image, the size was < 700 mb (small for a CD). That was not due to compression but ghost skipping the pagefile.sys.

[imaster]

I use imaging with unattended install. When you have to support over 1000 PC's, you better have your hard drives imaged ahead of time. (I have 12 pre-imaged HDD's setting on my desk right now). And since my single master image works in any of our 15 different model PC's, all I have to do is replace the HDD and the PC is fixed in 5 minutes! I do not have time to install OS's & programs the old fashion way. I have been using DriveImage with some multi-imaging software from multixpimage . Having to only maintain 1 image is great and I can update it in less than 1 hour.

[spacesurfer]

Wow, unattended installs rule. I would have thought a lot more people would use imaging software.

[Monk Psycho]

Thunderbolt 2864, on Jul 25 2006, 06:15 AM, said:

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

for this
likewise

[Tylerpestell]

I do what someone else has mentioned. I partition my 250Gb Drive into 2 partitions: C:\ 3Gb and D:\ 247Gb.

I do a fresh install of Windows XP with all the updates. Create an image of my C:\ and put it on my D:\

Then I try to get Windows XP and all my applications setup just the way I like it and create another image of my C:\

I use Image for Windows which is quite fast and small.

For awhile I was using nLite to get my Windows XP install just perfect but I would keep running into problems down the road with some applications not working which was a pain.

I just whish programs never had to be Installed in the first place ... Why can't they all just stay in there own **** directory ... if you want them to run you just double click on the exe and it runs. Why all the bul***** of putting files in application data, system32, windows and adding s*** to the registry?? Then you can just use a fresh image everytime or fresh install for slipstreaming latest updates and then just copy all the shortcuts for all your programs back in the startmenu or quicklaunch bar done ... no installing s***. I think that would make for a much cleaner OS. There are some programs like this where all I have to do is make the shortcut to them after a fresh install and they work fine. Image for Windows is one of these programs. There are several that I use that are like that ... why can't they all be like that? If you ever want to uninstall a program ... you simply delete the program directory! Seriously, does anyone know why this isn't the way it is?? I am done going off.

"Image for Windows" all the way!!

[Andromeda43]

spacesurfer, on Aug 18 2006, 05:19 PM, said:

Wow, unattended installs rule. I would have thought a lot more people would use imaging software.

That's because, people don't know how, to properly use Imaging Software

If something gets on your PC that screws up drivers or data, an Unattended install will do you NO good at all.

With a total backup image of C: safely put away, you can reformat, repartition, even replace the HD with a new one and just Restore your backed up Image file and you're back in business like nothing ever happened.
Having that Image file along with the Imaging Software on a bootable DVD makes the job of recovery a snap.

With the Imaging Software that I use (Ghost 2003) I can make a total backup of my C: drive in just over four minutes on my SATA hard drive when the image is saved to a second HD or second partition on my main drive.
Writing that Image file to a DVD with Ghost 2003, takes about a half hour.

A side benefit of having that compressed Image file on another HD, is that after doing the four minute backup I can do a four minute Restore and get the effect of the Worlds Greatest Defrag.
Every file on the HD is re-written in perfect order with NO spaces between files and (of course) NO fragmentation.

So in less than ten minutes, I've done a complete system backup and a 100% defrag. It just don't get much better than that.

Since it takes so little time, I do it several times a week.

I'm completely familiar with the Unattended RE-Install technique, but with System Restore and a Ghost backup handy, I really have no need to ever do the RE-Install again. It becomes redundant.

An added attraction to my backup system, is that I run Ghost 2003 from a boot disk (floppy or CD).
Since my entire system is still in FAT-32 mode, I can run batch files from my boot disk (in DOS) to delete my pagefile, old Restore files and all temp files before actually doing my backup. That typically reduces the size of my backup image file by about 2 gig's.

When I reboot to XP after my backup, windows makes itself a new Pagefile and a new Restore Point.

I now have hundreds of my customers using my system and they really love the protection against disaster that it provides.

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?

Andromeda43

[prx984]

iv gotten into the imaging thing. i still like to do the occasional reload though, just to clean things out. or if i install a new peice of hardware.