how to make windows xp recovery disk

[lonesome21]

Hello, i need to make a recovery disk for my pc. i am using windows xp. after installing my os and all necessary software i want to make this cd. like with laptop they provide some recovery disk i want to make a disk like that. is that possible. thanks in advance.

[Arie]

You could create an unattended installation disc for example, or make an image using sysprep, or by simply using Ghost. The choice is up to you. If it's for one machine only, I would personally simply make a Ghost image.

[spacesurfer]

I use ImageX. Free from MS.

I actually make an image of a base install with all drivers. Then I install all apps, then take another image.

Advantage of ImageX is you can store multiple images in one file and it optimizes the image such that duplicate files are not stored twice. So two images doesn't mean twice the file size. Only the changed and newer files are added to the image.

Imaging can be done from within windows xp. If you want to recover, however, you'll need winpe or bartpe as you will need to format the drive.

[Andromeda43]

Toshiba makes their Factory restore DVD's using Ghost.

I do likewise every time I have to reinstall XP on a customer's PC.

Ghost 2003, booted from a floppy or CD works very well on Windows XP. (any version)

A fresh install of XP, with minimal software added, will fit on a single DVD using Ghost 2003 in HIGH compression mode.

I won't say Ghost is FREE, but it's available to those willing to go looking for it.

It never needs to be installed on a HD. Ghost.exe is a DOS program and It runs just fine from a DOS boot disk.

Lonesome21, do you have a floppy drive on that PC, or just a CD/DVD drive? (which?)

Curious minds want to know!

B)

[stephens316]

Hi there

I would first recommend getting a flash drive (usb key) um or a usb Hard drive for backup purposes for all of your important files. Then get a copy of Ghost 9.0 this one works the best as far i have been in IT it is what i use and is about $40 at walmart if its still out there they may have newer version now. then i i use this guide for doing my stuff its http://www.uea.ac.uk/itcs/software/xp/xp-sysprep.html i create xp images via this um up to 7 gb is how big i have gone for an image and has worked perfectly all of the time as long as you follow the guide.

hope this helps remember to make a backup first before trying

[Kindovic]

I use ImageX. Free from MS.

I actually make an image of a base install with all drivers. Then I install all apps, then take another image.

Advantage of ImageX is you can store multiple images in one file and it optimizes the image such that duplicate files are not stored twice. So two images doesn't mean twice the file size. Only the changed and newer files are added to the image.

Imaging can be done from within windows xp. If you want to recover, however, you'll need winpe or bartpe as you will need to format the drive.

how do I store multiple images in one file using imagex??

Thanks

[Arie]

Did you even bother looking yourself? Click here for starters, as well as here. All found via Google in just seconds.

[spacesurfer]

For the first image, you do a capture. For the second image, you append it to the first. Thus, you'll be using /capture switch the first time, then the /append switch the second time.

Someone's created a gimagex (gui based imagex). Run over to winpe section and you'll find lots of info there.

[lonesome21]

actually what i want .. i want to burn a dvd with my installed windows xp and few necessary softwares most likely unattended installation. when u buy laptops they provide u a recovery disk. i want to make like that. is it possible by this image makin process?

Edited December 21, 2007 by lonesome21

[spacesurfer]

Update: I successfully restored an image of Windows XP installed on C:\ where the image file was on C:\. So it is possible to restore an image located on the same drive you are restoring. You, of course can't format it then restore the image, but you can at least restore XP. All the files that are not in the image will not be touched.

[DonDamm]

The answer to yoour question is yes. And it has been answered!! Ghost is one of the recommendations. ImageX is for Vista as far as I know and I don't know if it works well for XP. It might.

Another program that works very well and I think is a bit easier to use than Ghost in some ways is True Image by Acronis. It has certain advantages, but does basically the same thing as Ghost and Drive Image. Personally, I use a tiny program called BootIt NG by TerabyteUnlimited.com. XYou don't need to buy it to try it out and you don't need to install it to use it. It is pretty "geeky" so I don't recommend it to most, but it is by far the fastest and most reliable one I've ever come across. It does it's magic usually in under 10 minutes!!! Even with 6+GB.

In fact, making regular images of your system keeping a basic, and two known good working ones is great peace of mind. If anything goes wrong, you can just slap the last good working image on in ten minutes and you're back up and running. It beats re-installing by a mile!!

Do a little research and try a couple of them and see how you like them. There#s no harm in trying more than one.

[spacesurfer]

The answer to yoour question is yes. And it has been answered!! Ghost is one of the recommendations. ImageX is for Vista as far as I know and I don't know if it works well for XP. It might.

ImageX is independent of the OS installed. It does not perform an OS check before creating an image, although I'm sure it does not support Linux partitions - that's about all.

So, ImageX is perfectly suitable for XP and I use it for XP, not Vista.

[DonDamm]

That's great news! I like the idea of not duping files, but being able to keep more than one image in a single file. What I have investigated about ImageX I like. I am encouraged. Thanks.

As with all things, I would urge Lonesome21 to try out making and image and then testing it out on a separate hard disk to make sure it works and that he feels comfortable with the process. If you go to the trouble of making a recovery solution, you reallly need to know that it will work when/if the time comes!! :^)