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

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

for this

likewise

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!!

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 B)

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.