Windows Creating & Restoring a clean XP install image

Discussion in 'Tech Support' started by neil_b, 10 Jun 2010.

  1. neil_b

    neil_b Minimodder

    Joined:
    20 Jun 2009
    Posts:
    297
    Likes Received:
    1
    I have a copy of Avanquest's "Perfect Image Backup & Protect suite" s/w and would like to take advantage of some of its capabilities as I have to re-install Windows XP on my laptop. I plan to do the following;

    1) Install a new larger hard-disk in the laptop.
    2) Install Windows and drivers etc.
    3) Burn a copy image of the fresh install on the new disk onto a DVD/CD using the Avanquest software (before all the usual apps etc get loaded).
    4) Put the copy away for a rainy day.

    Couple of questions occur to me (with the caveat that I do intend to use the Avanquest s/w and the image it's made previously!)

    a) If I subsequently need to re-install XP using my DVD-stored image (and assuming that the laptop is still running), do I simply insert the DVD into the laptop and invoke the "restore image" functionality in the Avanquest s/w? and/or

    b) If say, the HDD dies and I have to install a new disk, how does the laptp boot up in the first-place to enable me to use the previously made image. Can I boot from the image DVD or do I have to do something else first so that I can then use the DVD image previosuly made? I believe that Avanquest can also make bootable disks and in fact the disk the s/w came on can also act as a bootable disk.

    Many thanks.

    Sorry if this is a bit long-winded but it's one of those things you typically don't know how to do until you've done it once or more!
     
  2. adam_bagpuss

    adam_bagpuss Have you tried turning it off/on ?

    Joined:
    24 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    4,282
    Likes Received:
    159
    can you not burn a bootable restore DVD ?

    then doesnt need an OS to restore itself.
     
  3. AndyCubb

    AndyCubb Victory is mine!

    Joined:
    21 May 2010
    Posts:
    68
    Likes Received:
    0
    Neil, I would assume that Avanquest's disk it burns will be something similar to Norton Ghost where it creates a bootable disk with the necessary bits and the image for your machine all in one.
    Simply stick the disk in, boot machine and it should load to a GUI of some sort with the option for you to restore the image etc.
     
  4. neil_b

    neil_b Minimodder

    Joined:
    20 Jun 2009
    Posts:
    297
    Likes Received:
    1
    I'm sort of assuming that this is what it'll do, but the manual is so wordy although despite the wordiness it doesn't explain the various terms it uses - interchanging (as far as I can tell) words like "recovery disk" and "back-up disk" apparently randomly. I'm sure it's all pretty obvious to the guy who wrote the manual, however this is a case to too much (unclear) information.

    I guess it's probably going to give me the option of creating a bootable image disk, but it's not clear at this point, as I'm waiting to get a fully stable base XP install (see other thread of mine re wifi problem) before jumping into even more complexity rather than trying to do a million things at once and compounding the root-problem I'm encountering. I'm asking this question on this thread so I can try (for once!) to do the right thing in terms of creating a really useful back-up etc when the time comes.

    Thanks for any input.
     

Share This Page