Install XP via by imaging a drive - possible?

[Daniel53]

Lets say you take a blank drive. Install XP, install all the updates, install all the programs you need, anti-virus, etc. Then you make an image of this drive.

Would it then be possible to get a new blank drive, and just image it using the image you made from the last drive? Could someone point me in the right direction.... Any specific tools? I realize you'd have to change the Micro$oft license/key number...but that is easily done....

Thanks,
-Daniel

[Fark_Maniac]

Norton Ghost

[skriefal]

Norton Ghost or Acronic TrueImage will let you do that. But if will usually work only if you restore to the same hardware on which the image was made. If you restore to a different motherboard, for example, you'll probably have to do an additional repair install to fix up the hardware configuration in the registry -- and then reinstall XP hotfixes, etc.

[Axeldoomeyer]

Actuall if you need to install it on several machines you can do a sysprep install. You can install all of the drivers and other applications that you need to have installed on the final product.

Basically in this order:
1. Install WinXP
2. Install Drivers / Updates
3. Install Applications
4. install Application Updates
5. Defrag
6. Run sysprep on the machine.
7. Use norton ghost or similar to create an image of the drive.

Depending on the syprep options the mini setup will ask you some questions to finish configuring the machine.

Hope this helps.

[djnes]

The Ghost+Sysprep option let's me keep one image on a DVD, and I use it to install XP on any of my home machines, works machines, etc. I don't edit the files, so I am prompted for name, keys, etc.

[Fark_Maniac]

do you have your dvd set to be bootable? that'd be really slick

[djnes]

do you have your dvd set to be bootable? that'd be really slick
Yeah, it boots to a DOS prompt after loading the CD drivers....I used a Win98 boot floppy for the image. Then I stick gdisk.exe, ghost.exe, and my sysprep.gho file on the DVD.