Backup Applications for a system relaod?

Z

ZoSo

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 5, 2004
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Is it possible to back up installed programs so that when I re-load Windows 7, I don't have to go through re-installing all my software from cd/dvd, but rather migrate, for a lack of a better term, them back in?
Main reason I'm asking is future hardware upgrades, re-installing Windows is no problem, but re-installing all the apps I use is so time consuming and I'd like to try and cut that down.
I usually create an image of my system when I'm finished loading everything and it works out great, but obviously it wouldn't work to well when I change hardware i.e. motherboard, or build a new rig.

TIA
 
Yes.

Windows 7 has a built in total system backup. Just go to the Backup and Restore section in Control Panel and create a system image. It will drop an image onto an extra drive or span some DVD's. This way when you want to reinstall the OS, just boot to your Windows 7 DVD and choose to restore from system image, drop in the disc and your back at square one, exactly as the system was when you imaged it.

Follow this guide if you would like some help with it.

Windows 7 will boot with different hardware installed so this should work even if you change hardware.
 
The thing that concerns me though, what is it's ability or limitations dealing with different raid configurations and different partition setups.
Plus I do a fair amount of software testing and wouldn't want any "left-over" files or registry entries in the new OS load.
Thanks for the info!
 
ZoSo said:
The thing that concerns me though, what is it's ability or limitations dealing with different raid configurations and different partition setups.
Plus I do a fair amount of software testing and wouldn't want any "left-over" files or registry entries in the new OS load.
Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Yeah you seem to be doing a little more than what the feature was intended for.

Have you thought about testing on a VM so you don't need to change hardware configurations or is the hardware changes part of the testing?
 
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