How can I make an image of a HDD installation?

[KSoD]

More than likely you will run into the same issues. In fact you probably would have less issue with the hardware cloner over software.

Cloning isnt a exact science cause the hardware profile has to be very simialr for Windows not to throw out errors. So your best option might be to have several different Images for the different types of machines.

Yeah it stinks but at least it is far more effective than to try and install Windows from scratch.

 

[Jayce]

That may be do-able, though... Think about it in this case, Mak...

With the HDD Cloner, in order to have a master copy of each computer, I would need a master image on a hard drive of each computer. Okay fine. So then I'd have like 15 hard drives sitting around. That's a problem... because computers sometimes have hard drives problems at a quicker rate than UPS can get new hard drives to us...

But with CloneZilla, if I have to set up 15 images, that's fine... because they're files... they'd be stored on 1 hard drive in 1 spare computer that I can run Ubuntu on (since it seems CloneZilla needs some form of Linux to act as a CloneZilla Server) and then I can just pick accordingly to which image I need... That just might work... *hmm*

Any input you might have that maybe I'm overlooking, Mak?

 

[KSoD]

No. If you were to go the software route and use CloneZilla you would be right with your thought process. Which would be very valuble in not only time but resources cause you would only have 1 machine that had to have the images. Could even burn a set of discs to pass around if need be.

Either way the short fall is the hardware profile. Have you looked at sysprep and all that to maybe bypass that whole issue?

 

[Jayce]

The hardware profile? What I'm saying is this, Mak... maybe we're not on quite the same page with the whole 15 separate images thing I mentioned.

I get a hold of an HP D510 - make a 2k Pro copy. Create image. Format. Make an XP copy. Create image. Format.

Bam. Two images for the D510. Windows 2000 Pro and XP Pro. (Reasoning behind us still using 2k Pro is because some educational programs in the elementary schools have unusual issues with XP, but not 2k Pro, so it's valuable I have both since I manage two elementary schools).

I get my hands on another computer we use here frequently. Say the Optiplex 740.

Install 2k Pro. Image. Format.
Install XP Pro. Image. Format.

Two images for the 740.

etc etc...

So basically, I'd have to create images on the 15 computers separately on the designated computer the image will be intended for anyway...

That way when I have my own library of a dozen images or so, when I come across a student computer that needs 2k Pro that's a D510, I just need to look for D510, 2k Pro, select it... bam. Image.

Sound a little more on target?

EDIT - No, I have not looked at sysprep. I shall though... I know nothing about it. Any useful resources you might advise with it?

 

[KSoD]

I fully understand what you are saying Jayce. The hardware profile is the profile of the hardware used to install the OS. What you are talking about is basically the same thing i was saying.

The HP D510 has a different hardware profile than the Optiplex 740. That is what i am reffering to.

Even a item as much as a sound card can throw Windows into a fit about having the wrong drivers installed. This is where you can run into issues with your 1 image for all routine.

As for Sysprep just read up on it from the KB articles provided by Microsoft. That is all i have done.

 

[Jayce]

I'm not worried about drivers... I have an 8gb flash drive nearly full of drivers from every computer we have. They're not a big deal because of the fact that they take a few minutes to install... and I still have to install our anti virus software (separate from the image).

My main thing here is I want it to be fully unattended from start to finish... I don't want Windows to prompt me dead center of the installation for my cd key... which, never seizes to make me laugh each time. Half way through? Really?

Anyway, if I can just go from nothing to full install in an easy step, I'm game. As I said, drivers I can worry about after the fact. I just want the bulk of it to zoom on through.

But, come to think of it... if drivers are the only thing that would differentiate hardware profiles... wouldn't 1 image work for all? And I'd just have to work with specific driver installs after? Or would I run into the same issue I do with the cloning machine?

 

[KSoD]

The thing is that the image is done from a system that already has a hardware profile. Which would be the hardware profile that would have to match every other system.

Upon install of Windows the last step is to install all the drivers for that system. So there is no way to install Windows without getting a hardware profile with a set of drivers already on it.

So you would still have to do seperate images for each. Cause the hardware profile consists of things like the mobo in use, CPU in use, GFX driver and such things that are needed.

So no a single image wouldnt work cause it would still have a hardware profile that would have to match every other system.

I think that is where sysprep would be of great help for you.

 

[Jayce]

I'll check out sysprep. But for the heck of it, I want to get this question out there... what if I just tack in my batch of drivers for all of the computers I use within the image? Maybe it could work? Somehow?

I'll check it out...

 

[KSoD]

You could just take the installers in with the image. Put them in a folder on the system drive that is being cloned. It would work for you to just open that folder and click install.

Since basically a clone takes all data that is on the drive and make a image of it. If you had the driver installers be part of that image they should all be there.

 

[Jayce]

Hm, I'm confused over CloneZilla.

On two computers with Windows XP NTFS installed on the hard drive I tried CloneZilla.

Each time when it's about to get started, it says my drive is mounted and it must be unmounted in order to run.

So I go to command line version, as instructed, and unmount the drive. Then go back to the installer (again, as instructed). and it STILL says it's mounted and must be unmounted to image...

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