Yeah, thats exactly what I use Symantec Ghost for. What do you use?<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 11/30/05, <b class="gmail_sendername">James C. Dastrup</b> <<a href="mailto:jc@dastrup.com">jc@dastrup.com</a>
> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Just an off-topic tip:<br><br>My biannual Windows reinstall takes 5 minutes. Image a working
<br>system up to your network, then image it down when you need to<br>rebuild. And if you use sysprep, then even any hardware changes<br>don't affect the image process. Or, put a sysprep'ed image on<br>a DVD and just image it to any computer - you never need to
<br>see the installation again.<br><br>________________________________<br><br>From: <a href="mailto:mythtv-users-bounces@mythtv.org">mythtv-users-bounces@mythtv.org</a> on behalf of Michael T. Dean<br>Sent: Wed 11/30/2005 12:27 PM
<br>To: Discussion about mythtv<br>Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] I'm thinking of switching to windows :(<br><br>And drivers, and ... I always set aside a minimum of 8 hours for my<br>biannual (that's twice a year, not biennial--once every two years)
<br>Windows re-install of my gaming system and I don't have to install any<br>apps on that system save the one game I'm playing at the time.<br><br>Not to mention the obviously-flawed Windows installer to which people<br>
have grown so accustomed that they no longer seem to notice the flaws.<br>You start the Windows install, you format your disk, it copies files, it<br>reboots, and *then* it asks for the CD key. Gee, thanks Microsoft, for
<br>wiping my disk and preventing me from continuing to use my old OS before<br>you told me that some crook OEM sold me an unlicensed Windows CD with my<br>computer. (OK, this one has never happened to me, but still... That's
<br>basically imposing the death sentence without judge and jury.)<br><br>So, the real flaw--that's always a problem--is the fact that there are<br>at least three different points during the install at which the entire<br>
process comes to a complete stop waiting for user input. I was helping<br>a Windows fan-boy install FC4 and after it asked all the information it<br>needed and started downloading packages, I said, "Oh, wait. We have a
<br>problem. I know you really like Windows, and many apps for FC4 are<br>designed to work like those on Windows, but the installer doesn't. It<br>won't stop 45 minutes from now asking for more information, so when we<br>
come back, the install will be complete."<br><br>OK, not all Linux distros do their installers correctly, either--yes,<br>this means you Ubuntu--but come on... Does Microsoft really expect me<br>to sit there in front of the installer reading their Windows XP ads for
<br>45 minutes? If so, you'd think they at least have enough ads that they<br>don't repeat throughout the install.<br><br>And I won't even get into the installer loading drivers for every<br>possible piece of hardware before the installer can begin. (Ever hear
<br>of auto-detection, MS?)<br><br>Mike<br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>mythtv-users mailing list<br><a href="mailto:mythtv-users@mythtv.org">mythtv-users@mythtv.org</a><br><a href="http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users">
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users</a><br><br><br></blockquote></div><br>