using ghost for clean install?

[adalgisa]

I'm system administrator by default for a peer-to-peer network of 8 computers running win98se and XP pro. Everyone has been free to install whatever programs they want, wherever they want to, and after about 5 years of this (!) I'd like to do some major cleanup and reinstallation of programs to get the bugs out.
The issue is, they're just going to gunk things up again.

Months ago I read a post from a guy who took care of computers at an internet cafe, who used Norton Ghost (I think) & partitions to clean things out easily- but I can't find this post. Does anyone know how this would be done?

[DougL]

Hi adalgisa

working for the local council we use ghost all the time, basically if the PC's are all the same i.e hardware and software then rebuild one of your existing PC's be it win98 or XP from scratch so everything is how you want it. Use the ghost software to take an image to a slave drive and then use this image to reimage the other PC's. As you have 98 and XP you will need two images. On putting the PC's back on the network rename them as before. At least then if someone screws up a PC you can quickly reimage it. H/D to H/D normally takes about ten minutes.

Doug

[adalgisa]

If the computers are all different - they are all Dell, but were purchased at different times, with different components - would I do a complete reinstall on each one, and then make a ghost image on a separate partition?

[thefultonhow]

I would actually advise seeing if you can get an 8-user license for Windows XP Pro Corporate and making a custom installation CD that pulls the application packages from a central server, making a DVD with all the apps, or just setting up an RIS server and PXE booting every time you want to reinstall. My high school used Ghost, but we switched over to RIS because it offers a lot more flexibility in terms of deplying machines and images, does all hardware detection for each machine we use it on, and makes it easier to add application packages along the line. MSFN has a guide on creating an unattended install CD with popular applications, and here is a guide on using RIS (albeit one that focuses on Windows 2000 and not Windows XP/2003). You may also need InstallShied Repackager to use this method with some applications; it is available free as part of AdminStudio SMS Edition.

[glc]

You could, of course, make a Ghost image of each individual machine and burn CD's (or store all the images on one big hard drive, this would require opening a machine to slave it in to do a restore). More time consuming at the start, but easier to manage. 8 machines aren't really worth setting up a server, PXE, RIS, or anything that advanced.

[DougL]

My employer purchases Dell PC's namely GX240, GX260, GX270 and GX 280, as GLC suggested i carry a H/D around with me with all the images on so when i am out on site i can quickly reimage a PC. At work we keep the images on a server in the workshop.If your PC's are all different then make an image for each one and keep it on a separate H/D. Its a pain to begin i.e. making images but once you have the images it makes life a lot easier in the long run.

Doug

[adalgisa]

Originally Posted by glc You could, of course, make a Ghost image of each individual machine and burn CD's (or store all the images on one big hard drive, this would require opening a machine to slave it in to do a restore). More time consuming at the start, but easier to manage. 8 machines aren't really worth setting up a server, PXE, RIS, or anything that advanced.

I'm willing to put in the extra time to make it easier to manage! Wouldn't saving the image on a partition work? Isn't that how XP does system restores?
Doug, some of the computers don't have room for a slave drive, and their BIOS won't allow booting from a USB device.
I'm actually looking at Acronis True Image software now, since Ghost 9 requires XP.

[glc]

If you don't mind spending some bucks, here's a great solution. Buy an Apricorn EZ-Bus USB hard drive housing. Buy a spare hard drive for each machine. The housing comes with imaging and cloning software. The CD is bootable into the cloning utility, and it loads USB drivers. You can clone (not image) drives back and forth simply by booting with the CD with the external drive hooked up, just make sure you have the correct drive in the housing. The imaging software has to be installed in Windows, and runs in Windows, if you want to try that instead. This is a way to possibly avoid purchasing multiple hard drives. I've made images with it, but haven't tried to restore them yet. I use the cloning software heavily for all my hard drive upgrades, it works with internal to internal, IDE, SATA, SCSI, external, doesn't matter. It's not keyed to the housing. Same with the imaging software, it just doesn't work from a DOS executable that I know of.

If you want to investigate further details, give Apricorn a call - their techs are very accomodating. This is the kit I'm talking about:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817155601

[DougL]

As with the PC's we have they don't have room for a slave drive so what i have to do is open up the case and temporarily disconnect the optical drive. Using the IDE connection from this i then connect up my IDE drive to the now spare IDE connector. i then boot from the floppy disc to get into ghost, working for the local council they don't spend mega pounds (bucks) on anything fancy, but thats another story!

I have used Acronis software myself on private PC's and found it to be very good. Storing images on sparate partitions is ok but if the h/d goes south so can the image. its a risk but all backups are a risk aren't they?

Doug

[adalgisa]

Ok, I have a lot to think about now while I wait for the partition software to arrive from NewEgg! Thanks for all your suggestions- you guys are great!

[glc]

Found out something today - it looks like the Apricorn software may really be Acronis. I ejected the CD during the loading process and the error message said "Acronis Boot Loader".

[adalgisa]

glc, could you post the link to that Apricorn enclosure again? the link given says the item was "deactivated" - whatever deal they had on it is over I guess.
... is this the same thing?

[thefultonhow]

It's no longer on Newegg's site. This is a similar enclosure that also has FireWire, and this is the USB-only one. Both links go to ZipZoomFly -- I don't think I've personally dealt with them, but I've heard that they are decent.

[glc]

You can buy Apricorn enclosures direct from Apricorn on their site, but they charge retail.

http://www.apricorn.com/shopping.php?ID=173

The only Apricorn universal enclosure at Newegg now is the SATA one (DTS), and it's 70 bucks. Newegg does have some with a preinstalled hard drive, shop by brand and you can see the whole list.

The ones that TFH linked to at ZZF are the same thing. I usually recommend the combo USB/Firewire one (DTC) for maximum compatibility and flexibility.

[adalgisa]

I ordered the Apricorn kit - USB since that's one thing the workstations have in common! - This may be a stupid question, but I've never cloned drives before: could I get a big hard drive, make 8 or however many partitions, and clone one hard drive per partition? or would I have to have separate hard drives for each clone?

[glc]

If you clone, you need separate hard drives. If you image, you can store all the images on a single drive, I have a customer managing 4 machines this way. You could call Apricorn to confirm, I may be mistaken and it might be possible using the expert mode in Clone EZ.