Creating a boot CD

[Guest]

I want to create a boot CD for my PC with XP.

It looks difficult, I'm not an IT wizard but am proficient with tinkering
around and following instructions; I have read articles about how to do this
and it looks like

a) you can create a boot disc - floppy disc version - if you have a floppy
drive. If you don't (I don't) you can buy an external floppy drive that links
in via a USB.
b) OR, you can go through the process of creating a CD which requires some
skill.

Other tasks linked to this are:

Creating a copy of XP files with all your preferences saved including
drivers etc...via Slipstreaming. ALso a bit scary and complex to me. I also
think there is NO guarantee that it will work and so don't want to waste my
time (is this true?).

I want to have all of this done so if my computer does get it in the neck,
I'm prepared - I can reinstall XP with all my settings, have a copy of my
drivers etc... However, it's a bit more than I bargained for with time and
expertise - I haven't quite decided if this is over my head.

I know there are some help articles on M website to do with this - I have
read some of them, but am looking for someone else's comments first.

Does anyone have any constructive comments about what I want to do here?
Has anyone been through this process? Was it V easy or V difficult?
Does anyone suggest an alternative to what I want to achieve? A piece of
software or a professional? ?

ANY constructive comments are very welcome.

Lex

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I want to create a boot CD for my PC with XP.

It looks difficult, I'm not an IT wizard but am proficient with tinkering
around and following instructions; I have read articles about how to do
this
and it looks like

a) you can create a boot disc - floppy disc version - if you have a floppy
drive. If you don't (I don't) you can buy an external floppy drive that
links
in via a USB.
b) OR, you can go through the process of creating a CD which requires some
skill.

Other tasks linked to this are:

Creating a copy of XP files with all your preferences saved including
drivers etc...via Slipstreaming. ALso a bit scary and complex to me. I
also
think there is NO guarantee that it will work and so don't want to waste
my
time (is this true?).

I want to have all of this done so if my computer does get it in the neck,
I'm prepared - I can reinstall XP with all my settings, have a copy of my
drivers etc... However, it's a bit more than I bargained for with time and
expertise - I haven't quite decided if this is over my head.

I know there are some help articles on M website to do with this - I have
read some of them, but am looking for someone else's comments first.

Does anyone have any constructive comments about what I want to do here?
Has anyone been through this process? Was it V easy or V difficult?
Does anyone suggest an alternative to what I want to achieve? A piece of
software or a professional? ?

ANY constructive comments are very welcome.

Lex

You probably need Acronis TrueImage.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I want to create a boot CD for my PC with XP.

It looks difficult, I'm not an IT wizard but am proficient with tinkering
around and following instructions; I have read articles about how to do
this
and it looks like

a) you can create a boot disc - floppy disc version - if you have a floppy
drive. If you don't (I don't) you can buy an external floppy drive that
links
in via a USB.
b) OR, you can go through the process of creating a CD which requires some
skill.

Other tasks linked to this are:

Creating a copy of XP files with all your preferences saved including
drivers etc...via Slipstreaming. ALso a bit scary and complex to me. I
also
think there is NO guarantee that it will work and so don't want to waste
my
time (is this true?).

I want to have all of this done so if my computer does get it in the neck,
I'm prepared - I can reinstall XP with all my settings, have a copy of my
drivers etc... However, it's a bit more than I bargained for with time and
expertise - I haven't quite decided if this is over my head.

I know there are some help articles on M website to do with this - I have
read some of them, but am looking for someone else's comments first.

Does anyone have any constructive comments about what I want to do here?
Has anyone been through this process? Was it V easy or V difficult?
Does anyone suggest an alternative to what I want to achieve? A piece of
software or a professional? ?

ANY constructive comments are very welcome.

Lex

You are wanting to use an imaging program. This will make bootable
recovery CDs for you, if you choose the right options. It's very easy.

Acronis TrueImage Home creates these files sized for DVDs, but can write to
DVD. Create a base image, then do incremental backups. Periodically,
refresh the base image and start new sets.

No matter what you do, though, be sure to verify the backups.

HTH
-pk

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much for your comments - I've just been to see Acronis.

I thought this was what I was looking for, i.e. imaging.

I think the solution is an external hard-drive for backing up everything
Plus a piece of software to help with the copying. But I still think that I
need to create a boot disc, as you say on a DVD disc, because that is what
I'll need to get things going again if it all goes down. An external back-up
hard-drive won't get things going again, it only serves as a place to store
data.

Do you think that making this type of disc is an simple process?

And what does verifying mean?

Lex

 

[Jim]

Thanks very much for your comments - I've just been to see Acronis.

I thought this was what I was looking for, i.e. imaging.

I think the solution is an external hard-drive for backing up everything
Plus a piece of software to help with the copying. But I still think that
I
need to create a boot disc, as you say on a DVD disc, because that is what
I'll need to get things going again if it all goes down. An external
back-up
hard-drive won't get things going again, it only serves as a place to
store
data.

Do you think that making this type of disc is an simple process?

And what does verifying mean?

Lex

If you buy Acronis in the box, the CD is bootable. If you buy Acronis but
download of the net, then you can use Acronis to make a bootable CD. This
process only takes a few minutes

The latest Acronis also supplies a plugin for BartPE, and creating a BartPE
disk also only takes a few minutes.

Verifying means that you determine that the backup really does have the
files that you thought it had. The most painless way is to download the
backup to a second, unused, and spare disk.

Acronis will also clone any disk to one which is as large or large than the
source.

Jim

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Thanks very much for your comments - I've just been to see Acronis.

I thought this was what I was looking for, i.e. imaging.

I think the solution is an external hard-drive for backing up everything
Plus a piece of software to help with the copying. But I still think that
I
need to create a boot disc, as you say on a DVD disc, because that is what
I'll need to get things going again if it all goes down. An external
back-up
hard-drive won't get things going again, it only serves as a place to
store
data.

Keep in mind that hard disks do fail. One thing you want to avoid is
relying on only one backup.

Do you think that making this type of disc is an simple process?

Yes, it's very easy. Imaging programs use this as a basic restore feature.
It's a checkbox and OK, and it does it.

And what does verifying mean?

It means being sure that the backup worked, that the backed-up data is valid
and matches the original. With non-image backups, you restore data to
another location and compare it to the original. With imaging, you mount
the image (which assigns the image a drive letter), and then compare the
mounted files with the originals. Or, just try opening files from the
mounted image.

Check out the free trial version of True Image; it's big, but will give you
a very good idea of how it works, at little cost. I don't know if the
other imaging product manufacturers have trial versions.


HTH
-pk

 

[Guest]

Lex:

Here's the way I look at PC breakdowns. It's always right before I need to
get that important project done, and if I need a new PC, the sale on it was
last week.

Because i have a computer network at home, the wife and i,and the two kids
each have our PC's networked, and another one PC acting as the server, and a
spare laptop, what I do is.

- All important software, i.e. Microsoft office, Quickbooks, Norton Ghost
are installed on more than one machine.
- The server and two other machine have backup software (Norton Ghost)
installed and automtic backups done daily
- I'm making increaisng use of web based storage, and other services, that I
don't use PC based software for many of my day to day opeations anyway.

The advantages of my approach:

- If the PC malfunctions, I don't have to immediately fix any PC, all I have
to do is access the server from another PC. If the "server PC" malfuctions,
it's backup on a USB drive on Norton Ghost can be immediately restored on
another PC already with Norton Ghost installed and running, and this PC
becomes the new server.
- I can start using the spare laptop, and take my time fisxing the broken
PC, or take my time waiting for that "Labor Day sale".
- If need be, i just reinstall the OS, reintall software, and if it's the
server, restore the data files. The advantage is I'm not restoring an image
that may be loaded with viruses and other malware.

Bottomline

Doing it this way, I don't need boot CD's.

Frank Chin

 

[M.I.5¾]

Keep in mind that hard disks do fail. One thing you want to avoid is
relying on only one backup.

Indeed, you should have two. A backup isn't a backup unless it's backed up.

Yes, it's very easy. Imaging programs use this as a basic restore
feature. It's a checkbox and OK, and it does it.


It means being sure that the backup worked, that the backed-up data is
valid and matches the original. With non-image backups, you restore
data to another location and compare it to the original. With imaging,
you mount the image (which assigns the image a drive letter), and then
compare the mounted files with the originals. Or, just try opening
files from the mounted image.

Also, of importance is to try to restore the image to a gash disk just to
make sure it works. Images have been known to have whole folder contents
missing or be non restorable due to file permission problems. Always making
the image and restoring from the system on the bootable CD overcomes these
problems.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your comments. I'm getting closer to figuring this out.

What is a 'gash disc'? by the way.

Regards
Lex

 

[Guest]

Thanks FrankChin

Seems like you have a nice setup that has options if something happens. Plus
you never have to be computerless for very long and you can fix problems at
your own pace.

The Multiple PC approach is one I am going to go down; it makes sense and I
need more than 1 anyway.

Using Norton Ghost - excellent.
Online storeage for back up - also sounds excellent.

It seems to me that taking a ghost of the OS with changes is the way to go.
Does this mean that a boot disc is redundant? I don't know for sure that it
does.

What I don't understand is 'start using the spare laptop'. How do you start
one computer using another? I'd love to know. Plus, isn't there a risk that
if one has malware, that starting it with another exposes it to the risks of
the same malware?

Regards
lex

 

[Plato]

I want to create a boot CD for my PC with XP.

http://boot-land.net/winbuilder/
http://www.bootdisk.com/txtfiles/wbuilder.txt

http://nu2.nu/pebuilder
http://reatogo.de/

 

[M.I.5¾]

Thanks for your comments. I'm getting closer to figuring this out.

What is a 'gash disc'? by the way.

A disk that you can experiment on to check that you can do something and
verify that it works, but you have no intention of actually using it for
anything serious so it doesn't matter if you bugger it up. Most often an
old disk that you replaced with something bigger (I have a not so small pile
of them - the smallest at just 20 MB!).

I also have a disk with a bare bones XP operating system on, with all device
drivers, but no applications. It's useful sometimes when you can't get
something to work on the main disk. It helps you to find out what is wrong.

For example: I once couldn't get the bundled software supplied with a
Philips DVD writer to install. The installer program just wouldn't even run
just giving a totally unhelpful "Serious Error" message. Using my bare
bones system, I managed to discover that the installer program wouldn't run
if any Hewlett Packard printer was installed (one of their drivers was the
problem).

 

[Kyle]

I'm doing same thing I want to make a recovery set for my windows xp I'm a
gateway the darn thing never came with a xp setup so I found a download to do
just that but not sure how to start I have the 6 disks when I was prompt to
specify the drive I put D cause thats the drive my writer is in and after
that nothing please help.

 

[Kyle]

Uh!! i'm lost well I found out that since I made them before when I bought
the pc I can't make a second set grr! I have a cd drive no floppy my driver
for that is d but the command prompt to the download that has the software to
make those six recovery sets I don't understand how to make or use.

 

[Malke]

I'm doing same thing I want to make a recovery set for my windows xp I'm a
gateway the darn thing never came with a xp setup so I found a download to
do just that but not sure how to start I have the 6 disks when I was
prompt to specify the drive I put D cause thats the drive my writer is in
and after that nothing please help.

Are you saying that you *did* create a recovery disk set but have lost it?
In that case, contact Gateway and purchase another set. The cost is usually
nominal. There is nowhere you can download anything to create this. I
suspect you are thinking of the 6-floppy disk set tool you can download
from Microsoft. This will not restore your system.

Another avenue is to purchase an external hard drive and Acronis True Image
and image your system. Store the image on the external hard drive. This
will be more expensive initially than just getting the restore disk set
from Gateway, but it will be more useful since TI can do incremental
backups and your image will be *your* set up, just the way you like it,
with all the updates, programs, tweaks, etc. It will then take you anywhere
from 15 minutes to an hour (depending on how large the image is) to restore
your system to exactly the way it was when you imaged it.

Malke

 

[Kyle]

yes I've made one but threw it away back in 2002 when i bought the pc didn't
know how to use the backups I found a download that will allow me to do so
but after i specify the drive thats it nothing more happens.