creating restoration disk on CD not floppy

[Guest]

I have repair and restore disks which came with my tad bit old Compaq
Presario. I updated to SP2 online, the OEM disks if used for repair
or recovery revert OS to SP1, which as of October this year will not be
supported. Once this happens now that Genuine Advantage Notifacations which
is installed and remains if a repair and not a recovery is done no longer has
the tools needed to verify software causing a Notification and blockage from
Updates to SP2 and a whole mess of other problems. The only thing that can
be done is a restore to factory specs whereafter there are endless hours of
configuring, downloading and uploading, installations, setup, etc. As of
October of this year I believe if I ever do a repair or recovery with the Oem
disks I will be stuck with unsupported SP1. I would like to avoid this as
well as the work described above by creating my own restore disk on CD-Rom.
I know there is a utility for restore disks in NT but as far as I know it
requires bootable floppies and this laptop has CD/DVD only. I can do regular
backup on a CD-R I believe of personal files and settings. I would like
advice as to whether I can create a bootable CD and use it to create a
restore solution in the future if I have a system failure which causes my
current OS not to boot fully which has happened to me once again. I'm not an
advanced user but am familiar with XP interface. I do not know if what I
want to do is possible, but if anyone does know how or can provide advice or
a place to start I would be truly grateful. I also ave a 4port usb micro hub
allowing me the possible use of those flash storage devices. I am disabled
and when I sent my shopper out for CDs he picked up one of these devices from
Radio Shack after telling the salesperson that the CDs were fo backup. Think
it was called a Cruzr or something. I did not keep the item since I do not
have excessive backup issues. The device was more expensive than CDs, but if
it provides an option I can purchase one. I want to stop living in fear of
the "blue screen of death" which seems to have no cure other full system
restore. I thank in advance anyone willing to take the time to offer a reply.

 

[Richard Urban]

You can use Acronis True Image to create an image of your hard drive and
save it on DVD's.

www.acronis.com

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

Richard Urban,
I went to the homepage for this product and investigated extensively. I was
prepared to purchase at $49.95, but found optional additional charges for
further services I was unsure about. I downloaded the User's Manual and the
14 day trial to look into further. I have done any backup or created
bootable media yet as I know this will do me no good if I do not purchase the
software. I don't have excessive files or user accounts, so I will use the
next 14 days for one purpose. I am on SSI disability and $60-$90 is a lot on
my budget, so I will only be comparing other products or solutions based on
purchase price for value. If I were not in this unfortunate position and was
a normal person, especially if I had home network with several user accounts
I would be insane not to purchase this simple to use, never live in fear of
the blue screen again solution. I may still purchase it if I can not find
something more economical for me. For the general population it must be a
steal and the peace of mind must be priceless. Thank you for your MVP
solution as it was a very smart and considerate one.
Tania