repeat 8 similar XP pro installs

[ton de w]

Hello,

Have 8 Pcs with 20 GB hard drives which are installed with XP Pro
service pack 2 with java. They are used for training courses - so need
to re-install after 1-5 days.

I suppose could use ghost to copy installation just after install to
say a 5GB partition (leaving 15 GB for XP -which is enough).

Then after the course has finished just restore the boot partition.

However this raises questions about how the install was done in the
first place - could install by hand - but an (partially ) automated
install would be better to ensure all the PCs behave the same (apart
from the IP address and host name) - any recomendations?

Also I wonder if we could carry out one install, ghost to a single
network location and then do multiple installs from one ghost image,
then specify the network co-ords.

AFAIK the XP licence relates to a group and the same code is entered
for each of the installs.
Also I guess the licenses for ghost would be much more than the 60 USD
for a single copy (all software has to be properly licenced BTW). So i
there maybe a way to replace ghost with free, or lower cost, software?

That is a lot of questions, sorry, But I do have some time to read some
fine manuals, it is just that I am not quite sure which manuals I
should be reading.
URLs to documentation welcome.

TIA

Ton

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Have 8 Pcs with 20 GB hard drives which are installed with XP Pro
service pack 2 with java. They are used for training courses - so
need to re-install after 1-5 days.

I suppose could use ghost to copy installation just after install to
say a 5GB partition (leaving 15 GB for XP -which is enough).

Then after the course has finished just restore the boot partition.

However this raises questions about how the install was done in the
first place - could install by hand - but an (partially ) automated
install would be better to ensure all the PCs behave the same (apart
from the IP address and host name) - any recomendations?

Also I wonder if we could carry out one install, ghost to a single
network location and then do multiple installs from one ghost image,
then specify the network co-ords.

AFAIK the XP licence relates to a group and the same code is entered
for each of the installs.
Also I guess the licenses for ghost would be much more than the 60
USD for a single copy (all software has to be properly licenced
BTW). So i there maybe a way to replace ghost with free, or lower
cost, software?

That is a lot of questions, sorry, But I do have some time to read
some fine manuals, it is just that I am not quite sure which
manuals I should be reading.
URLs to documentation welcome.

http://unattended.sourceforge.net/
(Unattended Network Install)

http://unattended.msfn.org/
(Unattended CD/DVD)

http://www.leinss.com/uniimg.html
(See the WinXP Blog addition - imaging with universal image)

http://www.gc.peachnet.edu/www/wbeck/W2KXP.htm#Master
(More on building and ghosting a master image)

I do a little of all of them - dependent on the immediate need. Have some
that can re-image from a partiton and that partition can be updated remotely
at a time of my choosing.. Have some that are redone by CD/DVD only. Others
that I use strictly an unattended over the network. Many times I use the
unattended setups I have to help create the base image - so I do not miss
anything.

 

[leftleg]

I would take a look into Acronis True Iamge. I use it at work along
sith Microsoft Sysprep Tools.

http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/products/ATICW/

There is also g4u, it is free and I never really used it.

http://www.feyrer.de/g4u/

Remember you need to regenerate the SID's.

 

[ton de w]

Ah Yes SID regeneration.
with NewSid perhaps?
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/NewSid.html

 

[ton de w]

After some more research I have discovered that there is volume
licensing in place.
So the unattended install is perhaps not required. Cos installing once
with the gui is not too hard.
So should be able to ghost the installed image to a remote partition
and then install that image to the 8 waiting PCs.
Then all that needs to be done is to change the hostname and IP
address!!

 

[leftleg]

This is how I've been cloning machines at my job.

1. Install XP on the machine. We use a Windows XP Pro SP2 VLK cdrom.

2. Update the machine using Windows Update.

3. Install any software I need on the machine.

4. Add users on to the machine and setup their desktop.

5. Copy over my sysprep folder to the root of primary HD on the
machine.

6. Run sysprep and do a Reseal. eSet the computer to shutdown.

7. Boot off my Acronis Boot CD and create a image and save it to my
laptop via the network.

8. Restart the machine I'm working on and you go through the Windows
Setup Wizard. During this I can set the host name and join the machine
to a domain.

9. On the other machines I have to clone, I use the Acronis Boot CD and
restore the image from my laptop on to all the machines.


This has been the most easy way to do it on my network. I don't have
access to the Windows server so I can't do a RIS installation.