We're creating an XP image for RIS installation.
I'm looking for files, folders that are unnecessary in a
corporate environment that can be deleted from the
image so I can slim down the size of the RIS image.
"Eddie" posted on Sept 18 in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment. He had
been concerned that the clone was not the same size
as the original, and he emailed Future Systems Solutions,
the publisher of Casper XP, about it. This was their
reply, and it contains some techniques you might use:
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A difference in expected space utilization (and also file and folder
counts) can be caused by a number of things, including the Windows
swap file, hibernation file, other temporary and instance specific files,
or even the cluster size or file system format of the source and
destination.
As an optimization, Casper XP actually excludes the Windows swap
file and hibernation file when cloning a drive on which Windows is
running. The swap file is a temporary file used by Windows to manage
virtual memory and is created on demand when needed. Likewise, the
hibernation file is also a temporary file used by Windows to hibernate
the computer and is created on demand when needed. Depending on
the amount of RAM installed in the computer, both of these files can be
extremely large. The size of a hibernation file is typically equal to the
amount of RAM installed. The size of a swap file is typically much greater
than the amount of RAM installed (3 or 4 times the size is not atypical).
In addition, Casper XP will exclude the GoBack history file when GoBack
is in use, as well as certain files within the System Volume Information
folder when necessary. Primarily these files represent system restore
points specific to the original disk configuration which should not be
included. (Sometimes, these can represent a considerable amount of
space.)
Other observable differences may include possibly new or changed
files in the logged-in user Temp folder and Windows temp folder.
Depending on your system setup, services and utilities running under
Windows may be changing, creating, and removing temporary or
state files so it may be impossible to find an exact byte utilization
match on an active system drive -- i.e. it's a moving target in that
respect. When cloning a drive, Casper XP actually begins by taking
a snapshot or "picture" of the drive and then clones the snapshot.
This ensures a stable, point-in-time image of the drive is cloned.
(The newest version of Ghost, another popular drive imaging solution,
recently introduced a similar capability that they call "hot imaging".)
If Casper XP has any trouble during the cloning process, it will log the
problem as well as any affected files and/or directories in the Exceptions
section of the Activity Report that is generated at the completion of the
cloning process. Casper XP will also alert you to these exceptions in the
Finish step of the Copy Drive wizard.
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*TimDaniels*
