How to Image (re-image) a computer. (ghosting)

[OnlyGaruda]

can reimaging be done remotely? or does one need to do it at each computer individually?

[LAJackson2010]

@OnlyGaruda Using this method: it must be done individually. using different methods, there is possibility to do it remotely, like with a mass version control system like Puppet. Though puppet, to my understanding is unix/linux, not for windows.

[LAJackson2010]

@LAJackson2010 It basically requires network-based computing (the idea, not puppet specifically). computers that are set up to boot from the network, rather than their own harddrives. if they boot in that fashion, it is easy to implement a horde of remote based protocols, including reimaging.

[PickYourVenom]

i used to work for my school's IT department. we were using windows 95 loader on a floppy. i must have done about 300 of them in about 2 weeks.

[BlazingSaddle1]

so tell me sir. If I reimage my computer does that delete everything on the hard drive before reimaging?

[LAJackson2010]

@BlazingSaddle1 Short answer: yes

[LAJackson2010]

@shawntkeating well, we use acronis on a rescue CD (but it can be done through USB, its just a slighty more complicated process to make it work, i actually do have a USB drive set up that way.)

as far as the image, its a school, so we have a whole bunch of comps. so we just reinstall windows from scratch and create the image (via acronis) from that. then distribute the image across computers of the same model when they go fritzy.

[shawntkeating]

@LAJackson2010 THANKS. I tried it to test it at home backing up the tib image to a usb external HDD. Problem was when i did enter the boot menu recovery and came to the point of browsing for a backup, I found my usb drive, but no tib image was appearing on the drive. I go back into windows to verify it was there and it is there. So im not sure what is causing it not to show up in the recovery gui.

I will test it for real today. Thanks for the quick reply, hopefully it goes smoothly.

[LAJackson2010]

@shawntkeating hmm... ive had a similar problem, but its always been pretty low key for me (i've been using it on my own computer but i havent really cared enough to make it work when it messes up). my leading theory at the time (that i never persued to make sure thats what it was) was that it might have had to do with differing versions being incompatible with eachother (cuz i used one version to take the image and my recovery USB was made with a newer or older version)

[LAJackson2010]

@shawntkeating

to obtain the image, run the rescue CD (or USB, however you have your acronis set up... you can even run it from inside windows if you install it that way).

sorry for being vague, but i havent seen the interface in a while: just boot into acronis on the good comp. tell it to make a backup image (should be a .tib file it tries to create).

PAY ATTENTION to where you direct the .tib to be taken FROM and where to saved TO. you dont wanna back up your external and not the good comp.

[Acronis]

Nice video! Thanks ;)