Help: Imaging and Standalone Recovery DVDs

LouArnold · 08-27-2009, 09:08 AM

I have a computer with 40 MB main hard drive with Win XP that is at a "factory setting". I need to be able to recover the factory setting even after the drive and its partitions have been wiped off. And I need be able to create a set of standalone DVDs to do this. I cannot depend on the future availability of a server or a second blank hard drive to hold the image for months or years.

Can someone suggest software (preferrably freeware) that can do this, and how it would work?

LouArnold · 08-30-2009, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouArnold

I have a computer with 40 MB main hard drive with Win XP that is at a "factory setting". I need to be able to recover the factory setting even after the drive and its partitions have been wiped off. And I need be able to create a set of standalone DVDs to do this. I cannot depend on the future availability of a server or a second blank hard drive to hold the image for months or years.

Can someone suggest software (preferrably freeware) that can do this, and how it would work?

Yikes, should be 40GB, sorry.

**grimx133** · 08-30-2009, 05:50 PM

Read up a bit on Drive Image XML, I've never used it for images, just the drive to drive when installing a new drive. For my own systems I use commercial software to take backup images.
Here's a tutorial on DI - http://lifehacker.com/326086/hot-ima...driveimage-xml

And the site - http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

If that first tutorial is lacking in information, there are plenty more out there.

LouArnold · 08-30-2009, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grimx133

Read up a bit on Drive Image XML, I've never used it for images, just the drive to drive when installing a new drive. For my own systems I use commercial software to take backup images.
Here's a tutorial on DI - http://lifehacker.com/326086/hot-ima...driveimage-xml

And the site - http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

If that first tutorial is lacking in information, there are plenty more out there.

OK, I'll have a look. Thanks very much.

08-27-2009, 09:08 AM	#1 (permalink)
LouArnold Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Win XP Pro SP3	Help: Imaging and Standalone Recovery DVDs I have a computer with 40 MB main hard drive with Win XP that is at a "factory setting". I need to be able to recover the factory setting even after the drive and its partitions have been wiped off. And I need be able to create a set of standalone DVDs to do this. I cannot depend on the future availability of a server or a second blank hard drive to hold the image for months or years. Can someone suggest software (preferrably freeware) that can do this, and how it would work?

08-30-2009, 05:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
grimx133 Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Canada eh Posts: 3,137 OS: xp mce sp2, xp pro sp2, windows 7 beta My System	Re: Help: Imaging and Standalone Recovery DVDs Read up a bit on Drive Image XML, I've never used it for images, just the drive to drive when installing a new drive. For my own systems I use commercial software to take backup images. Here's a tutorial on DI - http://lifehacker.com/326086/hot-ima...driveimage-xml And the site - http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm If that first tutorial is lacking in information, there are plenty more out there. __________________