Image an HD before switching on PC for very 1st time?
Hi,
I have used ATIH2009 more than once to take images of an HD during a build of a brand-new, factory installed OS machine - e.g. switched on, went through initial "unpack" of OS and set up of PC, then imaged; then removed superfluous apps, updated security patches to OS and imaged; added all required apps, then imaged; etc. So I have multiple images at various stages, in case I want to go back to any of them.
What I wondered was, is there any benefit (or risk, even) of putting the ATI boot CD in BEFORE first boot, and trying to image the "packed" OS data on the HD? Is it in fact possible to do this? What I guess I'm looking for, is the ultimate "clean image" of the machine before anything had been touched (and possibly broken :-) ).
Hope the question makes sense...
P.
Paul:
Ditto to DwnNDrty's comment. I did exactly what you described when I purchased my laptop. If at some time in the future I want to sell the laptop, I will restore the virgin factory image to it before the sale.
Thanks for the replies guys, but unfortunately, I don't actually have this option any more....
The laptop I went to buy ended up being the last one in the shop, ex-display, but heavily discounted, so was a bargain (laptop was pristine). However, shop had already powered it on, and "unpacked" and set up the OS, just so they could run their shop "demo" software.....
Oh well - I have reset to factory default using HDD recovery option, and imaged that (before cutting "recovery DVDs") - & it restored perfectly o.k. (both using ATIH2009 bootable CD). Best of a bad job.....
Seems to me you ended up with the same result ... what's the saying, "six of one half a dozen of the other". And you proved that the restore works. That's what really matters.
Not quite the same thing - if I'd managed to image the disk "pre-unpack", then I could have restored this before (for example) selling the machine in the future, and when the "new owner" powered it on for the first time, they would have kicked-off/witnessed the unpacking/installation of the OS, perhaps entering/confirming details such as location, username, etc.
With the image that I've managed, it's already unpacked/installed the OS; as part of kicking off the (Toshiba) HDD recovery utility, it automatically starts the (re-)unpacking/installation of the OS and it's awkward to know when (or indeed "if") it's "appropriate" to stop it at any particular stage, in order to take an image. So basically I had to run through the unpacking/installation, and ended up at a stable point where the HD had the OS (and all the manufacturer's cr*p) on it (but before Recovery DVD's had been made) and imaged that......
I was initially after scenario 1 above, as the absolute best solution - but only useful if I was to ever sell the laptop (which is now unlikely, given the way that my son has "adopted" the machine). So, as you say, the main thing is that an Acronis (ATIH2009 9796) back-up/restore worked flawlessly (on MS Vista SP1- then SP2, which I'd read somewhere else, other's had had an issue with) - as indeed have the subsequent 3 images that I've made, during the process to get all apps on it, etc....
I'm happy - I can restore to any of the multiple points during the build.........