NOTE!!! To do this, you must make sure that you are not saving and data on the OS partition. It would be lost if it was written to the OS partition after the original copy was made!!!

Bob

Ironically the only version I did have problems with was around ver 9 and 10. On version 12 now and whilst 8.1 is regarded as the most efficient and reliable I could not create a boot image that woould work correctly with the newer 965 chipsets, all is now well with ver 12 and like Brandon said originally the ball ache that was a fresh XP install is once again a thing of the past.

I usually spend 2 or 3 solid days incrementally buildimg ghost images with every new machine build but once complete its a breeze to return to an earlier less populated state if any issues are noted after a couple of weeks of rigorous Cubase sessions.

Don’t sweat the Dan guy. If he is so sure about what does and doesn’t run without pushing buttons he is for sure clueless. I don’t believe he even know what a ’service’ is. And how many applications spawn persistent service processes in the background despite *not* pushing a button.
Microsoft certified? They are a dime a dozen and book smart at best. Recommending Apple? To avoid his expertise? I agree!

@ silentdrummer: Another concept you must embrace is that of keeping your data (sessions) on a separate drive or at least drive partition. You do not comingle applications, executable programs, and all resultant data on the same partition.

any computer person could tell you that nothing runs in windows that you dont want to run, you just gotta know where to push the right buttons haha.

There may be some truth to this. However, I’ve grown not to trust ANY program I don’t need. It only takes one bad program to make it so that mixes that were running at 99% of my capacity just a month ago are now running at 101% capacity and therefor un-openable. I would expect this to be common with anyone needing “real time” processing.

I’ve found that uninstalling software won’t always fix the problem. There are changes to the registry and who knows what else going on in the background. If I had a better understanding of the Windows XP system, I could probably find a way to circumvent these kinds of problems.

However, it’s not worth my time. I’d rather just avoid them.

STFU

Cute. I wouldn’t expect a person with your incredible intellect and vast education to give in so easily. I’m not going to get into the downloading argument. As a rule, I’ve taken the “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to downloading. Everyone has already made up their mind on the issue. However, actively promoting the concept is another thing entirely and not something I’m going to partake in.

Maybe I’m missing something, but it isn’t ironic that you are telling someone to “shut the fuck up” on a blog where all you have to do is hit the old “X” to close out the browser window?

Brandon

Your a pretty hardcore dude about your performance. any computer person could tell you that nothing runs in windows that you dont want to run, you just gotta know where to push the right buttons haha.

BELIEVE ME buddy, im microsoft certified and a network engineering grad as of the end of the month.

“I can’t stop rape or government spending but that doesn’t mean I’ll take part in it.” — look this acronym up… ready?

STFU

1st problem is that every single program you would like to have available when the bart PE environment runs in from RAM, has to be installed before the PE disc is even created.

This is not a problem because I only need one program. The backup utility. I’m using DriveImage XML V1.21 plugin and I’m happy with it. This is the ONLY thing I need to do within this environment. If there was an emergency and I needed more programs, I would just create a new boot disk.

while the practice of pirating software is somewhat looked down upon, there is nothing you can do to stop it.

I can’t stop rape or government spending but that doesn’t mean I’ll take part in it.

my suggestion to you, is to download a copy of Norton ghost 9.0 from your favorite bit torrent client, and schedule a boot time image back up. The best practice is to do this IMMEDIATELY AFTER you are done installing a fresh copy of windows, windows updates, drivers, and the applications you want installed.

Installing ANY unnecessary programs within Windows is unacceptable as it will result in a loss performance. I push my recording rig hard. I’m not willing to compromise a single 0.05% of performance on my recording computer. Keeping a rig clean is the best way to do this. Maybe Norton Ghost wouldn’t cause any problems, but I can’t think of a reason to chance it. This “no tolerance” policy would only apply to my recording computer.

Seconed issue, there is no way ANY boot disk or harddrive image will install in less then five minutes, lol

You can laugh all you want, but I’ve done it. The Windows XP install is only a couple Gig. To simply transfer these files from the backup hard drive to the C: drive takes less than 5 minutes. After a restart, Windows will work just fine. Try it if you get bored.

third issue, invest in a Mac. seriously, the reason why forums exist for this stuff is because of the issues with microsoft.

You are free to choose whatever religion you want, but your logic is questionable. There are quite a few Mac forums, too. I think all computers have their problems. I’ve never noticed a difference in quality / reliability between Mac and PC, but I’ve definitely noticed a difference in price. A Mac costs 3x what I build my PCs for.

Let me offer you a much easier solution..

while the practice of pirating software is somewhat looked down upon, there is nothing you can do to stop it.

my suggestion to you, is to download a copy of Norton ghost 9.0 from your favorite bit torrent client, and schedule a boot time image back up. The best practice is to do this IMMEDIATELY AFTER you are done installing a fresh copy of windows, windows updates, drivers, and the applications you want installed.

After the back up is created and stored in the specified location (preferably external hard disk) brun a hard copy (DVD or CD media) and you are good to go!

Seconed issue, there is no way ANY boot disk or harddrive image will install in less then five minutes, lol

third issue, invest in a Mac. seriously, the reason why forums exist for this stuff is because of the issues with microsoft.

definitely a great topic though, it could save alot of people valuable time, well done