windows xp recovery disk creator

studdlymurphy

Hi all,
I want to create a copy of my xp operating syatem including all the installed programs is this possible? Or is my only option to create a disk image? If so can anybody recommend good software to do this?
Thank you

CatInABox

Hmmm. Not sure if you can, and if you do, the apps are static, i.e. there'll be a fair amount of updating afterwards as well.

If it's just to cut down on the amount of work required post install, you can look at ninite, a well supported and trusted installer. You select which apps you want, then it bundles them all together, installs them, and also keeps them updated afterwards.

TomOnBoard

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Hi all,
I want to create a copy of my xp operating syatem including all the installed programs is this possible? Or is my only option to create a disk image? If so can anybody recommend good software to do this?
Thank you

Im not clear on what it is you're trying to do, given that you imply you want something other than an image. Can you clarify:

Is your XP currently on a hard drive or SSD?
How many logical drives have you set up?
What are the Total & Free space values on each logical drive?
Do you have any other OSs installed for use in a multi-boot situation?
Do you have a specific purpose that you are trying to satisfy?
Do you have any spare external Hard drive units. If, what's total and free space?
Do you have access to any other network attached storage (not Cloud)?

A lorra questions there. If you fire back a set of answers, youll get more targeted advice.

dOh! i DIDNT READ THE THREAD TITLE. OK. I see what you're trying to do. Do you want to be able to recover specifically on this exact hardware setup or to make the Recovery disk able to load your XP and all Programmes (tailored/configured) to any/all Intel based machines?

Suckit

There is software to do it, but I can't remember the name of it. It's not freeware, but I think you can use it three times or something like that. It's been a long time since I used it, and I'm not near a PC, I'm travelling at the minute. I'll try and remember the name of the software and post it back.

Edited.
There are probably many ways to do it, but I'm now trying hard to remember the name of that particular software.

Suckit

I think it's called pickmeapp.

It has been a long time, but I'm almost sure. Keep losing connectivity here, so I'm just loading some pages to read, can't search for much.

You can back up your settings etc.. As normal (e.g. robocopy), and use pickmeapp for installed software.

studdlymurphy

TomOnBoard wrote:

dOh! i DIDNT READ THE THREAD TITLE. OK. I see what you're trying to do. Do you want to be able to recover specifically on this exact hardware setup or to make the Recovery disk able to load your XP and all Programmes (tailored/configured) to any/all Intel based machines?

This is exactly what i am after.
I want to be able to create a recovery disk tbat will load everyrhing including any additional programs and settings. Or else i want to be able to create an image to another identical hard drive.
Thank you

TomOnBoard

studdlymurphy wrote: »

This is exactly what i am after.
I want to be able to create a recovery disk tbat will load everyrhing including any additional programs and settings. Or else i want to be able to create an image to another identical hard drive.
Thank you

There are lots of options to create static partition images as well as complete drive images. I ve used Ghost in the past and Easus or Paragon solutions more recently. Im not sure Ghost is still being supported.

Most important, I'd clean down all unnecessary data including temp files, dross etc. as well as removing all unwanted programs. Also if the Windows partition being imaged has been in use for a while, it'll have lots of content that's grown over time, so I'd be doing this on as fresh an installation as possible.

Suckit

I misread too.

I think PCTrans does it (Easeus).

studdlymurphy

Ok so im going to go with the drive cloning option. I went with farstone drive clone. The drive has a c and d partition (i think is ehat its called) My problem is if i connect the drive (sata) using a cable to usb all i can see is a couple of files that were on the d partition. So when i clone it i only get the d files. The op system must be on the c partition which i cant see.
I have tried being able ti view hidden files but still no joy in seeing the os files.
Any ideas?

irishgeo

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Ok so im going to go with the drive cloning option. I went with farstone drive clone. The drive has a c and d partition (i think is ehat its called) My problem is if i connect the drive (sata) using a cable to usb all i can see is a couple of files that were on the d partition. So when i clone it i only get the d files. The op system must be on the c partition which i cant see.
I have tried being able ti view hidden files but still no joy in seeing the os files.
Any ideas?

Is that on the same computer you cloned it from? Probably a collision. The drive signature is the same. Windows won't load. You fix that in disk management but if you do the second disk won't boot. Unless you run a boot repair.

studdlymurphy

I removed the hard drive that i want to clone from an xp machine and i am viewing it on a laptop windows 10 using a usb to sata cable but can only see what would be on the d drive

How do i run boot repair?

TomOnBoard

studdlymurphy wrote: »

I removed the hard drive that i want to clone from an xp machine and i am viewing it on a laptop windows 10 using a usb to sata cable but can only see what would be on the d drive

How do i run boot repair?

USB to SATA cable??? Just a cable or is it an external drive housing?


Why would you want to run a boot repair??

studdlymurphy

TomOnBoard wrote:

USB to SATA cable??? Just a cable or is it an external drive housing?

Plugs into power and then usb of pc then sata to drive. Its for reading sata drives kind of like an external enclosure

The last commt tbe guy mentioned that i may need a boot repair

TomOnBoard

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Plugs into power and then usb of pc then sata to drive. Its for reading sata drives kind of like an external enclosure

The last commt tbe guy mentioned that i may need a boot repair

Don't even think about doing a "boot repair" yet!!

Can you see the drive in the Windows Disk Management utility? If so, what partitions are showing? I'd suggest you post a screenshot here.

studdlymurphy

studdlymurphy

Seems to be visable now? I didnt change anything, Ill try the clone to see if it works

studdlymurphy

Doesn't seem to work for me,  getting a couple an error. Trying to clone to a 64GB USB stick (which may be the problem as it is small but the total data is less than 2GB. Once I start the clone it creates partitions on the stick (disk 1) but the primary partition is smaller than the primary partition on hard drive to clone (disk 2).
Possibly try another software package to try again?
Possibly try another 500GB harddrive?
Any other suggestions?

TomOnBoard

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Doesn't seem to work for me,  getting a couple an error. Trying to clone to a 64GB USB stick (which may be the problem as it is small but the total data is less than 2GB. Once I start the clone it creates partitions on the stick (disk 1) but the primary partition is smaller than the primary partition on hard drive to clone (disk 2).
Possibly try another software package to try again?
Possibly try another 500GB harddrive?
Any other suggestions?

It seems to me that you're trying to fit a quart into a pint pot.



Youre trying to fit a 450GB partition onto a 60GB space. It cant be done using cloning.

However, you could shrink the partitions as there appears to be very little space actually used. Then, once shrunk, the USB stick woukd have enough space.

studdlymurphy

I was only trying to see with the 64gb stick. Im ordering another 500gb drive. That should just work easy?

TomOnBoard

studdlymurphy wrote: »

I was only trying to see with the 64gb stick. Im ordering another 500gb drive. That should just work easy?

500GB to 500GB should clone OK.

But as said earlier, if you resize the partitions down to Used% + 25%, you'll fit it onto much smaller drives.