TI9 / Hard drive change / Sysprep

I have a quick question about whether or not I need to use Sysprep. From what I've read in the FAQ and at Microsoft's knowledge base, I only need to use Sysprep if I am making a "hardware change." So what exactly is a hardware change? If I just swap out my HDD in my laptop, am I ok?

This is my configuration:
Laptop with XP SP2
One 60GB drive, partitioned into C (programs) and D (data)
I backup images, drive D more often than C
Backup to an external firewire drive

So if I lost my HDD, or decided to upgrade the HDD, I'd be fine just using the recovery CD and recovering my Drive C image to a new drive, correct? There is only one drive in the laptop. And I'd have no problem booting up into XP again? If I somehow lose my C drive, I just want the fastest way to recover everything without having to reinstall & configure dozens of programs.

Thx.

 

No need for Sysprep. However I would backup the whole of your drive in one complete image. This could then be used to restore without any boot problems as a Whole disk image also copies the MBR.

Xpilot.

 

So by backing up a separate image of my C and D drives I'm not getting my MBR? I would've thought if I back up my boot partition (and my WinXP system partition) then TI9 would back that up too.

Is there a way around this? I do frequent backups of my D drive (data) and hate the idea of adding 5+ GB to each backup because of my C drive (which is fairly static).

 

Just backing up your C partition instead of the complete disk would not include the MBR in the image.
It really need not be a pain to backup the whole disk each time. It can be done in one operation, automatically by schedule, in the background within windows while you get on with something else.

Of course you could backup each partition separately on different schedules etc. etc. and fix your boot records as an additional operation when you have to renew your hard drive . However, as the saying goes, why make life more complicated than it already is?

Xpilot

 

Mofomofo5,

I've discussed this in previous posts. I don't believe you need to image the whole drive. I don't and I can restore a C drive image to the same or a new HD and it boots. For a new HD I partition it to resemble the old HD partitions and this creates the MBR. Then I restore the C drive. I don't image my data drive. I use data backup software and it takes about one minute daily to do an incremental backup of 60 GB of data. How long would a 60 GB image take? Much longer than one minute.

 

I believe that your method will work, However it means using two tools at least or the way you do it three. My method uses just one. Your way is probably best done manually whereas my way can be completely automatic. The time taken is from my point of view not relevant as it runs in the background and has little impact on what I am doing. Indeed I do not even have to be at the computer.

But each to his own.

Xpilot

 

Xpilot,

My imaging and data backups are automatic. Correct, I need three tools but I have them anyway. Others may not. And again correct, backup techniques are personal.

My main point was that you don't necessarily have to image the whole HD. There are other ways.