Re: Fear and Loathing on the Migration Trail

Tech Tip: Click here to run a free scan for Windows Errors and optimize PC performance

From: Rob Stow (rob.stow_at_sasktel.net)
Date: 09/17/04 

Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 11:08:49 -0600

Danny Sanders wrote:

>>I would prefer if someone could/would enlighten me on what/how/why/when
>>repair is not worth a try?
>
>
>
> When time is an issue.
>
> A lot of people in these groups support a company's network of multiple
> computers. I know that there are times when I don't have the time to try
> this and try that to maybe get things up and working, only to have to result
> to a clean install in the end.
>
> Sometimes time makes you cut to the chase because this "might" work (If not
> I reinstall) or that "might" work (If not I reinstall) or if I do this, it
> "might" work (if not I reinstall), but if I do a total reinstall, this WILL
> work.
>
>
>
>>One might expect they would be the group that would encourage users
>>avoid the countless hours involved in re-installing scores of
>>applications and often reconfiguring those applications.
>
>
> Corporate computers, common programs. I've done it enough times that I can
> set up a computer for a user in a couple of hours. If I were to totally
> concentrate on that computer, but with a clean install I can start the
> Windows setup, go help a user with Word or printing problem, come back to
> the install, OK something, go help a laptop user log in, come back and start
> the Office install, go show the president of the company how to sync his
> palm. Come back and finish the install.
>
> As far as application settings Office XP has a "save my settings wizard"
> Just save them before you start, then import the settings to the new
> computer. This whole process only takes at most 3 minutes.
>
> With time as a issue (not to mention 30 to 40 users that you can bet 10
> percent will have a problem when you are your busiest), you don't always
> have time to experiment, you have to take the sure way.
>
> This is one of those choices each admin has to make at their particular work
> place. If I had say 5 help desk personnel I would be more inclined to
> dedicate one person to trying to repair a computer while the other 4 put out
> the fires and serviced the users. But as it is it is just me. I have
> determined that in my situation it is actually easier to reinstall from
> scratch. I don't have the time for a repair to fail.
>

In your case it sounds like you are a prime candidate for
imaging software. Restoring a previously saved image
takes a lot less time than doing a reinstall and since you
can just start the process and let it run unattended it
requires a *lot* less your time - you can do other work while
the image is loaded from the network, a CD, or whatever.

The only installing you will need to do will be the patches,
hotfixes, etc, that have been released since you created the
image.

If the clients at your workplace are standardized, a single
image can be used for all of them. Just create your standard
machine by installing the OS and all of the apps and then
tweak it to your heart's content, create the image with a
program like Drive Image, and then use that image next time
one of your user's buggers up his system.

I also use imaging extensively at home.
MicroSoft has a long and painful history of sh*tty patches
that make your machine unbootable, so for the last few
years I have saved an image of my system partition before
installing *anything* from MicroSoft. When a patch trashes
my system it only takes me about 12 minutes to restore the
system *exactly* as it was - I'm never one of those guys who
has to post here for help in escaping from the clutches of
the evil Q123456 hotfix.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Virtual Managers
    ... I was unable to get any repair done. ... The breakage was cause by doing some update swith the kernel stuff. ... network, which I don't have. ... you should have a working install by now. ...
    (alt.os.linux.suse)
  • Re: Win2000 services enabled but stopped...and wont start. Cant connect to LAN.
    ... I had this crash reboot, at which time the lack of dependency between ... symtdi.sys and the DCHP client went into effect, and bango...no network, no ... I have run the Win2000 repair from the original CD (the CD-ROM was ... A full "repair install" doesn't require ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.networking)
  • Re: Win2000 services enabled but stopped...and wont start. Cant connect to LAN.
    ... When I reboot this computer it tries to connect to the network but fails, usually with this error: " Microsoft Windows Network...the requested resource is in use" and sometimes "the network location could not be reached". ... BTW, I have run the Win2000 repair from the original CD (the CD-ROM was working then, now it is flagged in Device Manager and doesn't work). ... A full "repair install" doesn't require anything from the existing OS as far as accessing hardware like the CDROM goes. ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.networking)
  • Re: Problem on start-up
    ... while a repair install should leave your data ... >>Assuming your system is set to boot from the CD-ROM ... >>with the option to setup Windows or Repair ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.accessibility)
  • Re: How to recover product Key from a previous installation ?
    ... :> be a legitimate transferable version and for all I know, ... :> the old key will be overwritten if user proceeds with repair ... :> or install, and then offers an option to exit the repair or install ... The requirements for legal transfer of license are covered in he End User ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)