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Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARIFY. (Read 137662 times)
cardinal23
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #15 - Jan 6th, 2006 at 11:02pm
 
I am overwhelmed by your moving post and continually lifetime-long-effected by the wrath of Katrina.

However, if he had a Ghost image (in another state, perhaps) and he purchased another Dell Dimension 8250, might he not have been able to (MAYBE) restore that image onto the new, replacement Dell Dimension 8250 ?

Of course, this is the exact topic of this post: If I ghost the drive in computer-model X, and buy another (same exact model) computer-model X, can I restore the image onto the new model X?

I've seen the whole gamet of responses from depends, probably, doubtfully - you get it.

So, if this poor soul had his Ghosted image safe somewhere, couldn't he have bought a new Dell Dimension 8250 and restore onto a drive in it?

People have been listening to me ask this over and over.  It's even getting on my nerves.  I leave the topic thinking "maybe". 

Enoguh.  Happy New Year.  My heart does go out to the Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katriina.  I wish them all well.  DF
 
 
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Brian
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #16 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 1:37am
 
Quote:
However, if he had a Ghost image (in another state, perhaps) and he purchased another Dell Dimension 8250, might he not have been able to (MAYBE) restore that image onto the new, replacement Dell Dimension 8250 ?


I believe he could . I've done it on a Gateway. Restore the image, then run a Repair Installation. I didn't use Sysprep.

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_install.htm

 
 
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cardinal23
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #17 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 4:11am
 
Thank you Brian.  Now THAT'S a backup!  DF
(Cardinal23-me needs to learn more about Sysprep.)
Regards
 
 
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cardinal23
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #18 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 4:25am
 
nomak wrote on Jan 5th, 2006 at 3:08pm:
I dont think you could transfer it to a completely different pc if the original was stolen. the activation process locks its self to your hard ware setup in your pc it can change a little bit and you can get by with out re activation or just simply calling but dont know about if the whole hardware setup has changed....
Im assuming your using XP operating system.. only way you could transfer it is if you ran sysprep before making image and were using similar system ( new computer replacing stolen one) to redeploy the image to ..  some one feel free to correct me if Im wrong..


Having read a (very) little about Sysprep, I think Nomak is really on to something.  It seems that Sysprep exists for the (sole) of doing the purpose this post has been struggling with - and Microsoft, I think, built it.  So this participatant thinks (until I learn otherwise) that Ghost + Sysprep covers your ^%$&# in the event your entire computer goes bye-bye.

Check out this reference in Post #5 provided earlier in this thread by NightOwl:
How to use Sysprep with Ghost

DF
 
 
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Pleonasm
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #19 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 12:46pm
 
Cardinal23, in my opinion, this thread is confusing two distinct issues.  The first is system imaging/restoring and the second is application moving.  Ghost 10 is an excellent solution for the former, but if you task is really to move applications from one PC to another, then a better choice is a tool such as PCmover by Laplink (http://www.laplink.com/). ; The latter approach will overcome any problems surrounding hardware differences between the two PCs.  It does, however, assume that the source PC is functional.
 
 
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John.
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #20 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 1:13pm
 
Brian wrote on Jan 7th, 2006 at 1:37am:
I believe he could . I've done it on a Gateway. Restore the image, then run a Repair Installation. I didn't use Sysprep.

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_install.htm


I agree with Brian.  For an average small business that has some sort of "magic" software installed by vendor with no documentation and no recovery procedure, the intent seems to make the vendor "indispensible".  Or at least to take ALL of the pc technical support worries from the pc owner into the hands of the vendor.  In this thread's case, though, I think Cardinal's intent is to be able to recover himself without the handholding and expense of external vendors.

Sysprep may be technically the most advanced, most correct solution.  It has all the updates intact and forces a "mini-install-update" of XP when the user first boots the pc.  This appears to be what Dell and others use with their new pc's.  Works very nice.

However, it's not real practical for an average pc small business owner to keep a sysprep up to date.  Is he/she going to rerun sysprep every time there's a Microsoft automatic update?  If not, then it's not up to date.  And sysprep is not a non-technical procedure.

A better more practical solution is what Brian suggests:  Image the pc regularly, and then use the (offsite stored) image plus a XP repair installation in the event of a total failure.  Yes, you will have to re-update Microsoft automatic updates, but your business applications should still be functional.  A written procedure on all this is needed for the customer.

What Brian suggests is worth a test to verify if the business and recovery is that important.


 

Ghost4me  Ghost 9, 10, 12, 14, 15.  Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
 
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John.
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #21 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 2:48pm
 
Additionally, there are a lot of other steps needed to consider for full disaster planning in a small business:

Use standard brands of PC's (Dell, etc) and hopefully more than one which is identical.  Or use well known and available motherboards (Asus etc) so that a replacement when needed will be available.

Regularly replace/upgrade pc's on a regular (annual or bi-annual) basis.

Consider RAID, and other redudancies, if you require instant fallback.

Regularly test/verify your written disaster recovery procedure.

Try to list and prepare for all types of disasters you can imagine, and research other advice from the Internet.

Unfortunately, there is no magic "push this button" solution to what Cardinal23 wants.

Other opinions welcome here.
 

Ghost4me  Ghost 9, 10, 12, 14, 15.  Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
 
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Brian
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #22 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 3:02pm
 
Although I'm confident that an image could be restored onto an "identical" computer (I now have the second of the Gateway computers - a present) I feel the software suggestion in Post #8 should be considered.
 
 
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Pleonasm
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #23 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 3:09pm
 
Cardinal23, note the discussion of hardware independence in the 'corporate' version of Ghost 10:

Quote:
Symantec LiveState Recovery Desktop Suite 6.0 combines the speed and reliability of disk-based, bare-metal Windows system recovery with revolutionary technologies for
hardware-independent restoration
. The result is unparalleled freedom to restore systems anytime to virtually any device.

Administrators can now help dramatically minimize downtime for critical IT services by rapidly recovering entire systems to
dissimilar hardware platforms
or even to virtual environments.

Source:  http://sea.symantec.com/content/product.cfm?productid=32

The Symantec white paper "Breaking Through the Dissimilar Hardware Restore Challenge" (referenced on the same web page) will likely be of interest, too.
 
 
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Brian
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #24 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 3:18pm
 
Pleo, now that's interesting.
 
 
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John.
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #25 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 3:26pm
 
NightOwl wrote on Jan 5th, 2006 at 7:09pm:
My critical data is *system* independent--all I have to do is install the OS, install the mission critical program(s), and the backed up database--and it will run on any system!


OK, yes Brian you're right again:  Get documentation and procedures to restore the critical applications!  Then you can restore that anywhere.

For a simple approach that a non-computer-user might want to consider is just have a PC that matches the small business server and have that PC used as Cardinal23's home PC.  That separates the PC from the business and provides some protection.

But, yes, with my Office 2003 CD's and my data backup DVD's, I can get my spreadhseets working anywhere!  So simple. . .

 

Ghost4me  Ghost 9, 10, 12, 14, 15.  Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
 
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Pleonasm
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #26 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 4:40pm
 
It appears that Symantec has solved the problem of restoring an image from one PC to another that is based upon different hardware.  The following are excerpts from the Symantec whitepaper "Breaking Through the Dissimilar Hardware Restore Challenge."

Quote:
With the Restore Anyware Option for LiveState Recovery, it doesn’t matter anymore which hardware the downed device is going to be restored to. There is no more need for layering a restoration because of hardware incompatibilities found during the restoration process.

The Restore Anyware technology understands how to replace all the critical system drivers during a routine restoration. It also launches Windows native plug-and-play capabilities to detect additional non-critical devices and peripherals. The result is a fully functioning computer system on whatever hardware is available at the time of the recovery. You can restore the system not only to new hardware, but to a virtual environment as well.

The Restore Anyware Option enabling recovery to dissimilar physical computers
LiveState Recovery offers the first image-based dissimilar hardware system recovery on the market. The Restore Anyware Option makes recovery to dissimilar hardware simple and reliable. Once the option is added to a LiveState Recovery installation, users are able to recover to completely different hardware. The most problematic elements of a system are handled easily. For example, with the Restore Anyware Option, you can recover a single-processor computer to a multi-processor computer. You can recover from SCSI to SATA or SAS storage. Along with these changes, the Restore Anyware Option enables recovery to different HAL, chipset, and kernel models. …

Using the Restore Anyware Option
When it runs, LiveState Recovery captures an entire system image called a “recovery point.” Preparing recovery points to be capable of hardware-independent restoration is simple. The option must be installed along with the LiveState Recovery agent, and it must be licensed. Once this is done, the user can proceed to take recovery points following a normal schedule. Recovery points that were captured before the Restore Anyware Option was installed and licensed will not give the user the option of restoring to dissimilar hardware, so the user must be sure that any recovery point they intend to be able to restore to dissimilar hardware has the Restore Anyware Option installed.

Recovering with Restore Anyware
When LiveState Recovery performs a bare metal restore, the SRD [Symantec Recovery Disk] loads the necessary storage, HAL, kernel, and network drivers upon boot into a Windows-based environment called WinPE. A user then selects the desired recovery point and the destination, and then selects the option to restore to dissimilar hardware. The recovery proceeds to restore the entire system to unallocated space on the selected hard drive(s). Near the end of the recovery, Restore Anyware will perform the retargeting process by automatically updating the storage, HAL, kernel, and other critical drivers for the system that was just restored. This process adds approximately 30 seconds to the recovery process. If these drivers or components are not already on the Symantec Recovery Disk CD, then the user will be prompted to supply them.

For a description of the Symantec LiveState™ Recovery Restore Anyware™ Option 6.0, see:
http://sea.symantec.com/content/product.cfm?productid=33
 
 
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John.
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #27 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 4:56pm
 
Pleonasm wrote on Jan 7th, 2006 at 4:40pm:
It appears that Symantec has solved the problem of restoring an image from one PC to another that is based upon different hardware.  The following are excerpts from the Symantec whitepaper "Breaking Through the Dissimilar Hardware Restore Challenge."
For a description of the Symantec LiveState™ Recovery Restore Anyware™ Option 6.0, see:
http://sea.symantec.com/content/product.cfm?productid=33


Thanks Pleo for the info and links.  Yes, very interesting reading and for large corporation and datacenter, something like this is needed.  My only concern for home/small business is the price which is $495 for LiveState Recovery Option 6 and that is I assume on top of the base price.
 

Ghost4me  Ghost 9, 10, 12, 14, 15.  Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
 
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #28 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 6:03pm
 
Ghost4me, the current pricing of LiveState Recovery is indeed intended for the corporate environment.  Even so, it could still be quite applicable to the situation described by cardinal23.

If past is prologue, then we should expect to see the "restore anywhere" capability of LiveState Recovery migrate down into the Ghost home version (maybe next year?).

Personally, I think this is a truly an amazing innovation by Symantec that creates possibilities heretofore considered impossible.
 
 
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cardinal23
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Re: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARI
Reply #29 - Jan 7th, 2006 at 8:58pm
 
Colleagues: Let's pretend:
My name is Cardinal23.  On Tuesday afternoon, I Ghosted my clients Windows
XP HP a1000n
PC's C: drive to an external USB drive.  (He took that external drive home with him.)

He loves that computer.  He likes the positions of the icons on his desktop.  He loves the many application configuration settings he's saved.  He loves that PC exactly as it is.  It took him a long time to tweak it to be "just right".  Furthermore, he lacks some installation disks (the vendor kept them!)

Amazingly, on Tuesday night. his shop was broken into and his HP a1000n computer was stolen (we're pretending).  I said "no problem".  We can buy another HP a1000n and bring the external drive from home back to the office.  I'll plug it in to the USB port.  I'll run the Ghost 9.0 recovery CD and restore the image.  When I'm done, you won't even notice anything has changed!

Then I thought: Am I right?  So I posted my STOLEN computer inquiry post here.  The response has been way cool.  Now I learn that this need has come to other folks' attention; so much so that Norton is now SELLING this solution (thank you Pheonasm).

And, as I'm sure some of you have inferred, my BIGGEST problem is the application that lacks the CD.  If I had a way to (legally) transfer the application that lacks the CDs, that would temporarily cool my jets.

But now that I know that Norton is selling this incredbly valuable (IMO) ability, I won't be happy without it.

When a business loses the computer of an employee, this is enormously disruptive (believe me).  I KNOW some of my clients would lay down $500.00 or so to insure (literally) that their prized assistant didn't have to rebuild their computer environment.   I am a lunatic about data backups, but I KNOW that how a computer is set up (icon positions, application settings, shortcut menus, missing CDs) are unbelievable important to some businesses.

There is a whole nother level of backup between "I can fix your crashed hard drive" to "I can reappear your vanished PC".

Radified forum:  T H A N K - Y O U.  You guys are so cool.  DF
 
 
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