Bootable USB drive including OS image

Guest2

Guest2

Guest2

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I have created a system image of my current OS on another hard drive and a system repair disk (CD) using Windows 7 backup and restore.

This works perfectly well, however I would like to do the same for a laptop I have that does not have an additional hard drive or optical drive.

How do I bake in the system repair disk and image to the same USB stick?

What I am aiming for is to give my dad his laptop along with a 32gb pen drive and if (when) it goes **** up just get him to inset the pen drive, boot off USB and select the image to restore the laptop back to a working state

Thanks
 
Ploppy2k3 said:
you can use the M$ USB tool here http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool to make the bootable USB and then copy the system image backup files to the USB afterwards
Click to expand...

Thanks. However I have already used this tool and thought it was only for creating a bootable USB stick with the Windows ISO on it

What I need is my updated OS image putting on a bootable stick. (so if I could use a similar tool, but select my HD image instead of the downloaded Win7 ISO i have)
 
use the tool to create a bootable image then copy the Windows System Image folder you created to the stick.

then when you boot from the stick you can do a recovery and point it at the stick for the backup files. as its for the same machine it will just overwrite the HDD with the copy form the stick.

we do this at work for laptops as its the quickest way of resetting a lappy when they screw them up.
 
Are right, so basically run through as normal creating Windows 7 bootlable stick. Then just manually copy the WindowsImageBackup, which is a load of catalog files to the same stick?

Seems like a waste of space (3gb) as the windows install files wouldn't be needed as are already in the WindowsImageBackup.

I would certainly not trust this in a corporate environment - We use PXE boot and different images per location
 
we PXE boot and use SCCM for most install but laptops take ages so its easier to have a sysprep'd image like this and just boot it. We also have other images on USB for our chaos who travel extensively so they can recover if they need a new HDD or get wiped out by a virus.
 
weird, we just use pxe for laptop too - leveled and back to fresh in about 2 hours

Either way, thanks - Ive just bought a Sandisk cruzer extreme 32gb for £20.75. Will wack Win 7 bootable along with the laptop image data on that. 190mb second should get windows back the restored state in no time at all :)
 
Guest2 said:
weird, we just use pxe for laptop too - leveled and back to fresh in about 2 hours:)
Click to expand...

this is why we usb it. it takes 30-40 :D

also our roaming users can take it with them in case they are in some god forsaken country when their lappy goes down. its horses for courses really I suppose.
 
It is a good idea. How do you get around security, do use encrypted USB sticks? (and can they be booted and OS image copied to them still)

All laptops we have are PGP encrypted. Kind of defeats the object if someone loses a pen drive with their entire OS & work on it!
 
Are right

I've just had a thought - When I am trying to create an image of the laptop I have, I will be able to select the 32gb usb stick and create the image, but it automatically formats when creating it. The same happens for creating a bootable windows 7 usb stick.

So how do I get both on the same pen drive??
 
i dont know if it'll help you

i made a target PC, with all updates installed, some software etc.

use ximage tool to create the image to wim. rename it to 'install.wim' then overwrite the original install.win in USB source folder. job done :)
 
wesley said:
i dont know if it'll help you

i made a target PC, with all updates installed, some software etc.

use ximage tool to create the image to wim. rename it to 'install.wim' then overwrite the original install.win in USB source folder. job done :)
Click to expand...

you could give this a go as well. I have never needed to use ximage so know little about it but if its that simple then that's the way to go.
 
Right, makes sense i think. Ximage to create an install.wim image on the 32gb stick, then copy all files on the windows 7 boot usb except install.wim to it?

I presume you meant overwrite the install.wim (instead of win?)
 
Onto the next question... finding the WIM creating software.

I have found this but it says you need to install something in Windows. http://blogs.technet.com/b/migreene/archive/2006/12/04/use-imagex-without-installing-waik.aspx

Surely this isnt possible as I would like to be at a point where the WIM image of the updated laptop is on a USB stick that is bootable when the laptop is screwed (and may not be able to access Windows)

On a plus side I can see the install.wim on the USB stick of Windows 7 bootable install - not just replace this with one I create myself. Somehow
 
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This make sense? I tried the below on my desktop pc os and it said access denied when created in the wim file (access was denied to java or something?)

insert 32gb stick in laptop
windows system image to 32gb stick
open disk management > actions > attach vhd > mount VHD image
download and install gimagex to laptop
open gimagex
select mounted drive (above vhd)
convert & output WIM to C:
change 32gb stick to Win 7 bootable
overwrite install.WIM in source folder on 32gb stick with WIM on C:
 
Terrier_Jimlad said:
Suggest you look at Sardu Multiboot, can do all sorts with it

http://www.sarducd.it/multiboot-usb-builder.html
Click to expand...

Have you used this?

After unzipped the software, the user must download all the ISO images who wants to integrate in the support. For make this, user can press the button reference (with the name of software) and and the integrated download manager will take care to download the necessary
Click to expand...

ISO? How do you create an updated system image as ISO? Windows default system image saves as a VHD
 
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