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Every so often I am required to reinstall a standardized image on my job computer (basically a ghosting). When the process is complete I have to reinstall all my non-image software manually (development environments, non-MS browsers, assorted tools and utilities etc). Afterwards I have to manually reconfigure all settings and configurations in all programs. In some programs I can export settings for later import, but many times that's not that easy. Either way it's basically a whole days work for me to reconfigure my computer back to my preferred setup.
Is there an easier way to do it? Normally I'd use some kind of imaging, but that option is obviously out of the question. Maybe a utility or a set of programs that can assist me in this work, tracking, backup and restoring of registry settings, configurations files, software folders, user documents etc.
Edit: To clarify, the reason I just can't save an image is because the new standardized image issued by corporate IT is required in order to be able to access company assets, including the company network. So overwriting the issued image with my backup image would not accomplish anything I could not accomplish by just ignoring the new company image. Which I sometimes can, but many times can't.
1I'm not sure I understand why you have to do this. My instinct would be to get a image of it after you've configured it fully, so at worst, if you HAVE to reimage it every couple of months, you can at least have it most of the way set up. Is this just a image provided by work and mandated that all computers be freshly loaded every so often? – Paperlantern – 2011-12-30T01:03:23.890
I would love to see a solution to "Re-install fixes everything :-)" Why do people saying that, not realise how LONG it takes to re-install and configure the beast over again? :-) . . . I do not understand how imaging is out? when it can cover 95% of that? Is that because they supply you with a new "standard" Image every year? – Psycogeek – 2011-12-30T01:04:02.920
Is not the point of reinstalling the image to reset the changes you made back to the default? Would not re-doing all your changes defeat the purpose? – Bobson – 2011-12-30T20:50:58.023
@bobson: It's true that that is one of the uses. Organisational deployment is another, which is what's used in this case. – Zano – 2011-12-30T23:00:46.570
In that case, you definitely do not want to bother with imaging. A file/regkey-centric solution is better. – Bobson – 2011-12-30T23:36:53.673