Shoutbox

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Originally posted by NiteMare

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Originally posted by Mike
However, it may come in handy, since I have to format my laptop every few months due to that faulty HDD...

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theres an easier fix for that: replace the hard drive

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Buy me a hard drive and I'll happily do that

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Originally posted by Mike

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Originally posted by NiteMare

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Originally posted by Mike
However, it may come in handy, since I have to format my laptop every few months due to that faulty HDD...

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theres an easier fix for that: replace the hard drive

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Buy me a hard drive and I'll happily do that

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give me the money and sure

IIRC if you are using windows Vista, you can do a thing called Special Copy (not too sure on the name i have to go back into my pc magazines and search for it), basically it moves everything to the designated folder, correcting all settings and registry files connected to that folder, then after your done you can run it again and put it back in its rightful place. i'll put up more info when i can be bothered going and digging out my mag.

It could work, if you were lucky. But I don't see the point in it since all you'd be doing is replacing the Windows files, which can be done with a repair install anyway.

If you're trying to get a base system every time you re-format, the best way is to make an image of your base install using something like True Image, and then burn that to a DVD. Every time you need to reinstall, just restore that image.

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Originally posted by andrey
Even if it worked, what would be the point of it? When you copy your old folders back to the new installation, you would copy all the maybe faulty registry settings and files back aswell.

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Originally posted by Nathan
What about registry settings.

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Registry settings would be stored in the Windows\System32\Config folder.

But tbh I doubt this would work anyway.

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as well as C:\Documents and Settings\All Users and C:\Documents and Settings\{user}

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Originally posted by Mike
Suppose I copy the Program Files and Windows folder (especially the Windows\system32\config folder), format the HDD, and reinstall Windows.
Now, as soon as Windows finishes copying the files, instead of booting into Windows to continue the installation, you would boot into an other OS, and copy back the files you previously copied. Then, you would boot into Windows and it should be pretty much the same before formatting.

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you wouldn't even need to reinstall windows, because you'd just be replacing every file it installs with the old versions. you could just format and copy everything back, and you'd have the same effect. though, if you're doing it because of a failing hard drive, why not just run chkdsk?

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Originally posted by ShawnZ

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Originally posted by Mike
Suppose I copy the Program Files and Windows folder (especially the Windows\system32\config folder), format the HDD, and reinstall Windows.
Now, as soon as Windows finishes copying the files, instead of booting into Windows to continue the installation, you would boot into an other OS, and copy back the files you previously copied. Then, you would boot into Windows and it should be pretty much the same before formatting.

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you wouldn't even need to reinstall windows, because you'd just be replacing every file it installs with the old versions. you could just format and copy everything back, and you'd have the same effect. though, if you're doing it because of a failing hard drive, why not just run chkdsk?

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you'd need boot ini but if you just coppied all the needed files it would probally work but, may be pointless, it won't fix an installation error but might help migrating hard disks, but you could just use some sort of disk image app

I wasn't talking about replacing files that already exist, but just merging the directories.

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Originally posted by Mike
I wasn't talking about replacing files that already exist, but just merging the directories.

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well try it,,, i'll give you an Australian penny...

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Originally posted by Mike
I wasn't talking about replacing files that already exist, but just merging the directories.

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What do you understand about "merging" in that case?

Because for starters you also would have files which already exist on the almost-installed-Windows, thus those need to be replaced by the backup. If you mean merging as in one-way-syncronizing, then you wont replace any existing file, just copying not-yet-existing files.

For something like that to work, in theory, you at the least need a "replace" in the true sense of the word since there will be files which are already on the almost-installed-Windows which you need to update (eg: registry hives).

So a merge as in "one-way-syncronizing" will never work, even not in theory.



JBut just make a ghost image. That's the most easiest and fastest way to put Windows back as it was. Much faster than formatting, reinstalling, merging, etc... and fix your drive, or buy another one