Best method for taking PC image to restore from when the kids wreck the PC?

[Goz]

As the title says, what are my options to take an image (for want of a better word) of the kids PC (which is currently pristine) so that I can wipe the hard drive and restore this image after the kids have introduced crap software, virus' etc etc.

I envisage a DVD that can be restored from before Windows boots up. Or am I talking out my arse? If not, how do I do it.

Any advice welcome.

TIA

Goz

[NormanRouxel]

I use Acronis True Image Home V11. This lets you backup to all sorts of devices, a portable HDD being best. It also builds a CD that will boot a Linux system containing a recovery program. Perfect for restoring onto a bare or freshly wiped disk.

Also, since HDDs are pretty big nowadays, you could additionally partition the kids drive into two and use the second partition for the Acronis backups. Won't recover you from a dead drive but will be quicker and easier to use than plugging in an external one.

[Duncan Rounding]

I also use Acronis and find it very good.

[pinbrook]

unless the kids machine has to be windows, why dont you go for ubuntu? this is less susceptible to viruses malwear etc.

i'm just about to rebuild my 8 yr old nephew's pc with unbuntu for this reason. he asked his mum why there were ladies bottoms on his computer!

[Mark H]

A lot of PCs come with recovery disks (or the option to create them) which will take the PC back to factory condition should the need arise.

[chris ashdown]

We use Acronis for workstations, the only difference is that it will retore to a new computer with different hardwear, where as the basic home system assumes its just the hard drive that is replaced

(thats what the salesman told me anyway)

[Goz]

A lot of PCs come with recovery disks (or the option to create them) which will take the PC back to factory condition should the need arise.

Their PC comes with a recovery partition which you can restore from by pressing F11 during boot up.

Problem is, as you rightly say Mark, it is factory condition. I've just had to do that this week. I then spent another couple of days updating Windows and reinstalling software. I'd rather avoid that again if I can help it - life's too short

[acompton]

Or am I talking out my arse? If not, how do I do it.

I may be able to help with this one; I've been doing it for years.
Dunno about the backup/recovery thing, though.

[Mark H]

Their PC comes with a recovery partition which you can restore from by pressing F11 during boot up.

Problem is, as you rightly say Mark, it is factory condition. I've just had to do that this week. I then spent another couple of days updating Windows and reinstalling software. I'd rather avoid that again if I can help it - life's too short

Yes, I've done it more times than I care to remember.......

You're back to something like Acronis. The only other thing I can think of is the Backup and Restore Centre in the Windows control panel - create a restore point and use this when the PC is messed up. The only thing would say is that I've found that this doesn't work more often than it does....

[grantglendinnin]

Install a piece of Virtual PC software - let the kids use the VM, if they break it, doesn't matter, just start up a new Virtual machine.

[Goz]

Install a piece of Virtual PC software - let the kids use the VM, if they break it, doesn't matter, just start up a new Virtual machine.

oooh! Sounds interesting! Any suggestions? this is new territory for me

[grantglendinnin]

oooh! Sounds interesting! Any suggestions? this is new territory for me

Microsoft Virtual PC is the one I use, never dabbled with a virtual machine set-up on Linux. Microsoft VP gives the all round same functionality that XP does on any computer. It is effectively running a computer (virtually) inside a computer - simply a piece of software you start up through Windows.

[leehack]

True Image for me too, do all the updates, load up the software you want on a basic setup and then do a complete copy. It'd take about 20-30 mins to restore. True image has just been updated to version 12 also.