emachine restore files

  • Thread starter Thread starter bill
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bill

Supposedly, there are "images" I should be able to burn to cd in order
to create restore disks for my son's eMachine.

Can anyone tell me the names of these files or even what folder is
their usual home?

Thanks in advance.
Bill
 
bill said:
Supposedly, there are "images" I should be able to burn to cd in order
to create restore disks for my son's eMachine.

Can anyone tell me the names of these files or even what folder is
their usual home?
Click to expand...

An image file is not a pre-created file - its something you create yourself.
If you read through the help system in your CD burning software, you will
see that you can create your own CD images - that means copy a complete CD
file structure and contents into 1 file on the hard disk. This enables you
to then use that image to burn a number of duplicate CDs. The reason for
using an image is to reduce the time when copying CDs - read the source CD
to image file and burn many times as opposed to read the source, burn 1
disc, read the source again, burn another disk etc.

Another way of using image files is possibly what you have heard about. You
can get software (not CD burning software, but backup software) that works
similarly to the above CD scenario. Rather than copying a CDs contents and
structure and creating an 'image file' on your hard disk, it creates a
single, large file that is a copy of the entire file structure and content
of your hard disk. You could then choose to burn that to CD if you want, but
I have personally never done this. I think Norton Ghost is one example of CD
image backup/restore software, but don't quote me on this!

I also have a problem with how it could possibly fit a hard drive image on a
CD though - CDs are 650 or 700MB, my hard disk (windows and program files
only - no games!) is more than 3.5GB!

This is not the soundest advice going, but it should arm you with enough
info to get started with a few internet searches which should really clear
things up for you.

GT
 
Gareth Tuckwell said:
An image file is not a pre-created file - its something you create
yourself. If you read through the help system in your CD burning software,
you will see that you can create your own CD images - that means copy a
complete CD file structure and contents into 1 file on the hard disk. This
enables you to then use that image to burn a number of duplicate CDs. The
reason for using an image is to reduce the time when copying CDs - read
the source CD to image file and burn many times as opposed to read the
source, burn 1 disc, read the source again, burn another disk etc.

Another way of using image files is possibly what you have heard about.
You can get software (not CD burning software, but backup software) that
works similarly to the above CD scenario. Rather than copying a CDs
contents and structure and creating an 'image file' on your hard disk, it
creates a single, large file that is a copy of the entire file structure
and content of your hard disk. You could then choose to burn that to CD if
you want, but I have personally never done this. I think Norton Ghost is
one example of CD image backup/restore software, but don't quote me on
this!

I also have a problem with how it could possibly fit a hard drive image on
a CD though - CDs are 650 or 700MB, my hard disk (windows and program
files only - no games!) is more than 3.5GB!

This is not the soundest advice going, but it should arm you with enough
info to get started with a few internet searches which should really clear
things up for you.

GT
Click to expand...

I should add, that I don't know what an 'eMachine' is - maybe it already has
imaging/backup software installed, so check the manuals for any mention of
the above stuff and see what it tells you.
 
Supposedly, there are "images" I should be able to burn to cd in order
to create restore disks for my son's eMachine.

Can anyone tell me the names of these files or even what folder is
their usual home?

Thanks in advance.
Bill
Click to expand...

I don't know how eMachines sets up their restore feature.
If you provided more detail on it we might be able to be
more helpful.

If eMachines included a restoration CD and you merely want
it duplicated, there is no need to find/copy from hard
drive, merely copy the original CD.

If they use a partition image which wipes out the existing
partition/files and restores 100% to factor state, that kind
of image would have to be on a separate partition on the
hard drive, if it exists there at all... this partition
could be visable or hidden. If it's hidden, something like
Partition Magic might find it.

If you instead had more generic terminology in mind, that
there are the Windows installation files somewhere on the
drive and you want those on a CD to be able to do a clean
windows installation, then it will depend on which version
of windows it's running (which you didn't mention), what the
filenames are. Generally it might be revealing to do a file
search for *.cab, looking at which folders have only (or
mostly) what appears to be windows setup files.
 
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