D. Spencer Hines said:
Here's an excellent article on the new image-based install.
http://www.apcstart.com/3834/inside_vistas_new_image_based_install
You're welcome.
You explain it very well, in short scope -- without all the Technobabble and
Authority Rattling.
Some folks just can't help themselves. ;-)
1. That's probably the lion's share of us users out here.
Probably so, and most folks want the easier route, which is
doing an in-place-upgrade. However, that is also the path with
more potential problems. Even though the OS install itself is
clean.
2. I imagine it's a very tricky process with lots of potential pitfalls.
Absolutely. The upgrade also takes a heck of a lot longer, sometimes,
several hours, depending on how much data and programs a user has.
If a user wants to do an upgrade, I would suggest doing some good
disk cleanup and maintenance, first. Uninstall any programs you don't
want or haven't used in awhile. Uninstall any AV, firewall, spyware program
for sure. Also, uninstall any programs that the advisor/compatibility check
recommends. Run a disk check and defrag.
3. Does the image based install wipe out the old REG entries too and leave no ash and trash
behind in TEMP files and DOWNLOAD files?
The registry should be absolutely new and clean, except for those needed
to run any imported programs.
Anything that the install doesn't import back into Vista is placed
into a folder called windows.old. You can go through that folder
to see if there's anything you may want. If not, you can delete it.
My suggestion is for folks to use Windows Easy Transfer to save
their settings and files. Do a clean install. And then import that stuff
back into Vista. Reinstall your programs. This may seem like a pain,
but it the end it will more than likely save many users from even more
pain.
Take care,
Michael