This disc was made for bootin'

November 30, 2009 1:10 PM

I would like to make a custom boot disc that is very simple to the user. All it would do is restore an image from 6 DVDs to a hard drive. The only options I would like the user to see is: 1) format drive 2) restore drive 3) exit I would like to create this menu and all sub menus that I see fit. I have seen UBCD but it is too complicated for the people I know. I would like to use Driveimage XML and have it read the discs one at a time to restore the drive. Any suggestions?
posted by CodeMonkey to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Old versions of Ghost could do this. Newer versions may still have the functionality. If not, find a circa 2002 copy of Ghost.
posted by GuyZero at 1:19 PM on November 30, 2009

I don't think driveimage has that functionality.

Ghost (the old kind) did. When you create the image, it gave you the option of feeding it a DOS disk to use as a boot image, and that DOS disk could have whatever you wanted on it.
posted by gjc at 1:37 PM on November 30, 2009

Use Acronis instead.
posted by anti social order at 1:58 PM on November 30, 2009

Seconding Acronis. You can easily whip up custom boot disks with True Image.
posted by Burhanistan at 3:20 PM on November 30, 2009

How about something that's FREE!
posted by CodeMonkey at 4:24 PM on November 30, 2009

How about something that's FREE!

Free doesn't always get you easily managed solutions. A few bucks well spent on software here and there is worth it.
posted by Burhanistan at 5:09 PM on November 30, 2009

Free is BartPE. Bonus: all of Runtime's software has PE-compatible modules on their website.

You'll need a windows disc (not a system restore disc if you have a manufactured computer) to create the software. You should also be able to make scripts to run the three tasks you specify.
posted by ijoyner at 5:34 PM on November 30, 2009

Oh, One more thing about DriveImageXML: it only works if there is only one partition on the drive. If you have a Dell with a service partition that is booted and then that boots the Windows partition, your restore will not provide a bootable drive.

In these cases Acronis TrueImage really is necessary (and there are BartPE modules for it as well)
posted by ijoyner at 5:36 PM on November 30, 2009