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Best Installation Methods

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nevets2001uk

IS-IT--Management
Jun 26, 2002
609
GB
The company I have worked at for most of my career is relatively small with approx 110 PC's in use around the building. All of these are Dell's but various models as they tend to get purchased and cycled out in batches of about 10 as and when finance will sign it off!

Currently we complete the OEM install manually and reinstall manually from CD when required. Obviously this is a slow labour intensive task when coupled with installing software etc.

I'd like to move us to a system whereby this is automated as much as possible without creating too many hassles. I am aware of the options such as Images, Answer Files and RIS.

I'm trying to decide on the easiest to use and most useful with a range of systems in use? What methods are most common?

I have considered looking at GHOST. Would this seem reasonable? Could we create an image for model of PC in use and then use it to peform new install / reinstalls. How can you handle computer names etc with it?

Any advice is welcomed and mcuh appreciated to get me started on this one.

Steve G (MCSE / MCSA:Messaging)
 
Anything here?

How to Use Sysprep: An Introduction

How to Use Sysprep to Restore the Computer to an End-User-Ready State

Deploying Windows XP Using Windows Product Activation

How to use the Sysprep tool to automate successful deployment of Windows XP

How To Use Setup Manager to Create an Answer File in Windows 2000

Items That Can or Cannot Be Added During Unattended Upgrade Using Answer Files
 
Thanks. Some good information there.

I was also really interested in suggestions of the easiest option to suit our needs? What do others in my situation find most appropriate? Syprep images, Ghost images, Answer File Assisted Install etc?

Steve G (MCSE / MCSA:Messaging)
 
I have been playing with the latest Windows Business Desktop Deployment in conjunction with a SUS server you could have machines up and running in as little as 30 minutes already configured with Office and any program you could ever want then all the updates. So if you bought 10 machines, you just boot them all the to the network BDD at the same time and install them all at the same time.

Deploying Vista with BDD: (but works similar with XP)


Deploying XP with BDD:

Cheers
Rob

The answer is always "PEBKAC!
 
We use Ghost here and it works great.

Good luck,
 
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