Imaging Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition

[Stiddy]

All,

I am also trying to image Windows 2003 server enterprise edition so I can roll it out to my 500+ servers. Has anyone found an imaging software which works with 2003 server?

 

[Dogers]

afaik, any decent software should work fine - Powerquest DriveImage or Symantec Ghost being decent examples

 

[jasonboyes]

If you are doing imaging make sure you do sysprep

here is a link:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;298491

and another:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;240126

Jason

 

[Stiddy]

Symantec Ghost actually does not have a product yet for 2003 server. I am in the process of downloading PowerQuest software now. I will let you guys and gals no how it turns out. If anyone else knows of any other, please post. Thanks.....

 

[Dogers]

that shouldnt matter - the product runs under DOS, not windows

 

[HKIT]

I have used Norton Ghost 2003 successfully on my server for backup/restore of Windows Server 2003 Enterprise edition.
However I did not restore to another hardware box.

 

[influent]

Did you have to use sysprep to get Ghost to work with Windows 2003? When I tried to ghost to a bigger hard drive for the same PC/hardware, I got a blue screen on startup with a STOP error, and chkdsk wouldn't work, but maybe it's because I was using Ghost 7.5 instead of 2003.

 

[FestusMcShamus]

what about using microsoft's remote installation services.
as long as you have a similar HAL, it'll work with different hardware and does a nice job.

 

[zmann]

PowerDeploy works pretty well, Huh?

Z

 

[IThead]

Stiddy,
Try TrueImage 7.0 server, check this out at

http://www.acronics.com

 

[ukjay]

Yes try Altiris (Available from Compaq, err HP).

 

[ColdPhreze]

Ghost 7.5 does not work properly with the new ntfs partitions.

Check out my DeVry Senior Project

http://www.remotewheels.netfirms.com

 

[Sayangjoy]

Well i`ve got a problem....!!!, since there`s an aportunity to clone a disk in "ghost-2003" i tried this and put my win 2003 on a larger HD.after reboot, everything seems to be working fine..
well,, NOT ! then there came up an error something with active directory... and had to reboot in directory services restore mode. .. well i did now i see the screen in safe mode , want to login,, but after entering my pwd it loggsin end loggoff imediatly,,
what can i do??? how can i get rid of the error and activate active directory or something to go up and run again normaly?
Hope someone can help me... please mail at
sayangjoy@hotmail.com

 

[jferrante]

Help! I just ran Ghost 2003 on my Server 2003. Tried to create an image of c drive. The DOS operation failed, and now I'm stuck at a black DOS screen.

It doesn't matter what option I choose when I reboot. Ghost still wants to run and I can't get past it.
Thanks!

 

[influent]

I tried using Ghost 2003 for my Windows 2003 Enterprise server nad had the same problem as Ghost 7.5, a STOP: error blue screen on subsequent bootup. Could it have something to do with the hard drives being different sizes and speeds or the Promise PCI IDE controller?

 

[nat325i]

Has anyone found anything that will work?

We had a server go down at one of our customers-- bad RAID controler... and a bad backup. We had to rebuild the domain using an IDE hard drive. What can we use to image the disk from the IDE to the RAID array. It's running Windows Server 2003.

 

[xmsre]

Sounds like you're trying to ghost a domain controller. Don't do that. A member server should work just fine, then you can script the dcpromo.

 

[jferrante]

Check out Acronis TrueImage at arconis.com

I think it has that capability. It has cloned everything else I've tried without issue.

 

[PhillyCheeseSteak]

Altiris is the best solution I've seen because it does support RAID natively.

 

[nat325i]

It was a DC, and the only server on the domain. So what you're saying is to setup another DC, demote the server, ghost it and then run dcpromo again?

My company decided the best solution would be to reload it, which they did on Sunday, but I'd like to know for future reference...