> -----Original Message----- > From: Bill Patton > > I am building a new machine and will install WinXP-Home Edition. > I wish to > image the drive as soon as I install the OS for the purpose of easier > restoration when windows becomes corrupted or bloated with other > software/adware/spyware. Will I have problems with activation > when trying to > restore an image (Norton Ghost) to this exact same machine? Would it be > best to image before initial activation or wait until after initial > activation? Will imaging even work anymore with this activaiton issue? > Thank you, Bill Patton > Bill, I did exactly that. Installed WinXP Pro on a new machine and immediately made an image using Ghost thinking that if I needed to do a complete re-install, the WinXP part would be effortless. I did this BEFORE activation. When I attempted to use that image on the same machine about a year later, I ran into problems. It balked since it was past the 30 day activation window but never allowed me the opportunity to activate. Rather than fuss with it, I used a later image that had been taken after activation. That one worked perfectly. If you have your hardware setup (don't plan on adding/changing lots of peripherals -- I believe the NIC and video card count a lot towards the magic activation number), I see no reason not to activate immediately and then take an image. I have done several re-installs and many hardware upgrades and never had an issue with activation. I have used Ghost (version included with SystemWorks 2003 Professional) to make images and re-install the operating system many times on activated systems and it works flawlessly. I have my disk set up with the operating system on one partition, programs on another, and data on several others. Therefore, I can image my C: (OS) and E: (programs) partitions in about 20-30 minutes and re-install in about the same. This can get me up and running from a bad install, registry problem, viral infestation (hasn't happened yet), or other borked OS problems in less than an hour. I highly recommend it. BTW, I back up data to a separate partition and eventually to CD or DVD, storing important data offsite. Hope this answers your questions. Jim Maki [log in to unmask] PCBUILD maintains hundreds of useful files for download visit our download web page at: http://freepctech.com/downloads.shtml