imaging O/S vs. installation from CD

[wpshooter]

Is there any difference in the reliability and functioning of a Windows O/S that is imaged onto a workstation that many IT departments do to save time vs. a from scratch installation of that same O/S from a Windows installation CD or DVD ?

Thanks.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Functionally, they'll almost certainly be different, as an image is likely to contain a corporation's needed software and security settings. From a reliability perspective, an image may possibly contain updated drivers or other settings to prevent a known issue with the hardware from occuring.

In other words, it depends.

 

[Saithegeek]

If all hardware is the same/similar and the same programs need to be installed I'd say go for the image, reliability won't be an issue. However if the hardware differs greatly you're more likely run into various compatibility issues; mainly driver issues if its Vista and win7, XP will probably get you BSODs. If its a small user environment and you only need to install a few programs AND you've got the time, go for a clean install. Just know you'll have to run the 100+ windows updates or so depending on OS.

 

[wpshooter]

If all hardware is the same/similar and the same programs need to be installed I'd say go for the image, reliability won't be an issue. However if the hardware differs greatly you're more likely run into various compatibility issues; mainly driver issues if its Vista and win7, XP will probably get you BSODs. If its a small user environment and you only need to install a few programs AND you've got the time, go for a clean install. Just know you'll have to run the 100+ windows updates or so depending on OS.

So unless someone/vendor could guarantee you that all of your several workstations had the EXACT same configuration (because isn't it possible that even if you have several units of the same model of workstation that it would be possible for the hardware components in them to have some minor variations), wouldn't it be better to install from an installation CD instead of imaging the machine, so that you could pretty much know for certain that you had a good install once all of the drivers and security releases, etc. were brought up to the latest and greatest ?

Thanks.

 

[Fardringle]

Large corporations often buy computers in bulk (i.e. dozens or even hundreds of exactly the same model at the same time), so the components in them are identical. In this case, it is MUCH easier to install Windows on one machine, configure it the way it is needed for the company, make an image of that machine, then push the image to all of the other machines in the batch. As long as the original is set up properly, all of the imaged machines will work as if they were the original.

 

[wpshooter]

Large corporations often buy computers in bulk (i.e. dozens or even hundreds of exactly the same model at the same time), so the components in them are identical. In this case, it is MUCH easier to install Windows on one machine, configure it the way it is needed for the company, make an image of that machine, then push the image to all of the other machines in the batch. As long as the original is set up properly, all of the imaged machines will work as if they were the original.

When the computers that have been imaged this way, is the "boot" processes exactly the same as it would be on a computer that had had the O/S installed from scratch from a Windows CD ?

Thanks.

 

[phoenix79]

With win7 there is a switch for sysprep that makes it hardware agnostic. Just like when first doing an install it will search for drivers in it's database and load them. The win7 driver database does a REALLY good job of configuring hardware for today's computers.

Also, many corporations have SCCM which allows them to build an image and update the driver database at will, so if they get a new batch of computers that need new drivers, they can stick them in without having to rebuild the entire image.

 

[corkyg]

"When the computers that have been imaged this way, is the "boot" processes exactly the same as it would be on a computer that had had the O/S installed from scratch from a Windows CD ?

In general, yes. We have a teaching lab with 10 units - all identical, and all boot exactly the same way (dual boot!) - they were installed by an .ISO image.