When is it OK to reinstall/reload Windows?

[pcpete]

Thanks for the replies. Some of that is a little over my head so I'm going to have to read-up on some things. But being able to reduce from 5 hours to 1 hour would be great. Do you think there would be a way to perform a clean install like this on-site or only in lab?

the only downside to doing them onsite is the backup process. We always like to do complete image backups first. then extract the data files to a different drive using autobackup6pro. The install itself is just done by booting with a usb drive and restoring from a usb drive. That part would be easy to do onsite.

 

[LABFE]

For other on-site techs: do you utilize current Windows images as well as opposed to using regular Windows w/SP ISO's? If you are using regular Windows ISO's and not current image and you determine you need to perform a clean install are you taking the pc with you and bringing it back? Surely you aren't spending 5 hours on-site to perform clean install or are you? I'm just trying to figure out if there is a way to perform clean install on-site in less time. With Win 7 w/SP1 ISO, SDI, and WSUS Offline it takes approx. 5 hours. Is there a faster way? If I can figure out a fast way to perform on-site I'm going to stop bringing PC back with me to perform in lab.

 

[LABFE]

the only downside to doing them onsite is the backup process. We always like to do complete image backups first. then extract the data files to a different drive using autobackup6pro. The install itself is just done by booting with a usb drive and restoring from a usb drive. That part would be easy to do onsite.

Cool, so I just need to get setup to create current Windows images. And the one drawback to doing the clean install on-site is not being able to get a complete image backup of the customer's existing system; I imagine you keep these for 30 or 60 days in case the customer comes back later and says a file or files are missing? So for the 'VM current Windows images' how do you keep them updated without license keys; would you have to buy keys for each edition and version? Or is there another way? Obviously it wouldn't be doing anything wrong as you are just using the VM's as Windows images to install with customers' owned license keys, but the VM's won't update without keys right?

 

[ell]

After finding a gazillion Infections, can't boot into even safe mode after various repair attempts, no restore points, check active partition, mbr, sfc, etc. Then it's nuke and pave

 

[LABFE]

Anyone can chime in, how do you keep the VM's current, do you buy keys for each? Besides it just occurred to me that I mainly just need Win 7, 8.1, 10, Home and Pro as previously mentioned. So six total, if I can even still even get Win 7 keys. If no response here I'll just create a new thread on the specific subject. Thanks.

 

[NJW]

Anyone can chime in, how do you keep the VM's current, do you buy keys for each?

I suppose you should have a key for each – I do, but I was greener when I set it up (I only have Windows 7 images sysprep'ed for deployment).

I haven't tried it, but if you take your sysprep image and reinstall it to a VM – that may give you a new 30-day grace period, plenty of time to update, sysprep and re-image. Probably not legal, but the whole method of sysprepping in a VM and deploying the resulting image doubtless contravenes something in the EULA. It depends how diligent you want to be, I suppose.