Help installing XP Pro on 50 Computers...

[vail3r]

I need to install XP Pro on 50 Computers, They are all exactly the same apart from HDD size and RAM.

What is going to be the best way to do it?

The only way I have ever done it before is via disk so looking for much faster solutions.

 

[Meatball]

Install on one computer and make an image of the installation. Copy the image to all the PCs .

 

[SiriusB]

Any reason for going XP over Win 7?

 

[vail3r]

Any reason for going XP over Win 7?

Managed to get a very good deal on XP licenses.


What software is recommended for making an image?

 

[SiriusB]

Microsoft has free tools for creating and managing deployment images.

 

[vsmora]

Symantec Ghost Solution Suite is good and well worth the extra cost over the basic free MS stuff, particularly if you are responsible for maintaining these PCs too.

 

[theheyes]

Are they all on a network or is it just you and as many external drives as you can lay your hands on?

Don't forget to sysprep before you capture the image and depending on what software you end up going with it might be worth doing the PC with the smallest disk drive first.

 

[cokecan]

if they're all on a network (or at the very least, can be connected to a switch of some description) then may I suggest FOG?

Ubuntu based imaging server. I use it at work to image laptops over a wired network using PXE boot. Does the job very nicely and is all done in a web-based interface

They even provide a pre-configured FOG Virtual Machine for VMWare, all you have to do is download it, and mount it using VMWare

 

[malef!c]

Sorry for jumping in on this thread - cokecan72, thanks for mentioning FOG.
Never heard of it before so had a look at it works a treat!!

 

[cokecan]

No probs. It was recommended to me on here a while ago. I've been using it most of this year and it does the job very nicely. We have a large number of laptops that go out to peoples homes with some in-house software on. After 4 weeks they come back to us and then go out again with a modified version of the in-house software on for the next study etc.

FOG lets me easily just schedule a specific job with a specific machine so all I really have to do is plug the laptop into a gigabit switch and get it to PXE boot, the rest is done for me (once the new initial image is set up of course)

 

[malef!c]

I have it set up as I am always messing my machines up so this is a quick way of blowing an image back to them.

All I have to do is change the serial to the one that came with the machine and everything is happy - this is handy for people who come round with broken machines that need a reinstall (as long as they bring their key before anyone asks!) as well...saves me sitting in front of their machine.

As I have done 3 this weekend, it could have saved me some time!!

At least I am prepared for the next request

 

[Burnsy2023]

Windows Server and RIS/WDS would be my first choice. If you don't mind paying, look at Acronis Snap/deploy. I used to do this a lot on several hundred machines.