- How to be a Legal Pirate

[Znod]

Yes, I agree strongly. My new HP didn't come with much extra installed--also with no Vista disk. So, I deleted what I didn't want, installed my software, and created an image with Acronis. I am not sure if using this procedure is any less clean than Snuffy's. He seems to believe in his though, and I respect his judgment. One also could do a registry clean up before running Acronis--if he or she trusts cleaners enough. I trust them as much as MS--at least the good ones--since every time I install Vista I have virtually immediate, in not immediate, registry errors (usually quite a few).

[CrowdAds]

[Buster]

yes I agree with you snuffy way does work for him and with what he appears to be doing fresh installs for people making a backup with acronis after that would make a permanent copy that can be restored continuously using the bootable disc that is made from within acronis.
Its what I do for family and friends also saves me hrs of work on there computers I just talk them through restoring once or twice and then there on there own and I get more time for other things

snuffy if you make a backup with acronis and record to DVD you could keep it yourself and repair there computers much quicker the average is twenty minutes with restore I have a box full of such copies I keep to do just that all I do outside of that is connect there hard drive to an old computer to save there files if possible thats if they haven't totally buggered it before I get it

[Snuffy]

snuffy if you make a backup with acronis and record to DVD you could keep it yourself and repair there computers much quicker the average is twenty minutes with restore I have a box full of such copies I keep to do just that all I do outside of that is connect there hard drive to an old computer to save there files if possible thats if they haven't totally buggered it before I get it

What is the average size of a Clean Install DVD using Acronis?
I have not tried that... !
I have from Vista Basic to Ultimate on different systems... I have seen everything except Starter.

If this restore using Acronis is that much faster (for customers) and If a 10 year old could do it, then I might try this ....
Do the customers have to own Acronis or by doing this does it make them a Pirate .. 99.9% want to be sure they are 100% legit .. I say yes, due to your using your LEGIT Key to install with...and the Copy of the DVD - is directly from Microsoft .. and since their OEM Manufacture never included a RESTORE Disk, that is all I'm doing...and since you can "Clean Install from a Upgrade Disk" Legally, That is what I furnish them ..

My Customers are friends but they are still customers... and I treat them accordingly .. customers when I work on they system, friends at the coffee shop.

[Vistanoob]

Last fall my son and I got matching Toshipba laptops running Media Center and we were both pleasantly surprised by the lack of bloatware, especially lately when my son had to do a complete reformat and reinstall off the restore disks supplied with our laptops.
My first computer came loaded with bloatware and I know it is still a problem with some companies so the info from Snuffy will come handy to lots of buyers. I see it in lots of new systems still.

[Znod]

Originally Posted by Snuffy

What is the average size of a Clean Install DVD using Acronis?
I have not tried that... !
I have from Vista Basic to Ultimate on different systems... I have seen everything except Starter.

If this restore using Acronis is that much faster (for customers) and If a 10 year old could do it, then I might try this ....
Do the customers have to own Acronis or by doing this does it make them a Pirate .. 99.9% want to be sure they are 100% legit .. I say yes, due to your using your LEGIT Key to install with...and the Copy of the DVD - is directly from Microsoft .. and since their OEM Manufacture never included a RESTORE Disk, that is all I'm doing...and since you can "Clean Install from a Upgrade Disk" Legally, That is what I furnish them ..

My Customers are friends but they are still customers... and I treat them accordingly .. customers when I work on they system, friends at the coffee shop.

Acronis is very quick--but, of course, the faster the machine the faster Acronis. My desktop backs up and restores each in less than 30 minutes--with all my software installed. Things are way faster still if doing only an incremental backup. But, I always do a full--speculating that this procedure is the safer of the two.

Acronis is supposed to be installed on only one machine. As I recall, I once had to start from the Acronis CD to do a restore. But, I am not close to certain on my recollection. I am not sure if there is anything in the Acronis EULA about using the CD to support others.

The default compression is not very heavy. So, the size of a backup is not much smaller than that of the install itself. I am away from my backup drives now so I can't just look. I have never even tried to set the compression, but I assume that I could do so.

[Buster]

Snuffy Discwizard from Seagate is an older version of Acronis and is free to download from there site personally I would recommend your friends buying there own copy as I understand it its cheaper to do so in America they can download a free trial version
http://affiliate.acronis.com/promo/A...image-024.html
It used to be a full working copy I don't know whether it still is
and like you I only do this for friends as I have had four stroke and \I'm numb down left hand side of my body short term memory is crap now cant retain things for to long so for me its a hobby I just like helping people I have to keep notes and regularly look thing up I often search out the information to repair my computers and then forget by the time I need to use it again this is were you guys help as I follow what your doing for others and by doing so it seams to be helping me retain a little more but Acronis has saved me many hrs of frustration trying to remember what I have done I just simply restore the machine and I am back to square one loose a couple of things sometimes because I haven't backed up as much as I should
so I hope it helps you I still have not used all of the things it can do yet I don't always have the patience work fully with the programs it Gives me a headache and I have to stop
still enough about me have a good Christmas all of you and I am really pleased to hear that Josh's father is home

[Snuffy]

Thanks to all for the answers... I do feel better about the way I'm doing the backups... I also now have acronis on my system, a bootable disk for me, and the backup is well rather large... since it is not a CLEAN install. 7.22 GB
have added a couple of things and need to test the incremental backup feature.

[Buster]

your lucky mine is 34 gig had to buy a blue ray so I could burn it to disc
the original is still quite small can't remember what size though
I hope you do as well with it as I have done, don't forget to validate before trying a restore

[Snuffy]

don't forget to validate before trying a restore

Thanks much...
did a upgrade since I added back several programs and Office 2007 w/SP1.
increase was from 7.2 to 13.7GB using Normal compression... might test with Hi Compress to see the difference...

PS: I'm using the Full Version of Acronis 11 (8.053).
I do not understand I ask for incremental only which it says should then be added to the original when restored... that looks like a FULL version to me... not some add on.
better do some more reading...

[Znod]

I'm glad you got Acronis and are finding it useful. Next to system restore, Acronis is my best software friend.

[Compaq]

Snuffy or whoever let me get this right, if I borrowed someones Vista cd (gen) installed Vista using it but putting in my OEM cd it would work = no OEM stuff?

PS not planning to do it love my laptop lots of g8 soft on it and runs fine just wondering for the future.

[Znod]

Right on bro.

[Compaq]

Sweet stuff!

[Znod]

Originally Posted by Snuffy

Several times I have been ask how to get rid of the CRAP ware that all the OEM manufacture place in there "Restore Disks" or "Hidden Partition".

I have more than one, had very happy customers, with this:
1. Using a Real copy of Vista. Upgrade or Retail. since the customer does not own this "I'm using Pirate Software:.
2. Boot to DVD - Format there HD... then install only what is on the "Upgrade" or "Retail DVD".
3. Depends on which version I use, I then make them Legit by using there OEM KEY.

OK, this is how to be a Legal Pirate..... I have made them a DVD - so they can reinstall and use their OEM KEY.
PS: The Upgrade copy works better...for this, a couple of different manufactures does not like the FULL Retail DVD... why I really do not know.

PSS: Every customer says WOW it really is much faster than when NEW..due to NO CRAP Ware.

Here is some additional useful info about getting rid of crapware: Autoruns, etc..

[Compaq]

Question how would one take out certain OEM stuff and leave other stuff?