Make backup copy of installation disk?

If I buy a Window 7 system, can I back up the installation DVD to
guard against the original disk becoming unreadable? If so how?

I ask because years in the past, when I used NERO to make a CD copy of
an XP CD installation disk, the second CD disk was not bootable. This
hurt because when my original XP CD failed, I had to coerce MS to send
me a new one. Pain.

I think what I want to do is make an ISO image which when used to
create a second installation disk, it will be bootable. Sound right?
If I can do this, then I could store the ISO image file on a backup
hard drive which I trust more than a DVD disk. I don't trust the
shelf life of those disks any more.

Well anyway, I tried Nero again on said old XP CD disk, and it
generated an .nrg image file, which when I used it to burn a new CD
disk, that disk would not boot either.

Can someone advise how I can do what I need to do?

"aaaaa" <> wrote in message news:...
> If I buy a Window 7 system, can I back up the installation DVD to
> guard against the original disk becoming unreadable? If so how?
>
> I ask because years in the past, when I used NERO to make a CD copy of
> an XP CD installation disk, the second CD disk was not bootable. This
> hurt because when my original XP CD failed, I had to coerce MS to send
> me a new one. Pain.
>
> I think what I want to do is make an ISO image which when used to
> create a second installation disk, it will be bootable. Sound right?
> If I can do this, then I could store the ISO image file on a backup
> hard drive which I trust more than a DVD disk. I don't trust the
> shelf life of those disks any more.
>
> Well anyway, I tried Nero again on said old XP CD disk, and it
> generated an .nrg image file, which when I used it to burn a new CD
> disk, that disk would not boot either.
>
> Can someone advise how I can do what I need to do?

No need to create an ISO, Win7 can make a system image that you can store on a second disk.
You can also mount the image as a virtual disk drive and edit using Explorer.
When you create the image Win7 will ask you if you want to create a repair disk.
This is a bootable CD that you boot from if you ever want to restore the saved image.

"aaaaa" <> wrote in message
news:...
> If I buy a Window 7 system, can I back up the installation DVD to
> guard against the original disk becoming unreadable? If so how?
>
> I ask because years in the past, when I used NERO to make a CD copy of
> an XP CD installation disk, the second CD disk was not bootable. This
> hurt because when my original XP CD failed, I had to coerce MS to send
> me a new one. Pain.
>
> I think what I want to do is make an ISO image which when used to
> create a second installation disk, it will be bootable. Sound right?
> If I can do this, then I could store the ISO image file on a backup
> hard drive which I trust more than a DVD disk. I don't trust the
> shelf life of those disks any more.
>
> Well anyway, I tried Nero again on said old XP CD disk, and it
> generated an .nrg image file, which when I used it to burn a new CD
> disk, that disk would not boot either.
>
> Can someone advise how I can do what I need to do?
>
>


If you buy a new computer some come with a partition to restore them to the
factory condition, and a disk. Many will allow you to burn recovery disks
also as a back up. Some will only let you do this one time. I bought a
couple Gateways for Christmas that did not have a patrician but allowed me
to make a couple sets of back up disks.
Win.7 also seems to have a built in program to make a mirror drive image.
I am assuming like Arconis. Have not tried using it yet.
Check the one you want to buy and see how it's set up for this.
--
There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

If your Win 7 system is running OK, why don't you make an Acronis Image and
store it on your hard drive, preferably a second drive.

That should enable you to recreate you current system at any time in the
future. I believe Acronis compresses the image file, whereas Win7 image may
be uncompressed and therefore rather large. No sure about this.

An Acronis image would avoid the necessity for one of those recovery disks
or recovery partitions. Faster, too.

--
Walter
www.rationality.net
-
"aaaaa" <> wrote in message
news:...
> If I buy a Window 7 system, can I back up the installation DVD to
> guard against the original disk becoming unreadable? If so how?
>
> I ask because years in the past, when I used NERO to make a CD copy of
> an XP CD installation disk, the second CD disk was not bootable. This
> hurt because when my original XP CD failed, I had to coerce MS to send
> me a new one. Pain.
>
> I think what I want to do is make an ISO image which when used to
> create a second installation disk, it will be bootable. Sound right?
> If I can do this, then I could store the ISO image file on a backup
> hard drive which I trust more than a DVD disk. I don't trust the
> shelf life of those disks any more.
>
> Well anyway, I tried Nero again on said old XP CD disk, and it
> generated an .nrg image file, which when I used it to burn a new CD
> disk, that disk would not boot either.
>
> Can someone advise how I can do what I need to do?

"Walter R." <> wrote in message
news:hidp0g$4je$...
> If your Win 7 system is running OK, why don't you make an Acronis Image
> and store it on your hard drive, preferably a second drive.
>
> That should enable you to recreate you current system at any time in the
> future. I believe Acronis compresses the image file, whereas Win7 image
> may be uncompressed and therefore rather large. No sure about this.
>
> An Acronis image would avoid the necessity for one of those recovery disks
> or recovery partitions. Faster, too.
>
>
>

An Acronis backed up image is great should his system become corrupt and he
need to resurrect it, but it may not be of any help should his entire
motherboard become unusable, that's why not only should an image be made of
the current system but also have a copy of the installation disk. For
Windows 7 that installation disk would be a DVD.
So with that thought I'm trying to figure out why the OP couldn't copy
his original XP CD that wouldn't boot. I've done it many times using Nero 7
using both cd's and DVD's. All I did was to 'copy cd' and then to have it
boot go into the bios and make the first boot device the CD-ROM.
--
Jan Alter

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:39:13 -0500, "Jan Alter" <>
wrote:


> So with that thought I'm trying to figure out why the OP couldn't copy
>his original XP CD that wouldn't boot. I've done it many times using Nero 7
>using both cd's and DVD's. All I did was to 'copy cd' and then to have it
>boot go into the bios and make the first boot device the CD-ROM.


Jan - my thought exactly. I have done what you describe faultlessly.
But all that would make me still totally dependent on CD and DVD
disks, which I suddenly do not trust any more. I do trust hard drive
preservation. And so, I was just thinking that if I could get an ISO
image of the installation disk on a hard drive, I would sleep better.
In emergency, I could then make a installation disk from the image,

Thanks.

You numbskull when you make a copy of a cd or dvd use the "disk-at-once" option.

aaaaa wrote:

> On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:39:13 -0500, "Jan Alter" <>
> wrote:
>
> > So with that thought I'm trying to figure out why the OP couldn't copy
> >his original XP CD that wouldn't boot. I've done it many times using Nero 7
> >using both cd's and DVD's. All I did was to 'copy cd' and then to have it
> >boot go into the bios and make the first boot device the CD-ROM.
>
> Jan - my thought exactly. I have done what you describe faultlessly.
> But all that would make me still totally dependent on CD and DVD
> disks, which I suddenly do not trust any more. I do trust hard drive
> preservation. And so, I was just thinking that if I could get an ISO
> image of the installation disk on a hard drive, I would sleep better.
> In emergency, I could then make a installation disk from the image,
>
> Thanks.

--
The Grandmaster of the CyberFROG

Come get your ticket to CyberFROG city

Nay, Art thou decideth playeth ye simpleton games. *Some* of us know proper
manners

Very few. I used to take calls from *rank* noobs but got fired the first day on
the job for potty mouth,

Hamster isn't a newsreader it's a mistake!

El-Gonzo Jackson FROGS both me and Chuckcar

Master Juba was a black man imitating a white man imitating a black man

Using my technical prowess and computer abilities to answer questions beyond the
realm of understandability

Regards Tony... Making usenet better for everyone everyday

On 1/10/10, aaaaa posted:
> On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:39:13 -0500, "Jan Alter" <>
> wrote:


>> So with that thought I'm trying to figure out why the OP couldn't copy
>> his original XP CD that wouldn't boot. I've done it many times using Nero 7
>> using both cd's and DVD's. All I did was to 'copy cd' and then to have it
>> boot go into the bios and make the first boot device the CD-ROM.


> Jan - my thought exactly. I have done what you describe faultlessly.
> But all that would make me still totally dependent on CD and DVD
> disks, which I suddenly do not trust any more. I do trust hard drive
> preservation. And so, I was just thinking that if I could get an ISO
> image of the installation disk on a hard drive, I would sleep better.
> In emergency, I could then make a installation disk from the image,

> Thanks.

Find, download, and install CDBurnerXP. It's free, and it easily makes
ISO files and easily burns them to CDs or DVDs.

--
Gene Bloch 650.366.4267 lettersatblochg.com

"aaaaa" <> wrote in message
news:...
> If I buy a Window 7 system, can I back up the installation DVD to
> guard against the original disk becoming unreadable? If so how?

I didn't get any disks with my (new) laptop, so this is what I did:

Control panel/sytem and security/backup and restore/create system image (I
used an external drive because it is a huge file)
and create system repair disc (onto a DVD disc)

--
--
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:38:34 -0500, Tony <>
wrote:

>You numbskull when you make a copy of a cd or dvd use the "disk-at-once" option.
>

That does not get me away from using cd or dvd disks for backup, does
it.

numbskull