Build 5308 of the Windows Vista, which is currently being released to select testers, includes a feature that has long been awaited - image-based installations that install Windows modules to the hard drive not as separate files, but as contiguous disk images. This is essentially like restoring from the backup of a clean install. In order to make this work, Vista engineers had to finally scrap the very last vestige of MS-DOS. I, for one, am not shedding any tears over this. Vista now utilises Windows PE (pre-installation), which presents a shell with which users manage the installation process. PE remains available to users even after installation, so as to be used as a recovery environment in case of disaster, replacing the driver-free "Safe Mode" currently used by XP.
New image-based OS deployment for Vista
By Derek Sooman
Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
4 comments
0 likes and shares