How to copy software CD's

[travelhawk]

I admit, I'm a complete beginner at the burning copying side of computer knowledge so I could certainly use some good advice. Some good advice I got today was to look for an answer to my question here, and it does seem like I've come to the right place for a solution.

I may take an overseas job which would see me, my laptop, and my digital camera going overseas for some months. Knowing well the fragility of the windows OS I'm concerened about what to do if I have a major system crash, get invaded by a virus etc. and have to reinstall my OS and programs. I don't want to carry all my CD's with me, especially the originals and copies would be bulky.

Is it possible to copy my software CD's onto an external harddrive and reinstall them from there if I have to? This would include MS XP Pro, Office XP, Adobe Photoshop 7, and starry nights to quote some examples of softwares I would like to put onto such a harddrive.

Some people have said that it can't be done this way. Others say special software is needed. Help, I need advice before the month is out.

Thanks,

Tom

[Sapiens]

The main problem is that if you do have a complete system crash, you're going to need at least one CD -- the Windows XP CD -- to format and/or reinstall your OS. The idea behind programs like DAEMON Tools is to be able to mount CD images as virtual drives so that users will no longer have to swap discs constantly (usually to play various games). In your case, however, you're backing up applications that don't need the CD in the drive once they're installed. This gives you two perfectly viable solutions.

One, buy two well-padded CD carrying cases; burn copies of all the application CDs you'll need to use, put the originals in one case and the copies in the other. A very simple solution, but one that will more than likely keep your original CDs safely tucked away from harm's reach. 8) If you'd rather dump the images of the CDs, I would recommend putting them on a separate hard drive. Again, in the event of a severe system crash and a format, it won't do you any good to have those images on the same hard drive that you're formatting.

The real key to your problem is to try possible solutions out long before you make your trip, so you'll know which is the most acceptable.

[travelhawk]

Thanks for the reply Sapiens. So two more questions. Can I directly copy my windows XP disk onto a blank disk and take that with me. That way I'm not risking the loss or damage of my main CD. Would the copied disk work? For my software CD's can I just copy them onto a harddrive and install them from here? Just wondering if you have any experience trying these things.

[Sapiens]

Question #1: As long as you use any standard burning program like Nero to make a copy of your Windows XP CD -- in other words, make sure to use its "copy CD" function -- you will have a perfectly functional (and more importantly, bootable) disc. The Windows OS CDs don't come with any built-in copy protection other than requiring a CD key, so you'll be fine as long as you remember to jot yours down on the burnt disc. :wink:

Question #2: I'm not quite sure what you're asking. Sure you can make images of your software CDs and install them through DAEMON Tools, but if the software you're using doesn't require a disc to be in the drive when it's run then having a mounted image wouldn't serve much purpose -- you'd be better of burning copies of those discs as well. If the applications do require a CD in the drive, then mounting their images with DAEMON Tools would be a perfect solution. I would however recommend making copies of those CDs as well in the event that something happens to the dumped files.

Does that make any sense? :|