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Best app ore method to restore a Win7 system? (not a disk image)

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tranglos:
Do you make incremental images, Mouser?
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no.
-mouser (August 02, 2010, 05:25 PM)
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That's exactly what I've been doing. Which is why it seems to me that a full drive image just to install and try a piece of software is like swatting flies with a BFG, and really time-consuming. But I've just read up on RollBack Rx and its brethren, and they all look like trouble, even if the restore procedure is in theory a neat two-clicks-and-reboot affair.

mouser:
a full drive image just to install and try a piece of software
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virtual machines are the way to go for trying software.  totally non-intrusive on your real pc.

MilesAhead:
The codec and video thing is a nightmare. Often I find if I go to a new version of some video software that was working fine, it breaks.  Backing off to the working version does no good.  Even a restore point doesn't always fix it.  The stuff is getting so complicated it's like you have to freeze it once you get it to work.

I don't know how much stuff you have on your system drive.  I like Macrium because I can back up to external drives very quickly.  But I keep the usage level low on the system partition.  Makes it less of a chore to restore.  Still, I'm not thrilled about doing it if I don't have to. :)

MilesAhead:
Not quite your question, but... Safest Win7 codec pack I've found is the one from www.Shark007.net (granted the sites is a bit of an atrocity, but...) - I've used it successfully on both 32 & 64bit machines, and it will play anything. Rented moves, downloaded movies, weird format cell phone movies - It's played everything I've thrown at it.
-Stoic Joker (August 02, 2010, 01:27 PM)
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+1 on Shark's.
-MilesAhead (August 02, 2010, 01:34 PM)
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Thanks for that, I'll use it. However, some apps install codecs forcibly - like J-River Media Center, which I do like for the organization features, but which installs and updates ffdshow without so much as a prompt or a notification. And I like trying out software - never yet found an all-round media player I would be 100% satisfied with, so I'd love to be able to quickly roll back.

-tranglos (August 02, 2010, 02:58 PM)
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Hmmm, I'm rapidly changing my opinion.  I just updated and now even if I select Custom Install I still get the BingBar and Window Live Sign On Assistant whether I like it or not.  I don't really want to uninstall 2 things every time I install one thing.  It's a royal pita!!

Stoic Joker:
Hmmm, I'm rapidly changing my opinion.  I just updated and now even if I select Custom Install I still get the BingBar and Window Live Sign On Assistant whether I like it or not.  I don't really want to uninstall 2 things every time I install one thing.  It's a royal pita!!-MilesAhead (August 02, 2010, 09:16 PM)
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:huh: Shark's doing that?!? I've got an if it ain't broke don't fix it policy when it comes to multimedia stuff. So I saved the install pack that worked back when and just keep reusing it (Yeah ThumbDrives). WMP with the compact corporate interface/skin is all I've ever used media player wise (ok I did fiddle with BS player for a bit back when - but I'm done now).

If the updates are now borked that does totally suck.

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