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QuickDocId | 529 |
Written by | Imar Spaanjaars |
Posted | 05/17/2010 11:33 |
Page views | 5269 |
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As a developer and a beta-software fanatic, I tend to install and try out a lot of software. Some of it works well and adds value to my "developer toolkit". However, quite often the software is too buggy to work with, has a negative impact on my system's performance or leaves traces when uninstalled. Additionally, just using Windows and the installed applications tends to slow down a system after some time as well. Since having a speedy and responsive system is important for a productive developer, you need to find ways to keep your machine as fast as possible.
Over the years I found a good way to minimize the impact of these applications and Windows usage, enabling me to get my machine back in a clean state in just a few minutes. How?Rather than spending time and money on tools that are able to clean and speed up your machine after it's been messed up, it's better to get a completely clean machine every now and then. However, reinstalling Windows and all your favorite programs and tools can easily take days which is bad for your productivity. Additionally, it isn't the most exciting job to do. Instead of reinstalling over and over, I am using a mechanism where I can always start with a clean machine.
The trick is to use imaging software such as Norton Ghost or one the many free imaging tools available. You don't really need to use all of the features these imaging tools bring (I am using none of the features from the bloated Norton suite except for the ancient DOS version of Ghost) as long as they can image a partition or a complete disk in a DOS environment.
So how does it work? Easy; I keep an up-to-date image of my machine that I can restore any time to get back in a clean state. Here's what I do to create the image.
Every few months, it's time to restore the image again and bring back my machine to its clean starting state. Here's what I do to get it back:
Clearly, the image I created at the beginning gets outdated pretty fast. Microsoft releases patches for Windows, Office and other programs. New versions of browsers come out and anti virus software needs updates. During normal use of my system I try to keep a list of changes I make to the system so I can reapply them to my image. However, more often than not I forget that. Immediately after I've restored an image, I go through this list and update the system. Additionally, I install or update whatever comes to mind (or whatever is reported by Windows or other self-updating tools). Once everything is up-to-date again, I create another image that replaces the old one.
From here, the cycle continues. I can use this image later to restore my system again, update it, and create another image that I use to restore my system at a later stage.
Keep at least two versions of your disc image around. Some time ago I messed up an image by deleting too many Windows installer files to clean up the disk. I didn't notice that until after I create a new image. Fortunately, I still had a previous version that I could restore.
Store as much data as you can on the network or on a separate partition. When following the procedures outlined in this article, you wipe out your complete C drive. You better make sure that drive doesn't contain important files, or at least make sure you back them up before you restore a image.
Use this advise at your own risk. Don't blame me if it blows up your system and deletes all the important files of the project you've been working on for the past 6 months. I can't help you with creating or restoring images, nor with finding lost files again. This article purely serves to give you some ideas on how you can improve your productivity by keeping a clean and lean machine, without reinstalling it every now and then. No warranties whatsoever ;-)
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QuickDocId | 529 |
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Written by | Imar Spaanjaars |
Date Posted | 05/17/2010 11:33 |