How to Backup 5.23GB Dell Win7 Reinstall DVD?

[bevills1]

A Win7 reinstall DVD I got from Dell is 5.23GB, and Imgburn says its ISO is too large for a DVD-R and asks if I want to overburn. From what I've read in other threads overburn is somewhat unreliable and only for slightly more space than will normally fit on DVD-R/+R. Will burning the ISO to a dual layer disk create a usable backup, or is there another way to create backup of the 5.23GB Dell DVD?

Comparing that Dell Win7 DVD to another non Dell Win7 DVD for another PC created from ISO downloaded from Microsoft that is just 3.1GB, the Dell Win7 DVD has a 1.65GB Languages folder that the DVD made from the Microsoft ISO doesn't have. Would creating an ISO of the Dell Win7 DVD minus the Languages folder which would fit on a DVD-R/+R produce a usable backup of the Dell Win7 DVD?

[aedipuss]

no one can put 5.23GB on a single layer dvdr, not even dell. either something is wrong with it or it's a dual layer disc to begin with.

[roma_turok]

Will burning the ISO to a dual layer disk create a usable backup?

Yes

Would creating an ISO of the Dell Win7 DVD minus the Languages folder which would fit on a DVD-R/+R produce a usable backup of the Dell Win7 DVD?

Probable not
Dell Win7 installation DVD big because its include Dell drivers and tools
probable also include trial software like Microsoft Office and McAfee antivirus

[TuNk]

Is creating a bootable flash drive an option for you?
If you have an USB memorystick lager than the ISO, then you can use UNetbootin and make a bootable flash drive
Just goolge for UNetbootin and read more, if you are interested

[Cornucopia]

Now, I don't want you to hold me to this (maybe you should try an RW disc 1st), but here's what I think you should do:

1. Use the original reinstall disc that you got from Dell (IOW, why burn at all? Just use it)
or
2. Burn to a dual layer disc (the original is probably a DL disc anyway).
or
3. Copy the contents of the disc to the hard drive of need and reinstall FROM the hard drive.

If for some reason NONE of those are doable for you (?), try this:

4. Copy the contents of the disc to the hard drive of choice and REPLACE (unnecessary?) other-language files with 0kB dummy files of the same name. If that is small enough for Single Layer, then use ImgBurn (Write Files/Folders Mode) and burn a new SL disc. When reinstalling MAKE VERY SURE that you DON'T try to install any of those other languages.

Scott

or try bootable USB as mentioned above...

[fritzi93]

There's also vLite. It's like nLite but for Vista and Win7. In addition to being able to slipstream an install disc, you can also remove components. But supposedly it's not developed to the point that it's as easy to use, or as reliable, as nLite.

I'd go with bootable USB personally. I've done it before for netbooks, etc, and it's not difficult.

[bevills1]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't want to tie up a flash drive for the sole purpose of installing Win7 plus some computers won't boot to flash drives, and I'm unsure whether the Dell laptop will. I always like to make copy of install disk to use and only use the original to make another copy in the event something happens to the one being used. I think I'll try creating ISO minus Languages folder first since I already have DVD-R and try the DL DVD bakcup if that doesn't work.

Actually I used vLite to create an unattended Win7 install boot disk for the other PC referenced in my original post, and it's not much more difficult to use than nLite which I've also used. There is a step using vLite where you must remember to click the "Unattended" tab to enter product key, check "Accept EULA,' etc. before clicking "Apply" else the unattended feature isn't included. However, I encountered a fairly serious problem with vLite when using it on a AMD system with VIA chipset where some kind of error caused the system to crash after the clicking "Apply" step in vLite. Luckily vLite runs with no problems on another PC with a different chipset.

[El Heggunte]

Windows 7

vLite

Are you all sure you didn't mean RT Se7en Lite ?

http://www.rt7lite.com/

[fritzi93]

Windows 7

vLite

Are you all sure you didn't mean RT Se7en Lite ?

http://www.rt7lite.com/

No, I meant vLite, but as mentioned, it's problematic for Win7. According to the vLite forum, it can be done, but it's difficult.

Your suggestion looks much better.

[jman98]

You should NOT ever overburn a DVD. The fact that SOME lucky people may have done so successfully does not mean that it's a good idea. Almost always this will fail. And anyway, overburn means something like "try to write 1% more than the DVD is supposed to hold and pray it works" and not at all "Burn over 1 GB of extra data to my single layer DVD disc".

I don't think any of us are in a position to give you a 100% guarantee that you can dump the Languages folder and the rest of the disc will work correctly.

Whether a computer will "boot from a flash drive" or not is configurable in firmware and you can change this. If you don't know this, then no offense but I have a lot of skepticism about how this whole backup/restore adventure is going to work for you. I certainly understand how you would not want to tie up an 8 GB flash drive as at a cost of $5.99 each (check the current prices on Newegg.com) why that's going to cost more than anybody could afford who's not named Bill Gates.

[bevills1]

vLite is what I meant as well, and it was pretty easy to use except for the 1 problem on the VIA chipset system. I ran vLite on WinXP systems, and I don't know if more problem might arise if run on a Win7 system.

Is rt7Lite freeware too, and is it easy to use? I had used nLite for WinXP and Win2k and chose vLite due to similarities to nLite with which I was already familiar.

The reason I ordered the reinstall DVD from Dell is to use it to do fresh install to eliminate much of the junk that comes preinstalled from Dell as well as to trouble shoot error messages that might be encountered like some I've seen posted on the internet such as "An error has occurred and Windows can't load. Please insert your Windows disk and..." It has nothing to do with backu/restore and son't affect either of those functions. Dell also sent the Drivers disk together with the Win7 DVD I requested which leads me to believe the Languages folder is for languages only. Dell also has a ISO download that's about the same size as the ISO I downloaded from Microsoft, and it probably doesn't have a 1.65GB Languages folder either since it's over 2GB less than the DVD Dell sent.

[El Heggunte]

^

Is rt7Lite freeware too, and is it easy to use? I had used nLite for WinXP and Win2k and chose vLite due to similarities to nLite with which I was already familiar.

Well, their site has a Donate Button, so I think the software is "donationware" Also, RT7Lite is 2 years old already, and probably it's not a buggy alpha anymore (or at least I hope so). FWIW, I never felt like trying to apply vLite onto Windows 7, and I didn't want to be a guinea pig for RT Se7en Lite two years ago.

[bevills1]

It appears some problems still exist with rt7Lite. I decided to try it to see if it'd work on the WinXP system with VIA chipset that crashes while running vLite, but none of the 4 versions of rt7Lite at the site will install on that system. The 2 x86 versions won't install on Windows versions earlier than Vista, and the 2 x64 versions says it won't install on systems with less than 1024MB memory inspite of the fact 1024MB is the memory on that system.