Creating Interactive CD/DVD ROM - how?

[san.W10]

I want to burn a Interactive CD/DVD, like the ones which come with PC World magazine.

I want to create it for personal use, just for installing drivers & softwares.

Whenever i re-install the OS, i have to find thru the collection to install the drivers, softwares (Nero, IDM, HP Drivers...), so thats why i want to make a CD/DVD which will contain all these drivers & softwares with a simple user friendly menu to navigate.

Which software creates such menus (user friendly & free s/w preferred :D ).

Does MS Frontpage have this feature?

i have Office 2010 beta (didnt install frontpage).

First i was thinking of making a Word doc., text as Software names & then hyperlinking those text to corresponding softwares :D

but i cant use them, because word loses the hyperlinks, i mean i made a temp. folder in desktop, then put all the s/w in it & hyperlinked it, then when i burnt it to RW CD, the word doc didnt respond to hyperlinks (ctrl+click).

help!

[+BudMan MVC]

"Whenever i re-install the OS"

Sounds like this is something you do daily or weekly?

Why don't you look into taking an image of your clean install.. Then whenever you get the urge to reinstall, you can just restore the image and be back to your clean image with all your software and drivers already installed in a few minutes.

[san.W10]

no, i reinstall OS only if it gets too slow, unrepairable.

yesterday i reinstalled win7 after 4months :D

but i have a desktop (XP & Win7) & a laptop (Vista & Win7), so having a common s/w CD would be a easier for me.

btw, your idea is good.

which s/w is easier to use for that purpose?

Norton, Paragon...?

[Phantom Helix]

which s/w is easier to use for that purpose?

Norton, Paragon...?

Acronis TrueImage

[san.W10]

thanks :D

btw, when searching for free alternative (before your post), came across this - Seagate DiscWizard

DiscWizard

Installation Assistance

We have updated DiscWizard to better fit the needs of today’s technology (improved USB support, improved support for diagnostic partitions, and Windows Vista support). The newer tools are below.

What to do now:

If you are setting up your new drive, you can use the install instruction links below to assist in mounting the drive, then use the tools built into your operating system to prepare the drive.

Hardware setup instructions:

ATA Hard Drives

SATA Hard Drives

Operating system preparation instructions:

Windows Vista

Windows XP / Windows 2000

Windows 98/ME

MacOS 10.x

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?loca...000dd04090aRCRD

Its free & only for Seagate.

mine's hitachi :D

[+BudMan MVC]

There are so many FREE options to taking images -- its just too many to list ;)

Look in the freeware alternative thread for LOTS.. Do a simple google for them.. Shoot even MS gives away a great one with imagex.. google it for lots of easy ways to use it -- create a winpe disk with imagex, etc.. all free from the makers of your OS!

You can even makes changes to the images, add files to them, mount them to pull a file off, etc..

edit: BTW yes acronis makes a good product, etc. But to be honest IMHO, if your using acronis you either just have money to burn or too lazy to look up the free ways to do it ;)

Take a few minutes -- and everything you need to take images, restore images etc is out there free from the maker of the OS your using..

edit2: Shoot if you want I will post up a winpe.iso with imagex on it you could use. Its only 140MB

Edited January 7, 2010 by BudMan

[san.W10]

Today i was looking at the Windows 7 backup feature, then found out it also takes "backup Image" of drives :o

best thing about this is, its present in all versions of Win7 :D

googled for tutorial - How to Create a System Image in Windows 7

no need to install 3rd party software at all.

btw, any idea about Interactive CD/DVD? :D

[+BudMan MVC]

Exactly -- but you did not state you were running win 7 ;)

If you have a clean image you can restore with all your drivers already installed -- why would you need an interactive cd/dvd with drivers on it?

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

I made a few interactive CD/DVD's at uni, and used Macromedia Director. Don't think it still exists...

[san.W10]

i need the interactive cd so that i can install the driver, software ... for re-installing & as a single CD/DVD solution for my laptop & desktop.

right now, just the laptop driver folder is around 400MB+ (XP, Vista, Win7).

[+BudMan MVC]

I don't think your getting it? For starters there should be very little reason to have to reinstall in the first place.. Other than some massive infection of malware/viruses, hard drive crash, etc..

Even so -- do a clean install, install your drivers/software you want, etc.. then before you mess it up again take an image.. Now whenever you want to have "clean" install -- write the image back.. In a few minutes your back to a clean system with ALL the drivers and software already installed - no need to a cd/dvd containing your drivers, since they will already be installed on your clean system you restored from the image.

[san.W10]

not bumping :p

was upgrading Ashampoo Burning Studio when i noticed this new software :D

Ashampoo? MyAutoplay Menu

"Build your own Autoplay discs and thumb drives with menus"

http://www2.ashampoo.com/webcache/html/1/product_20_0069___USD.htm

very very easy to create 'Interactive' menus, sub menu...