Norton Ghost 15 download with two files

We have multiple licenses from Techsoup.  Instead of using the two downloadable files (ISO and install executeable), to distibute to our users, we would like to use one CD instead of two CDs ( ISO CD and CD with install executeable). 

 

1) How can we use one CD?  For example, could we use a purchased Norton Ghost 15 CD from retail box and then use the Product Keys to install?  Will this approach be supported? OR

2) Is there a burning CD tool that would permit adding the install executeable to the ISO CD to provide install and recovery function in one CD?

3) Or another solution?

 

Thank you much,

Ken A

Hi Ken,

 

Welcome to the forum. There are a few things to be aware of:

 

1) If you purchase the boxed version, then the CD doubles as both the install CD and the recovery CD so you have all in one with this option.

 

2) More than one person can use the same installer provided that they use their own unique product key.

 

3) Ghost 15 has COLD imaging capability but it does require that when doing cold imaging the recovery CD needs to verify the product key since it is now outside the Windows environment. There are a couple of ways this can be done. One is to manually enter the product key when you do cold imaging from the recovery environment. Another is to create a Custom CD which can have the product key added to the CD so that one does not have to enter it manually. Please note that the product is only needed for cold imaging and not recovery so if you will not be doing cold imaging this should not affect you.

 

4) In most cases the default recovery CD (either created from the downloaded ISO or the CD in a boxed version) works just fine on most computers. However if one has special hardware such as RAID arrays or needs network access from the recovery environment you typically need to create a Custom recovery CD. If you do not need network and have standard hard drives such as IDE, SATA, USB, firewire, etc a Custom CD is normally not needed.

 

5) If you need a Custom recovery CD, I don't believe there is a way of combining both that and the installer on the same CD. If the above options don't solve this for you I'll check on this a bit more but I am 98% certain it cannot be done.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Allen

It can be done, but not without a third party tool.

Something like UltraISO can open up the iso and inject files and folders but it's not going to be added to the main menu that autoruns.  It would be on the same disk but you would have to browse the disk to find it.

 

The ISO also uses the standard Vista\Win7 CD boot file. (Same as on a Vista or Win7 setup disk).

If you know how to make a bootable CD you could extract the ISO to a folder, add whatever you want and remake it into a bootable ISO.

 

But I really don't know how much that will help. Once you install it there is no need for the setup, you may find it easier to put the setup on a network share.

Dave

Hi Dave,

 

This is true but of course would not be supported by Symantec if there were problems. One would also need to manipulate the files associated with the installer vs the normal recovery CD files as both features would by default enable auto-run when you insert the CD. Perhaps a bit tricky but it should be doable.:smileywink:

 

Allen

Thank you DaveH and AllenM.  I appreciate your prompt and helpful replies.

 

AllenM,

I want to clarify what I said in my option 1). 

I have a friend with a purchased retail Ghost 15.  Will it work and be supported if we make copies of the one Ghost 15 CD and use the 11 Product Keys that we purchased to install on 11 different PCs?  These 11 people & their PCs are remote and not connected to a server so they are not able to just download the one time install and we would like to avoid giving people two CDs.  The other PCs are on a server. 

 

The combining of the two CDs into one CD does not seem feasible and of course not supported.

 

Thank you,

Ken Anderson

 

 

Hi Ken,

 

Yes, you can do what you want and it is supported. The product key is not burned into the CD so when you install Ghost you have to put in the unique product key by hand. So as long you make sure the other folks use their own unique product key which was purchased for them, you have no problems. Basically you are just making sure that any single product key does not get used with more than one installation.

 

With that in mind, yes you can use a single CD to install all of them.

 

Side note, I hope you found a good deal somewhere for buying 15 licenses at the same time. :smileywink:

 

Thanks

Allen

AllenM,

Thank you for your most helpful information.  I appreciate excellent support.  We have been a long time Norton user of GHOST as well as NAV and now NIS.

Ken

Hi Ken,

 

You are very welcome.

 

If you consider your problem solved please mark this thread by clicking the Accept as solution button on the post which you believe contained the solution. This will allow others to know the problem is solved and quickly get to the solution when they search the forums.

Best wishes.

 

Allen