Lenovo ThinkPad R400 - Manual (Page 21)

The same Ultra-Portable Image will only work for 14 days when installed
on a non-Lenovo branded Windows Vista computer. After 14 days,
Microsoft will require you to register the operating system and computer
to activate the image.
An Ultra-Portable Image enables you to use a driver map to control the level of the
device drivers deployed at the target computer. However, if you are deploying the
image to Lenovo branded personal computers, you have the option of using the
Lenovo-factory-installed device drivers already contained in the service partition or
the Hidden Protected Area (HPA) of the target computer. Using the
factory-installed device drivers simplifies the image building process because you
do not have to concern yourself with driver maps and device-driver modules.
However, for all practical purposes, using the factory-installed device drivers limits
the portability of the image to Lenovo branded personal computers because those
are the only personal computers that have a service partition or HPA that contains
device drivers. In most cases, it is best to manage your device drivers through a
driver map. Not only does using a driver map enhance portability, but it enables
you to standardize device drivers, thereby reducing diagnostic time if a problem
arises.
An added benefit of using your own driver map is that you can use the
Image-Ultra Builder program for recovery purposes if a hard disk fails and
requires replacement. Because the driver map deploys the device drivers as part of
the Smart Image, no preexisting drivers need to be present at the target computer.
Therefore, by using a driver map, the Smart Image can be installed on a new hard
disk drive.
Portable-Sysprep Image
Using the supported third-party image-cloning tools (Symantec Norton Ghost,
Symantec DeployCenter, or Microsoft ImageX) in conjunction with the ImageUltra
Builder program, you can create a Portable-Sysprep Image that can be deployed
across a wider range of hardware than a traditional image.
Anatomy of a Portable-Sysprep Image
In contrast to an Ultra-Portable Image, a Portable-Sysprep Image is a “snapshot” of
a source computer hard disk contents. The source computer is set up to match the
desired configuration of the target computers. However, because Windows setup
has been run on the source computer, specific user and hardware information
(such as the user ID, passwords, and network settings) is recorded in the source
computer registry. The Microsoft Sysprep tool must be run on the source computer
to erase this information before third party imaging software is used to extract the
image.
By implementing a few minor variations during the development of a traditional
image, you can enable the image to use application or device-driver modules to
append the image during the deployment and installation process. These variations
are discussed in detail in Chapter 8, “Preparing source files for modules,” on page
135.
After creating the image using Symantec Norton Ghost or Symantec DeployCenter,
you use the ImageUltra Builder program to create and build a base
operating-system module from the image. The module is automatically stored in
the ImageUltra Builder module repository during the module-building process.
After a Portable-Sysprep Image has been deployed to the target computer hard
disk, a mini-setup runs during the installation process. Any device drivers that are
Chapter 1. ImageUltra Builder capabilities 7