Computer imaging question

[jussi]

So I had to restore my comp this weekend because the vid driver kept crashing. I've always been curious as to why a full install of just windows from scratch takes me about 45 minutes or so but I can restore windows and all my programs in about 15 minutes or so. Also when you image a drive does it format as well?

[BobSch]

I've always been curious as to why a full install of just windows from scratch takes me about 45 minutes or so but I can restore windows and all my programs in about 15 minutes or so. Also when you image a drive does it format as well?

A restore takes a bit-by-bit image of your drive, so restoring it is just a matter of copying from one disk/cd/dvd to your drive, format and all. An install involves setting up the directories/folders, copying the files, making up the register and all the rest of the background bumpf that goes with it.