Creating a custom Symantec Recovery Disk CD

Even if driver validation succeeds and your Symantec Recovery Disk CD appears to work, you should create a custom Symantec Recovery Disk CD. A custom CD contains your computer’s current network and storage device drivers. It helps to ensure that in an emergency you can get to the recovery points that are required to restore your computer.

Note:

You must have a writeable Blu-ray/DVD/CD-RW drive to create a custom Symantec Recovery Disk CD.

To create a custom Symantec Recovery Disk CD

  1. Attach and turn on all storage devices and network devices that you want to make available.

  2. Start Norton Ghost.

  3. Insert the Symantec Recovery Disk CD into your media drive.

    If necessary, specify the path or browse to the media drive in which you placed the Symantec Recovery Disk CD.

  4. Click Tasks > Create Custom Recovery Disk CD.

  5. Click Next.

  6. Specify the following:


    Disk label

    Type the name that you want to use for the Symantec Recovery Disk label.

    Burn Symantec Recovery Disk to CD/DVD

    If you want to save your customized Symantec Recovery Disk to media, select this option and then in the list box, select the media burning device that you want to use.

    Save a copy of the custom Symantec Recovery Disk (CD/DVD image file)

    If you want to save your customized Symantec Recovery Disk as an .iso file, select this option, and then specify the path to where you want to save the resulting file.

  7. Click Next.

  8. Review the list of storage and network drivers to be included, and add additional drivers or remove the drivers you do not need.

  9. On the Startup Options pane, select the default keyboard layout, display language, and time zone from the respective lists.

  10. Click Next.

  11. On the Options pane, do the following:


    Automatically start network services

    Select this option if you want networking to start automatically when you recover the computer through LightsOut Restore.

    Dynamic IP

    Click this option to connect to a network without the need for additional network configuration. You can click this option if you know there is a DHCP server available on the network at the time you restore.

    Static IP

    Click this option to connect to a network with a particular network adapter and specific address settings. You should click this option if you know there is no DHCP server (or the DHCP server is unavailable) when you recover.

    Automatically start Symantec pcAnywhere

    Select this option if you want the Symantec pcAnywhere thin host to start automatically when you start Symantec Recovery Disk.

    Click Configure to specify pcAnywhere log on credentials and the following optional parameters:

    • Host name

      In the Host name box, type the name that you want to use for the host.

      You can leave this box blank to configure the host name to be the same as the computer name.

    • Encryption level

      To encrypt the data stream between the host and remote computer, in the Encryption level list, select one of the following:

      • None

        No encryption of the data stream occurs between the host and remote computer.

      • pcAnywhere

        Scrambles data using a mathematical algorithm so that a third party cannot easily interpret it.

        This option is available on any operating system that pcAnywhere supports.

      • Symmetric

        Encodes and decodes data using a cryptographic key.

        This option is available on any Windows operating system that supports the Microsoft CryptoAPI.

  12. Click Next.

  13. On the License Setup pane, specify how you want to enable licensed features in the customized Symantec Recovery Disk (such as the cold imaging feature called Back Up My Computer).

  14. Click Finish.

    Warning:

    Be certain to test your new, custom Symantec Recovery Disk CD. It ensures that you can use the CD to start your computer and that you can access the drive that contains your recovery points.

    See Testing Symantec Recovery Disk.

Creating a custom Symantec Recovery Disk CD