About Imaging Software for Deployments

Explains general usage and precautions.

You can use imaging software, such as Norton Ghost, to create a master image to distribute Autodesk products. Once created, the master image can be replicated to other computers throughout your facility.

Important: Autodesk does not recommend or support the distribution of products using imaging software. However, if you plan to use this method of distribution, please review the following instructions carefully.

The use of imaging software can result in conflicts with product licensing, incomplete installations, and problems with activation.

Note: When using Norton Ghost, you must use the -ib switch to include the boot sector in your master image. Consult your imaging software for more details on including the boot sector as part of the master image.

If you need to repair a damaged installation or reformat a computer hard drive, you can restore the master image to restore an installed product. If the master computer has already been used to run one or more Autodesk products, the master computer should be properly cleaned before creating a master image.

Note: If you experience licensing instability in a SATA RAID environment, using imaging software to distribute Autodesk products can cause product activation problems, such as an “Activation code limit exceeded” situation.