There are different types of ghost images, depending on use case. Ghost imaging is much faster than installing each machine separately, especially if it involves installing many applications. Then, all the other machines have that image applied, followed by a customization process that gives the installed OS its own identity. A master machine is built, and its hard disk is imaged to a file. Ghost imaging tools can make hundreds of PCs as exact copies.
A typical cloning setup has a number of alternative images in a library. The ghost image is often compressed to save space and speed up transfers to the target system, and it may be encrypted for security. That image allows quick installation of a new copy.
#What's the difference between acronis home and workstation software
Ghost imaging usually creates a disk image of the software on a computer, including systems settings and details. It enables migration from one disk or PC to another, for example, to transfer from a hard disk to a solid-state drive. Ghost imaging is often used to quickly set up blocks of notebooks, tablets or servers. The purpose of the ghost image is to allow the cloning of the system onto other systems, or to enable a quick restore of a system. On personal computers (PCs), ghost imaging is used to back up everything on the hard disk, often while reinstalling an operating system (OS). The software also converts a ghost image back to its original form when needed. The ghost image copies the entire contents to another server or hard disk for storage, including configuration information and applications. Ghost imaging, often called cloning, is a software-driven data backup process that copies the contents of a computer hard disk in a single compressed file or set of files, referred to as an image.