@ #15 Remember, even the most knowledgeable person started out as a newbie who didn't know anything. There's no reason to be rude to people whose level of expertise is different from your own. You'll achieve much more that's worth achieving by politely clearly explaining a point in a positive manner.

For those that want to back up everything, including software that is already installed, look up programs like Bart PE and PING (part image not ghost). Both are free. You boot them up from CD or stick and do backups/restores outside of the windows environment, so no files are locked or in use.
I created a backup file after a clean install with all my software and make periodic backups after installing new software I don't want to lose.

once i get to the install window and i click it i get another window titled "set up"this is a "windows" window, not the programs window. in it it states "not implemented". i tried numerous times and that is all i get

Tom @ #95 the Almeza site says step one is to install your OS disc to a folder on your HD.then start wizard. And regarding portbility the site says Multiset is licensed to one PC to be used on other PC's in one building, or two buildings if its a factory or a certain kilometre radius if its a small company town, so I would assume this prog. must phone home to police this agreement to see it is only being used in the one company so you probably need to keep the original multi set install file thats on PC one. Has anyone done an upgrade of their OS. to windows 7 could you tell me if you keep or lose your GAOTD PROGS THANKS anyone who can help

If a user is going to try to use this program to install a program across 5 PCs, how can that be done if they are 2 XP PCs, 2 Vista PCs and a Win7 PC? Don't the newer PCs request that you install as administrator? Wouldn't this require a different install procedure?
Does anyone know of a good, free, macro recorder which has editable output?
I would also like to upgrade to Win7 on all of the PCs, but the above caveat would seem to apply.
Thanks,

I believe the HAL.dll file deals with device drivers, if that is any help. It is the Hardware Abstraction Layer Dynamic link Library.

#27 Rob - While in for servicing once, a technician installed (in his terms) “Free WinZip” for me. The file name is WinZip v9.0 SR-1. It is an endless trial version. I have been using it for almost 2 years without problems. I hope that helps, I’ve never really tried to look for it. Of course, by now you know of 7-Zip.

#42 Shipdog7
#43 BesT
#73 dale - Thank you very much for your suggestions to my situation.

I read the GOTD Comments every day, even if the product is something I’m not interested in and I’ve learned a lot, having had questions answered that I’d never even thought of asking.

Thank You GOTD and All of You Positive Commenters

This seems to be a "chicken and the egg" deal unless I'm missing something. To record items you want installed (after the main OS I assume), you need a bare OS installation. To activate this software today, you either need to set it up on a bare OS machine or install it on your desktop and then see if it can be reinstalled (or moved to a USB drive) for use on a bare install. AM I correct or am I off the mark

Great product.excellent job.

@ #87 (mike) Doing a periodic "clean" install continues to be recommended online, however people who frequent GAOTD (like me) will not be thrilled when the realization hits that ALL of their favorite prior GAOTD acquisitions are history with no guarantee that GAOTD will repeat them anytime soon.

@#10,
Whether you realize it or not, it appears that you are mistakenly pirating the OS.
You can't legally do what you're trying to do without a separate Licence Key for the second computer.

Thanks Mike @ Macs-PC ,
I come to this site looking for free advises, knowledge, of course beside freewares. In fact today I learned three things from you:
Dell's chip in mobo...didn't know why I install a fresh winXP to a new drive on a Dell desktop, tossed out old drive with Dell's partition, windows doesn't bother to ask me product keys...and just to help someone in this sittuation, you should install Dell System Device or down the road there might be problem with the installation of other non Dell programs! Secondly this software could be good and fun...and lastly, there are kind hearted IT people
Have a nice day Mike and all of you

This appears very good, However I prefer to use Norton ghost, As you can do a full system snapshop and restore it anytime. you can do this within windows, even on the partiton you have booted from, and save it anyware. it takes minutes to restore your system with all registered programs and operating system. and you can swap it to diffrent partitions or even have 3 or 4 the same in case one fails and boot up anyone you require... Its the Nutts :-)

VM Ware is better. With VM Ware you can save your entire OS without any lose of programs, and you don't have to re-install all your programs, it keeps them to. You can make a copy of your OS with VM Ware and store it separately if your old OS gets infected.

#76: "My PC came preloaded with Vista already on it so I do not have any install disks. Can I still use Multiset?"

1st off IMHO you should ask them for it because you paid for it. Otherwise, what's put onto the hard drive [often on a hidden partition] &/or included on a "Rescue Disc" packaged with your PC *May* convert to a regular setup CD/DVD, but I'm not sure that you'd want to bother. I've done it, & there used to be an awful lot of info & instructions on-line, but that was before broadband became common. My layman's understanding (I'm far from a lawyer) is that Microsoft cares about the license keys, not the setup discs, & you shouldn't have too much trouble finding the ISO on-line -- Google returned 34 million results for "download vista setup iso". *Do* make sure though that you have your key -- if it's lost with the other docs that came with your PC, there are plenty of utilities to dig it out of the registry [there's 1 at the Nirsoft site].

#10: "I have a Dell Dimension and I am unable to load XP as supplied onto my second machine because it seems, it only wants to install to another Dell."

Subject to Microsoft's (often changing) license agreements, you have 2 choices AFAIK -- use your key with a fresh install from a regular XP setup disc, or use Paragon software to move your Windows install to new hardware [requires some old driver clean-up/removal as well as adding drivers for new hardware]. Either way you might/might not have to call Microsoft for activation -- whether you have to call or not seems almost random if you read the reports on-line. Note: even though OEM licenses can say orig. hardware only, MS *may* still activate it regardless. Note 2: Google/Bing -- don't ask where you can get orig. XP setup disc/ISO. Once or if you get it read about slip-streaming.

* * *

#37: "... XP (SP3) came with a partitioned drive for recovery instead of disks. Will this program still allow me to reinstall without disks?"

*Maybe, but better, IMHO easier solution would be to get an XP install disk from whomever made your PC/laptop -- most will, I think *have to* provide it on request, but could be wrong.

* * *

#40: "One question, does it copy the missteps too, like if you make an error entering a password, or load the discs in the wrong order and have to redo the installation of a program?"

Yes, but you can edit the macros to fix &/or add to them.

* * *

#46: "... I want to make a virtual pc of it and when it works fine erase the original"

MultiSet is the wrong app -- go to Paragon & pick up their virtualization software -- they have pay & free-ware versions.

* * *

#47: "... maybe a simple image backup of your boot drive (plus all other drives to where you’ve installed programs and saved data) would be the better solution."

Purely FWIW, I agree, but then I try to keep Windows installs as clean as possible. Lots of people (I know several) prefer to just wipe the disk & start over periodically to get rid of all the accumulated garbage on their drive(s), in Windows, & in Windows' registry. And that recommendation is very wide spread on-line. Even then, as others have suggested in the past, with a bit of foresight you can do a backup on a fresh Windows install *Before* anything's been added at all, giving you a foundation to build on.

At any rate, 2 sides of the same coin... I've no doubt several people will always prefer to reinstall using traditional methods, sometimes with the help of MultiSet which, if that's what they prefer, cool. :-)

* * *

#65: "... But at this point it looks as if it will actually run off of a portable drive..."

Maybe... The definition I try to stick to for portable apps means no changes to the host Windows system -- running the app will add a key/value to the registry. At the same time, that value is under ASProtect -- I don't know what if any effects might come from not having that key/value, but I have seen other apps that later refused to work without it, usually something along the lines of trial expired. With past versions of MultiSet I used Portable App Creator to put registry keys/values on the USB stick where a copy of MultiSet in the portableapps.com format used it.

Assuming my definition of Portable is too strict, you *might* want to record & save the changes installing MultiSet makes to the registry, &/or install a copy to the hard drive & keep it there just in case the copy stuck on a USB stick failed sometime in the future.

* * *

#70: "My question’s this: how can this program log every keystroke in the fresh installation of an O/S when said installation has to be done from boot and would therefore wipe out all previous information on the disc including this program?"

Maybe these Flash videos at their site will help? http://goo.gl/Efw4

#15 Ajeetpal Mann. In my opinion, there are no such thing as stupid questions........only stupid answers! Please keep in mind...

The version offered is outdated.
Current version is 7.8.2 while the version offered is 7.8.1.
Changes from 7.8.1:

------
Version 7.8.2 (October, 2010)

* fix problem with creating USB Flash drive with Windows
* an error with insertions was fixed in the some applications
* the Russian language has been updated
* the program kernel was improved
------

It seems this is a way of advertising software. Companies offer users an older version of their software for download on GAOTD, hoping that users will pay them to have the latest version.

#77 kruppmityu, From my experience your data is being corrupted before it is being "burned" to your USB device. I have seen this in a bad usb cable and in a cd/dvd burning device that is not reliable.

Since you are creating a USB bootable drive I would change to a different USB cable and try again.

#27

7-Zip works with most archive formats (including .zip) and is freeware.

I think the software has a major bug which is why it is free. Try creating a flash drive for an application. It says, "The folder F:\ can't be deleted" . (F drive is my flash drive itself. ) I have tried many times on more than one computers..and I get the same error. It might have been fixed in the newer version but this version seems to be having this error.

#75 Mike - Dude your truly are a IT hero. It's too bad that for the majority of users at GAOTD just had your post go WHoosh!---over their head.

Maybe it will inspire some of them to learn a little more.

I am humbled in your presence.

Dale

A couple of pieces of advice:
1. Before using this on an installer, if you are only going to be doing a default install, see if that program is available at Ninite.com. You can pick any or all of the supported programs, then install the most recent version(s) without any interaction with their custom launcher. This suffices for most users. MultiSet looks to be perfect for most of the rest. If you find yourself using it a lot, or professionally, I would encourage you to upgrade to Ninite Pro, which includes local caching for offline use, and a 'package manager' type of program.

2. Install WSUS Offline Update. It creates a custom package for automatically updating Windows 2000 - 7, as well as Office, in any language, without requiring internet access. You can either create an ISO (I use a CD-RW/DVD-RW, as I update it every month or so.), or have it place the files at a location of your choice, like a USB key. I've used it for years, and it saves me hours of downloading (and a lot of reboots) whenever I need to update a system. BTW, if you create a wsusoffline\client\extras folder, anything you place there will be included in the package creation. Ninite installers and/or a portable version of MultiSet, along with its recordings and the installers would be perfect. (That's what I'm doing.)

#76 Dan - You should be able to burn your own installation disk['s]. Too bad that manufacturers decided to save a few cents by not providing a real physical re-install cd/dvd.

Check your HELP link for creating your reinstallation disk. Also don't expect it to create anything more than the basic OS install disk.

I create WinXP PE USB Flash Disk from Win XPsp2 CD, but It boots the Target PC only to an error message "txtsetup.sif is damaged or missing, status 14."

My PC came preloaded with Vista already on it so I do not have any install disks. Can I still use Multiset?
Thanks...

MultiSet is a nice macro / scripting app for automating software installation, & MultiSet v. 7.8.1 can probably be made portable [I successfully converted past versions on GOTD into the portableapps.com format with Portable App Creator]. With the current popularity of using VMs [Virtual Machines] -- you need to record installs on a bare PC/laptop, or VM -- it would likely be handy in the home or a small biz without IT support. It might also be useful in light weight WinPE/Rescue type environments for installing apps &/or packages of apps -- as these OSes are loaded to a RAM-disk & run from that, apps installed should be minimal [e.g. a LiveXP bootable ISO might be <100 MB], with non-portable apps installed just for that session. With MultiSet you record yourself installing Windows &/or other software, creating a macro that can play back without you having to be there, glued to the screen -- like all macros you spend a little more time once, but save yourself time/trouble later when you want to do the same thing again.

OTOH with the advances Microsoft has made [& is making] with their AIK [Automated Installation Kit], MultiSet is much less practical for IT types setting up bare PCs/laptops -- basically you create an image complete with software, & that's copied over & installed with needed drivers plugged in during the installation process... and you can update those images without re-creating them, & scripts in Beta even automate including a Windows Virtual PC VM of individual XP installs so the user has all their old stuff at 1st boot. Use an unofficial script [boot-land.net] & it's possible to install 7 in 10-15 min., &/or to an external USB hard drive -- can't do that with the normal installation routine.

At any rate, with MultiSet you record what's going on, or more precisely your responses [e.g. mouse clicks & such] into an editable script that the MultiSet player executes. It also has wizards to put its macros, complete with the setup files the macro calls or uses on a USB stick -- please note that unless you use a fast USB stick [not one with just a tiny bit of fast RAM (with the majority slow) so it benchmarks well], it's not likely to work much faster [if at all] than a CD/DVD.

Installation adds Start Menu shortcuts, the program's folder [73 files, 3 folders, ~12 MB], & includes "msvcp60.dll" for Windows' system folder, in case you don't have it already -- you probably do. Registry changes include an uninstall key, a "ASProtect\SpecData" entry, and a few file type associations. A real help file is included, & an intro video, plus there's manuals & other help on their site including a forum to ask questions. All in all a nice package if you can use it.

[Note: For speed & flexibility if you're doing something like a Windows install (or repair, rescue, restore backup etc), you might want to consider booting off a USB Stick or CD to a WinPE type environ, with the rest of your files (including MultiSet macros) on an external hard drive. Boot-land.net has packages zipped for download, which using *your* XP install disc will give you a LiveXP ISO image that can be burned to CD (Tutorials at http://goo.gl/0CAg). Or a package called Make_PE3 you can find at their site will do the same thing based on win7 (32 or 64 bit), using a win7 install disc or image you supply. Grub for DOS, optionally with a Windows ft. end or GUI can make your USB stick bootable. Included with Make_PE3 or U_XP_SET, BOOT_IMG.exe copies the ISO you made to your USB stick, and adds it to the Grub boot menu -- add several if you like. ;-)]

Comment by Robert L. @ No.60 = "@ Mike (“Macs-PC”)…. Also wanted to thank you for the extensive comments you often make which are a great aid in determining the possible usefulness of different software offered here as well as other concerns related to the software. It is much appreciated from many – especially lately, as it seems Ashraf’s detailed evaluation comments are now few and far between…"

Hi Robert - Thanks for your kind words - I Enjoy helping you good people BUT I'm not a patch on Ashraf / Bubby / Fubar or Mike - ( the other one ). I'm pleased to do what I can - when I can to help BUT unfortunately I'm only able to spend this time with you guys because I'm currently out of work - the affore mentioned "Tech Guys" job was my last one !
-------------------------------------------------------------
Comment by lyn @ No.62 = "How does one test this program? If I down load it to a disc or USB flash drive, will it over ride my current system? Or must I wait till my system crashes, to try it?"

Hi Lyn - To be honest - I'd suggest as you are a newbie ( yes I watch SCRUBS - I LUV IT !!! ) - I'd recommend you try a small project first - like the one I mentioned in my Post No. 49.
Once you've got the hang of it - THEN try bigger projects OR you might even try an install of an OS within a Virtual PC ! - In other words - Compile your Auto-Disc within Windows as normal - THEN Install a Virtual Environment - ( Microsoft's Virtual PC & Sun's Virtual Box are the two I use ) - & then install your NEW Windows OS within the VIRTUAL machine - meaning you don't need a second PC OR need to worry about affecting your existing setup ! - I've NEVER tried this particular scenario BUT I see no reason why it shouldn't work properly.
-------------------------------------------------------------
I'll try to keep watching these posts throughout the day & reply when I can !
For any further help ANYTIME You can contact me on XP.Pro@NTLworld.com & I look forward to being of assistance if & when I can !!!
PLEASE remember to add me to your Approved list so you can receive my replies as a couple of other GAOTD users have struggled !

I hope this has been helpful for some of you :o)
Apologies for any Typos ...
I'm not a Complete Idiot ! - It turns out some bits are missing !!

Cheers for now & HAVE A GREAT DAY FOLKS !!

- - Mike - -
- Macs-PC -
LIVE in the UK ! :o)

Thanks to give away team for this software and considering the price of the software.many thanks again!!!!!!!!!!

#14 Ever heard of Hiren's bootable CD/DVD? or maybe PeBuilder's version of Bart's Bootable CD/DVD? Obviously not.

#18 Is correct any disk image for the home user would be faster and easier. Paragon has a utility to migrate an image from [example] Dell to Toshiba that works well.

#21 From what I have read and my understand of the information this software would best be used by an admin that has multiple computers that would benefit from an installation that starts at the same point. Installing dozen's of updates can take a long time. Time is money. Proprietary software, MS Office, Java, Flash, Shockwave etc. would be pre-installed. Paragon's System Upgrade Utilities [A previous GiveAway] already does this.

#23 Open Boot.ini with Notepad and remove the new installation entry [need I say back it up 1st]? Reboot and it's fixed.

#29 Yes and no depending on the key you use. I can't say more because this post would be deleted.

#31 Mike - Is absolutely correct Good Job!

The average user that installs this will either uninstall it or never use it.

Cheers - Thanks GAOTD!

I must wonder as to whether this program would be using quite a bit of CPU's,recording everything you do on the computer? This concerns me lads....

@#49 (Mike at Macs-PCs): Nicely put, but may I suggest that a) you use a spell-checker (something like a dozen mis-spellings in your post #49, which lakes it unnecessarily difficult to read); and b) you lay off the CAPITALS and BOLD and so forth, which also makes what you write much more difficult to read?

@#44 (Sandal): ??? I think you're posting in the wrong place!

@46 Sandy and @62 lyn. This Software does not replicate Windows out of its own. The purpose of MultiSet is to reproduce key presses and mouse movements. So it will never override your system by its own, - only if keys and mouse movements (recorded by MultiSet or another keyboard/mouse macro program) are starting or using software, which effects your system ;)

So to try out this software is possible every time. Start understanding the idea of a makro program by programming keystrokes IN an editor, e.g. notepad. And read the hints of mike (49, second part, begining with Anyway).

Also note, unlike with the version 6 giveaways last year which were valid for any version installation, the serial # is only valid for 7.8.1, which is too bad, because 7.8.2 came out Oct. 5 with a bunch of fixes to this version.

And yes I know that updates aren't usually free, just stating that with ver 6 you could update & ver 7 you can't.

Many thanks to Mike for going to so much trouble to help other people (and nil marks to Ajeetpal for being so objectionable).
How can you learn if you don't ask? When I was a supervisor I always encouraged staff to ask rather than risk making a mistake. What little I know about computing has been gained largely through asking.

Have installed without any issues, and have copied the installed file to a sd chip and tested as far as the fact that the program initializes and starts up. Do not have any thing at moment to install and check function of prog though so it may be a bust on portability still. But at this point it looks as if it will actually run off of a portable drive for those of us with multiple computers who install progs on one and then decide that you want it on all, you can use this to record the installation and then just one click install on all.

There is a good review of a (slightly older) version of this, at http://dottech.org/miscellaneous/2898. Worth taking a look, if you want to understand how this program works. The reviewer concludes that this program has good goal in mind but that the way it goes about it is a little difficult, and he mentions some alternative approaches.

@Sandy, comment #46: unless this has changed, from what was said in the review at dottech.org, to use this program part of what you need to do in the preparation for using this program is copy your Windows CD contents to your hard drive, which is then what they are referring to when they ask you to "Select the folder with the Windows distribution package" - they are referring to the folder on your hard disk that you have copied your Windows CD contents to.

This program has been offered here before, which is even more reason to try it. As with any product it just keeps getting better. I’ve been using it for quite some time now, and as far as time goes, today’s GOTD has saved me a lot of it.

*Aside: Please don’t interpret this as being derogatory: Consider using the GOTD forum for any technical questions you might have; it’s really a great resource to use. Questions could be referred there with a simple, “Please see forum”, where a detailed answer would be more appropriate. Another reason is a lot of other technically knowledgeable users like to hang out there. ;)

How does one test this program? If I down load it to a disc or USB flash drive, will it over ride my current system? Or must I wait till my system crashes, to try it?

Thanks to mughwah (25) and hermann (35) who detected the true nature of this program. So it is a makro recorder - very nice. It can not in every case simply be used for re-installation of such software as e.g. Photoshop: if you have a license for such software, and you are moving the software to another machine or change from xp to win7, first you have to deregister the license key on the website of Adobe, THEN you can install it on the new location - with help of this makro recorder, too. And mike made it also clear; thanks for the link. Knowledge shared will increase, matter will only decrease (Imam Ali) ;)

@ Mike ("Macs-PC")....

I just wanted to take a second to echo the sentiment you expressed re people posting comments here that consist solely of berating others for asking questions regarding the giveaways, how to install them or make use of them, etc. As you commented, it really just demonstrates their own immaturity and lack of understanding how we all come to learn whatever it is we do in life, and is sad to see.

Also wanted to thank you for the extensive comments you often make which are a great aid in determining the possible usefulness of different software offered here as well as other concerns related to the software. It is much appreciated from many - especially lately, as it seems Ashraf's detailed evaluation comments are now few and far between...

Craig, if you have access to another PC, you could add your had drive to it and copy the hal.dll file to the proper directory.

Sounds like you may have other issues as well, so this may not work. I suspect that your hard drive may be failing.

P.s.

It is totally possible to create a windows system on a usb drive. It wouldn't work very well at all to say the least, and you could only do it on systems that had usb as a bios boot option. There are one or two other caveats, but yes it is possible. (So I suggest you check your facts before berating other people).

Anyway, that's not what this program does. That's not what it says it does. It says it creates an installation file that can be copied to any media like usb cd dvd. (so I suggest you read more carefully too).

Cheers Mike! I'm right with ya.

@ #38 (Hector), #30 (Jim), and #27 (Rob) - no question IZArc is superb but be aware if your favorite registry cleaner (like Eusing Free Registry Cleaner) reports a problem with the following "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\IZArc" and you then opt to delete this item from the registry, then some features like being able to right-mouse-click on an archive (read .zip, .rar, etc. type file) and have it be extracted to a new folder (IZArc would ordinarily be happy to create automatically for your convenience) are lost until the line is restored. A quick uninstall and reinstall of IZArc is one way to restore the line. The moral to be learned of course is DON'T delete the line!

Macs-PC

Mike:)

Thank you for your posts, especially #49 & #50.
VERY helpful - wish I had started reading from the bottom up;)

Hope to see you here the next time I am totally lost about what a program does.

Way to go Bro:)

Off Topic: Craig - you can fix your startup problem with the setup error by modifying your boot.ini and removing the line that offers setup. Do a search for removing dual boot options.

---

On Topic:
The program seems to be a keypress macro system that records what steps you take, and what you type during an installation, and then repeats it for later installations. In that sense its promotional blurb seems a little misleading. On the other hand, It will do as it says if you have all the installation files you need already (maybe does more too). Also, I see no reason why it should be limited to OS installs. It should be able to automate any other install, and perhaps a ton of other things too.

But I have not actually tried it so take my comment for what it's worth. I think it's a good idea and probably a good program for what it does. But as others have stated, it's not nlite or RyanVM...nor does it claim to be. It's also infinitely easier.

@Rob - The Jzip installer is by NSIS and uses /S switch (must be capitalized). However, I highly recommend a different zip utility. Jzip also installs Yahoo toolbar. My favorite is 7zip. It has excellent compression and does not play around with toolbars.

@ # 49 (Mike or Macs-PC) : Thanks for explaining it so clearly. I didn't know what to make of this proggie.

@ # 35 (Hermann) : Thanks for the useful tip, it's a clever observation.

@ # 38 (Jim) : I think so too. It's probably much safer too.

Thanks to Mike @ Macs-PC for saying something that should have been said a long time ago. It is appalling how rude people can be on this forum. Apparently, these "experts" have a need to justify how "intelligent" they are by ridiculing those who just want to know and learn.

Part 2
Hello Again Folks . . .

I'm deliberately including this information seperately to give the Moderators the choice as to whether to include it or NOT !

After what I've said in Part 1 - I believe the GAOTD Users may find it useful !
--------------------------------------------
For answers to all your I.T. Questions from hundreds of thousands of IT Professionals - Software & Hardware - Please visit the IT Knowledge Exchange @ - Http : // ITKnowledgeExchange.com - It's FREE & you only need to Register to Ask OR Answer a Question !

It's a Fantastic resource of which - I've been a member for a couple of years & I'm hoping the Modereators will allow this through asinformation to their users !
--------------------------------------------
I hope this has been helpful for some of you :o)

Cheers for now :o)

- - Mike - -
- Macs-PC -