Installation logs / "Ghost"ing

Hi, I was wondering if any of you system wizards can help me with something, kinda difficult to explain.

I'd like to have a setup/software where, when I install something, it could log or create some dump of all the files it installs and where, including registry, preferably with a handy .REG file. I know there are programs like Norton Ghost, but as far as I know that does a copy of the entire OS and everything, which I'm not sure is a good idea because what if you have some unknown virus lurking around, your backups then have the same virus forever.
I don't mind reinstalling Windows and all the updates and configurations, but when it comes to all the different software, I get SICK of reinstalling everything. I'd like to make a DVD or 3 with all the software I use, ready to just copy over and start using. It would have "c:\Windows\system32\" (etc.) folders on the DVDs too, that I could just copy straight onto my C:\ and start using, and like I said, a handy .REG file I can just open and install, and ready to go. And with any luck, all my software would be essentially "portable", for legal private use only, of course!

Does such a thing(s) exist and how would it be done _mostly_ automatic?
Thanks!

This is the closest software I could find http://www.idsecuritysuite.com/prod...stall-watch.htm

FAQ: http://www.idsecuritysuite.com/faq/index.php?catid=27

Seems it can take a system files snapshot (including registry) and can even DIFF them ... iiiinteresting.

Hey thanks weevilofdoom, this looks like what I was after. The "system snapshot" feature, that is. I trust what I install, but I'm looking for a way to mass-install everything next time (could be anytime) my system fails.
I do understand it's a touchy subject though, same tools can be used by pirates to distribute software illegally, and there's actually probably something illegal about doing it for personal use too.
Maybe I should buy Norton Ghost and 100 DVDs instead :P If I have a virus after being so careful this time, will probably get it next time anyway. At least I know it will get _everything_ and likely 100% legal to do so.

My best advice is to do a clean full install (OS + Most used Apps) then use acronis true image to image the drive. Then it just takes 15 minutes and you're up and running when something bad happens.

Well I got Acronis True Image, seems like a really neat program, but I have a problem with it. When I make my backups and try to restore those backups on a different system, it INSISTS it has the same HDD capacity as what I've backed up, even though it's a mere 15GB, it INSISTS on having the full 320GB of the original drive. I'm trying to restore it to a 40GB HDD and there's plenty of room for 15GB of "C:\Windows\Program Files\Documents and Settings\", but it won't let me. I don't understand it.
There's an option in "Restore Data Wizard" to "Choose Files and Folders to Restore", sounds neat, but the boot disc "OS" freezes and I need to reboot, obviously it's not happy, but that's the only option I can find that might get around this partition problem.
Any help would be immensely appreciated. I'd hate to think this software is only good for restoring to an exact partition only.

how did you originally set it to backup? and how do you want to restore the files? where are your backup files stored?

Hey, thanks for your quick reply!

I chose to do a "Backup" of "My Computer" using "Disks and Partitions", in which I set exclusions for "C:\Games\" (which is like 260GB) and my personal files in another folder (not in any system folders btw) which I already have backed up. This left me with 3x 4.4GB .TIB files which I burnt onto DVD-Rs. I also made the boot disc where (and which I need to, AFAIK,) restore the system files ("C:\Windows\") from a "safe mode"-type OS, the boot disc.
So, I boot up the boot disc on my laptop and it takes me to the Restore options, where, yes, I can insert the third and last backup (.TIB on DVD-R) and it reads it and gets all toasty and ready to install it for me, all except this business about needing a whole 320GB HDD to restore 15GB worth of system. It won't allow me to select my 40GB laptop HDD as a "destination".

So, I notice there's another option in "Backup" (back on my desktop (320GB HDD)) that is "System State" (instead of "Disks and Partitions") but this seems to only make a backup of some tiny files, and not my whole "C:\Program Files\" and everything else needed for that, which is really the whole point of what I'm trying to do here. Choosing "System State" creates 1 220MB .TIB file, which I guess is just Windows settings and drivers.

are you sure you haven't backed-up more than 40 gb worth of data? we use acronis at work and i've restored to smaller drives before as long as all the data would fit on the drive. double-check to make sure all the data you have backed up is less than 40 gb. just b/c it made a 15 gb backup files doesn't mean it didn't compress 40 gb into 15 gb. that's what acronis does.

Pretty sure, everything I chose to backup adds up to 19GB uncompressed in total (I also excluded "C:\pagefile.sys"), so 15GB sounds about right to me. It also says about my desktop 320GB partition in the "Recovery" section of the boot disc, so I'm sure even if I backed up 1GB of stuff, the 40GB C:\ still wouldn't be enough. I'm still searching for that magical option that will let me exclude the source partition information from the backups...

I've figured it out now. The option I wanted is "My Data" (which I assumed wouldn't do system files, only personal files, as it implied), and not "My Computer" (which enforces partition information), and I also had to do it using the safe-mode boot disc, I should have realised. I really don't like these Wizards, they try to make it easy for people to understand, but ultimately make it harder for people to see all their options and at the same time make it really hard to explain the problems.
Only thing is, it's taking like 20+ hours! The 15-minutes comments must mean replacing system32 only or something, or maybe it was because I used compression.

A compact external hard drive would be much cheaper and easier.