A base image is an image of all the partitions and data on a source computer's storage devices, such as hard disks and Jaz drives. Normally, such an image is prepared with the intent to completely replace the contents of some other target computer's storage devices.

The overall process to create a base image is:

1. Boot the source computer from an imaging device.

   The boot device can be diskettes, a CD, or a hard-disk partition.

2. Run the ZfD imaging engine to take an image of the computer.

   You can do this manually or automatically. In manual mode, you interrupt the bootup process and issue a certain imaging command at the Linux prompt. In automatic mode, you set a flag in the computer's Workstation object in NDS and then let the bootup process proceed without interruption.

The instructions you should follow to complete this process depend on the boot device and imaging mode you want to use, as summarized in the table below.