Ask HN: Is there a viable business in this?

Hi all,

I just set up a new Windows installation and I had a thought about a new product:

When I set up a computer, I have to install somewhere around 40 programs to get everything back to where it was beforehand. I've been looking around for an automated solution, but it looks like most of the software out there is either partial (you can only pick certain programs) or custom (you have to set up a list of programs by hand). It'd be nice if I could pick from a comprehensive online list of software and get an installer that would set everything up.

I know I'd use it personally, but I probably wouldn't pay much for it. So I was wondering: Does anyone (particularly in IT) know if there's a business market for it? There are similar solutions (cloning, ninite), but nothing that I've found that quite does what I want...

Thanks!

2 comments

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adriand 16y ago ↗

Why doesn't cloning do what you want?

smarterchild 16y ago ↗

In my specific case? I have all sorts of data mixed up in there; also, I change the software I use over time so a clone would fall out of date. I do wonder if the enterprise market is entirely standardized on cloning though...