Using a backup on PC with different product key

[keverne]

Not long after loading all my software onto a new PC with an OEM copy of Windows 7 the PSU blew causing catastrophic damage to the motherboard. The store is to replace the machine with an identical model.

Luckily I've got a complete backup courtesy of Paragon Hard Disk Manager 2011.

However I'm wondering if I'll be able to use it on the new PC which will have a different Windows 7 OEM product key.

Am I likely to have problems with licensing etc?

[seekforever]

Since nobody has replied to your post yet I'll give you my opinion but hopefully somebody in a similar situation can give you some direct experience information.

There is more than one kind of OEM Windows. One type is the so-called BIOS-lock version which means it will only run on the hardware provided by a major vendor. This means it is hopeless running such a version from say Dell on a PC made by somebody else. It may even be model specific. The other more friendly type is that sold by small computer stores with a new PC. It is cheaper, comes with no support other than the computer store but is hardware independent. In your case, since you are getting an identical machine this shouldn't be a problem.

The problem likely will arise when the Windows hardware anti-piracy evaluation is run. Even though the hardware is the same, things like the network card's MAC address won't be and you are likely to be told the installation is invalid.

I believe there is a way in Windows to change the licence key number so you can investigate this. If there is no way out, call Microsoft and explain the situation and it will be put right. Any reports I've read about people calling Microsoft with activation problems indicated the problem was resolved and the biggest issue was copying down some many-digit number to enter.

This is how I see it but I've never had the problem.

[keverne]

I collected the replacement PC yesterday, installed Paragon, and created an image file of the clean Windows 7 installation.

Then I went ahead with restoring the image from the original machine. Half an hour later it booted up with only a few minor adjustments to be made.

Later, a pop-up appeared informing me that my system needed validation within 3 days. I clicked on the link to do it via the internet which was successful.

Only time will tell if this worked 100% but in the meantime thanks for your input.

[seekforever]

Glad it worked. I would have thought you may have had more trouble with the activation but maybe there was enough similarity that it felt it was on a modified system and not a completely different one but I don't really know if the MS activation process makes that distinction.

If it was from an old PC installation I would have said that the previous activation data was no longer in their database so it didn't care. Some people used to say for XP activation that the data was only kept 90 days but I also don't know if that is true or what it might be for later versions. My experience says it isn't kept indefinitely.