Using laptop back up on PC ?

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by karan2670, Dec 27, 2008.

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  1. karan2670

    karan2670 Registered Member

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    Hi all,

    I took a backup of my laptop with TI.
    I want to ask is whether I could install that laptop (HP) backup on a Windows HD ? Like BOOT from the backup ? In effect using the Laptop OS on the Windows machine ?
    The Laptop OS has everything I need and it would be great If I could use it on the new machine I built.

    Thanks
     
  2. jehosophat

    jehosophat Registered Member

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    You can transfer the programs and data but it work work. You will get the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). The windows programs are set up in a way to work with the hardware on your laptop and therefore wont wont with the hardware of your other computer.

    If the windows version is an OEM version say a Dell then it will only work with another Dell with the same BIOS chipset etc.

    Finally Microsoft authentication for modern operating systems like XP will also prevent it working as you will have changed the hardware.

    In a word NO it wont work.
     
  3. karan2670

    karan2670 Registered Member

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    ok Thank you :)
     
  4. DwnNdrty

    DwnNdrty Registered Member

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    I actually did this successfully a year ago as a test. First you have to change the video display adapter on the laptop to Standard VGA. Then make the Backup to an external usb drive. Also make the bootable True Image Rescue CD.

    On the desktop PC, connect the external usb drive, and boot with the Rescue CD to restore the Backup Image. After the Image has been restored and you boot the PC for the first time, it will go through a whole slew of "Found New Hardware" popups. Some of the drivers will be embedded in the OS, some will not - like the driver for the video card in the desktop. After all those popups are done, look in Device Manager and check which drivers need to be installed - one of these will be for the video card.
     
  5. jehosophat

    jehosophat Registered Member

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    I stand corrected and very surprised. What was the operating system in the case of the successful transfer?
     
  6. DwnNdrty

    DwnNdrty Registered Member

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    This was Xp Sp2 .. but it should work with any OS as long as the video display adapter is changed to Standard VGA before the backup is made. There is another way, other than using the Universal Restore add-on of True Image Workstation which is designed to facilitate Restore to different hardware, and that is to use the Microsoft tool called SysPrep - but I've never tried this. The Standard VGA change worked for me, but here again I only tried it as a test and was glad to see it worked.
     
  7. karan2670

    karan2670 Registered Member

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    Wow..thanks !! I am going to give it a go tomorrow !! :)
    thank you !!
    would report back!

    My laptop cd writer is not working so if Acronis would let me savee the true image restord cd as ISO then I would first burn it from desktop and then boot from it...
    thanks D:

    edit: XP sp3 here..Hp5200 laptop..
     
  8. jehosophat

    jehosophat Registered Member

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    Thanks for this info. Are you saying that one would need True Image Workstation to do this? I had assumed perhaps wrongly that karan2670 was using Acronis True Image Home 2009.

    I can understand all this if you have universal restore! :)
     
  9. DwnNdrty

    DwnNdrty Registered Member

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    One method is to use the Standard VGA technique which works with TI Home.
    A second way to deal with different hardware is to use the Universal Restore add-on with Workstation - more expensive, of course.
    A third way is to use SysPrep.
     
  10. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    karan2670,

    Here is another method for making an OS from one computer work in another computer. I've used it to restore an image from an IDE computer to a SATA HD computer.

    http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/howto/howto-drvins-tbosdt-dos.htm

    There is a text file describing how to do it with IDE HD computers in the TBOSDT Docs folder.
     
  11. jehosophat

    jehosophat Registered Member

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    Thanks very much for that useful info. I will now go and learn about SysPrep. Its good to learn new stuff every day. :)
     
  12. Acronis Support

    Acronis Support Acronis Support Staff

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    Hello karan2670,

    Thank you for your interesting in Acronis True Image

    We may recommend you to use Acronis True Image Echo Workstation with Universal Restore for your purposes. Acronis Universal Restore is required to restore the image of Windows operating system to another hardware configuration. It the implementation of the unique technology developed inside Acronis that allows changing Windows Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL.dll) and device drivers. Acronis Universal Restore automatically detects if the HAL should be changed and also allows adding drivers for new hardware devices. This feature was designed for Corporate products and can’t be used with Home products.

    Have a look at this link to see how Acronis Universal Restore works.

    Best regards,
    --
    Dmitry Nikolaev
     
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