Imaging a drive to create a dual-boot setup?

Hi-

I have Acronis True Image Home 10.1.

I have a new desktop running XP SP2. I want to set up a dual-boot into another copy of XP SP2 that's currently on my laptop drive.

I connected my laptop drive to my desktop via an HD adapter and the desktop sees it fine. I'm creating a full ("My Computer") backup archive of my laptop drive on to one of my desktop's hard drives, but I'm not sure that's what I need to do.

Ultimately, I want everything from my laptop including the OS restored to a separate hard drive in my desktop. Then I want to be able to choose which copy of XP I boot to.

Am I going about this the right way, and if so, what's the next step? Can I just restore the laptop image to one of my desktop drives?

TIA!

-Susan

 

Never mind... I see this won't work. I tried using Disk Clone instead, but that won't work either since I'm going from a laptop to a desktop and the new drive isn't bootable in the desktop.

I take it there's no way to do what I'm trying to do using Acronis, correct? I can't clone the laptop drive and make it bootable in the desktop since the hardware's different?

Thanks-

-Susan

 

That's correct.

 

You can, and it does work .... but you have to use the Universal Restore add-on feature of Acronis. And when you use UR, you have to have the drivers for the desktop available for the process to use. The most important driver is the display adapter driver.

 

Ok, I'll look into that, thanks. When I tried it before it just kept recycling back to the boot screen, even if I selected Safe Mode.

Thanks again-

-Susan

 

In case you're still not sure, I have actually done that - taken a laptop Image and restored it to a desktop system, using the UR feature. Just have the desktop drivers available on a flash drive or external drive that the True Image bootable CD (with UR) can see.

 

I just have the Home version, though. UR isn't available for that, right? [I'm at work so just taking a quick look for it...]

Thanks-

-Susan

 

You're right ... UR is only for ver 9 Workstation ... bummer. Well there is a workaround, but it would mean making the laptop image again. In fact there are two other ways.
1. Using Sysprep - I've never tried this one. It's a Microsoft method.
2. On the laptop, change the display adapter to a generic one. The display will then look like crap - because it will be only 16 colors. Then make the Image, which should now restore to the desktop and boot into Windows. You will then have to add ALL the drivers for items on the desktop system, including its display adapter.