Migrating Hard Drive Images

I work for a medium size company (approx 200 employees) who get new systems every 4 years. They are from various departments, with many specialized applications and settings per their department. I would like to be able to migrate their current system settings entirely to their new computer's hard drive.

Is there a reason Acronis software does not have the option to do this streamlined? These are the directions I'm seeing.

Create Acronis True Image 9.0 bootable media with Bootable Rescue Media Builder available in Acronis True Image 9.0 program menu.
1. Run sysprep.exe on your source computer. Microsoft gives you the option to specify the following keys:
a. -nosidgen — If you plan to erase all data from the original hard disk drive and/or do not plan to use both original and new hard disk drives in different computers simultaneously, use this option.
b. -mini — If you plan to migrate your operating system to a computer with different hardware.

2. Reboot the source computer and boot it from the created bootable media. Now run the 'Create Backup' wizard and create an image of the prepared hard disk drive.
3. Boot the target computer from the bootable media and restore the image you just made.
4. Reboot the target computer and boot it from the hard disk drive.

This is what I'd like to see in acronis.. You create an image and transfer it over (perhaps under a "Migrate" option) with it removing all nonstandard device drivers, network settings, etc. So essentially all I'd have to do to a new computer once the image is transferred is install the drivers for the system and join it to the domain.

 

Instead of removing all non-standard drivers, Acronis has a Universal Restore add-on option to its True Image Workstation software that will instead give you the option to add the drivers for the new hardware.

That being said, some users have difficulty making UR work though.

 

Four years difference in hardware is the problem. The motherboard, NIC, video, sound, hard drive controller, etc. drivers are all different. Today, the Windows operating system would probably be different as well.

It's just not resonable to expect to be able to restore an image of an old system to a brand new (4 years newer) system and have it work without reinstalling the operating system. Besides, you'd bring all the old, uninstalled software and patches, junk files and other garbage onto the new system. That's just ugly.

What you want is lovely, but it won't happen.

 

Anyone who solves this problem stands to make a fortune. If only computers would just stop evolving...

(aren't they 'good enough' yet?!)

 

That's what I used to say about audio equipment .... over 10 years ago.