Transfering image to new PC

Further to my gratefully resolved question, https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=120613
I am going to buy a new PC which will have Windows XP installed, and that's ok but I am really keen to continue also using my present Windows 98SE which I have safely imaged via Acronis version 8 on a USB external HD.

How do I go about copying the image to the new PC's HD,and in simple terms please, not too clued up here

Regards BOEING

 

To be able to use BOTH Win98 and WinXp on a system, you have to install Win98 first then WinXP because Win98 must be on what is called the Primary partition.

Since your new system will already have XP, this means that you will have to remove it, install Win98 then put back WinXP.

To put the Win98 Image that you have on to new hardware you have to use something called SysPrep. It is a lot of hoops to jump through. Better to do a clean install of Win98.

Perhaps others can suggest a different way to do what you want.

Good Luck

 

Thank you for your reply Chutsman, and the process sounds a little daunting for a beginner, and I've just been reading a google link to SysPrep and that sounds complicated too.

The idea of retaining the old OS and all my long time gathered data was attractive, but it might be sensible to forget it, and one thought I've had is that since making the Acronis full image I can run it on my Win 98SE comp as drive F and I can access everything as per the main HD, so would it be possible to do the same setup with the new XP PC by just plugging in the USB cable, and configuring for that external drive.

Regards BOEING

 

Most new systems will let you boot from either of two hard drives that are in the computer. You just have to re-arrange the Boot order in the Bios - not as daunting as the other scenarios. So an alternative is to have the old drive (with Win9 installed on the Secondary IDE channel preferably as Master. It will have to go through the process of indentifying the new hardware environment.

Maybe before you buy the new system, if the vendor has a Tech Dept, you can ask how much they will charge to have that old drive installed and configured to run in with the new hardware.

If it is ONLY data on the Win98 system that is of concern, then you can copy over that data to the new system. As long as you have the application, that created that data, installed on the new system you will be able to access that data. To copy over that data there are several options.
1. Install the win98 hard drive into the usb enclosure.
2. Burn that data to CD or DVD media
3. If both computers have network cards, use a crossover cable to connect the systems.
4. Install the win98 drive as stated above - no need to change the bios to boot from it - the XP system will see it.
5. If the data files are small enough to fit on a flash drive you can use a flash drive.

 

Hi Chutsman thanks for your continued help, and you have now really given me food for thought with several perfectly feasable options.

I think my first approach, as you suggested will be to have a word with the techy man at the place where I buy my new PC, and tell him about my Acronis image sitting on my external mobile HD.

It would of course give me great satisfaction to do the job myself, and I will give some deeper thought to your other possibilties mentioned.

Best regards BOEING.

 

You're welcome, Boeing - just keep making those 'planes safe -

Actually the TI image may not even be needed for what you want to do. Be sure to tell the Tech whether you want to:

1. Be able to boot the win98 drive as if it was in the old system OR
2. Only be able to access your data/documents on the win98 drive.

If he configures the old drive in the new Dell to do #1 then #2 is included but not the other way around. #1 will give you a dual booting system. He will probably charge more for doing #1.

One thing to consider is if the vendor tech does this for you your warranty will be intact whereas if you open the case I would think the warranty will be void.

But again, if it is only data you want to access on the old drive and since you already have an external hard drive, I would simply copy over the data to the external (no need for TI to do this and no need for a Tech) then connect it to the new Dell for retrieval.

 

Actually m8 I fly 767's not make them, and thanks for your further valuable tips which are very much appreciated.

Regards BOEING