Clone XP System From One Laptop to Another

I have a Lenovo laptop that is failing. I have a Dell laptop of
comparable specs that has no hard drive. Can I use a clone of my Lenovo
system (made in Acronis) to populate a new hard drive for the Dell? I
know some drivers will be different (graphics card, etc.) but will this
work, specifically, will the XP OS still be "considered" Authentic by MS
standards (for example when accessing updates from the MS site) even
though it would be running on a different computer than the one for
which is was OEM registered?

Its unlikely to work since the winxp installation will be specific to
Lenovo, and since its an oem version it cannot be 'transfered' to new
hardware
You can try, if you have a full Dell winxp cd to undertake a repair
installation of Win

"TMitchell" <tmitche2@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:Zt6dnQrwfI-efaXWnZ2dnUVZ_rydnZ2d@earthlink.com...
>I have a Lenovo laptop that is failing. I have a Dell laptop of comparable
>specs that has no hard drive. Can I use a clone of my Lenovo system (made
>in Acronis) to populate a new hard drive for the Dell? I know some drivers
>will be different (graphics card, etc.) but will this work, specifically,
>will the XP OS still be "considered" Authentic by MS standards (for example
>when accessing updates from the MS site) even though it would be running on
>a different computer than the one for which is was OEM registered?

[peacock_eric]

the only problem you should run into is XP freaking out over the hardware change.
i've done this several times - pulled an XP hdd out of one comp and put it into another. (always from OEM installs)
all but one time, it went off without a hitch. just took a while for XP to get new drivers installed.
if possible, boot your lenovo and uninstall video drivers and lenovo specific software. then just pull the hdd out and stick it in the dell.

*all the times i tried this, it was going from one intel cpu to another. no clue what would happen if you are switching intel/amd cpu's.

as for WGA... are we allowed to post WGA workarounds on this msg board? lol

Thats all very well and good but if the oem version of win is tied to the
oem hardware it aint going to work, wga workaround or not

"peacock_eric" <peacock_eric.43x2nb@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:peacock_eric.43x2nb@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> the only problem you should run into is XP freaking out over the
> hardware change.
> i've done this several times - pulled an XP hdd out of one comp and put
> it into another. (always from OEM installs)
> all but one time, it went off without a hitch. just took a while for XP
> to get new drivers installed.
> if possible, boot your lenovo and uninstall video drivers and lenovo
> specific software. then just pull the hdd out and stick it in the dell.
>
> *all the times i tried this, it was going from one intel cpu to
> another. no clue what would happen if you are switching intel/amd
> cpu's.
>
> as for WGA... are we allowed to post WGA workarounds on this msg board?
> lol
>
>
> --
> peacock_eric
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> peacock_eric's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/167759.htm
> View this thread:
> Clone XP System From One Laptop to Another
>
> http://forums.techarena.in
>

As that is considered piracy I would advise you not too.

--


--
"peacock_eric" <peacock_eric.43x2nb@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:peacock_eric.43x2nb@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> the only problem you should run into is XP freaking out over the
> hardware change.
> i've done this several times - pulled an XP hdd out of one comp and put
> it into another. (always from OEM installs)
> all but one time, it went off without a hitch. just took a while for XP
> to get new drivers installed.
> if possible, boot your lenovo and uninstall video drivers and lenovo
> specific software. then just pull the hdd out and stick it in the dell.
>
> *all the times i tried this, it was going from one intel cpu to
> another. no clue what would happen if you are switching intel/amd
> cpu's.
>
> as for WGA... are we allowed to post WGA workarounds on this msg board?
> lol
>
>
> --
> peacock_eric
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> peacock_eric's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/167759.htm
> View this thread:
> Clone XP System From One Laptop to Another
>
> http://forums.techarena.in
>

Quite correct.

--


--
"DL" <notvalid@spoofaddress.co.uk> wrote in message
news:OidYDM$hKHA.5520@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Thats all very well and good but if the oem version of win is tied to the
> oem hardware it aint going to work, wga workaround or not
>
> "peacock_eric" <peacock_eric.43x2nb@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
> news:peacock_eric.43x2nb@DoNotSpam.com...
>>
>> the only problem you should run into is XP freaking out over the
>> hardware change.
>> i've done this several times - pulled an XP hdd out of one comp and put
>> it into another. (always from OEM installs)
>> all but one time, it went off without a hitch. just took a while for XP
>> to get new drivers installed.
>> if possible, boot your lenovo and uninstall video drivers and lenovo
>> specific software. then just pull the hdd out and stick it in the dell.
>>
>> *all the times i tried this, it was going from one intel cpu to
>> another. no clue what would happen if you are switching intel/amd
>> cpu's.
>>
>> as for WGA... are we allowed to post WGA workarounds on this msg board?
>> lol
>>
>>
>> --
>> peacock_eric
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> peacock_eric's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/167759.htm
>> View this thread:
>> Clone XP System From One Laptop to Another
>>
>> http://forums.techarena.in
>>
>
>

TMitchell wrote:
> I have a Lenovo laptop that is failing. I have a Dell laptop of
> comparable specs that has no hard drive. Can I use a clone of my Lenovo
> system (made in Acronis) to populate a new hard drive for the Dell? I
> know some drivers will be different (graphics card, etc.) but will this
> work,


Probably not.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
installations are BIOS-locked to a specific motherboard chipset and
therefore are *not* transferable to a new motherboard - check yours
before starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical
(same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the one
on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll need to
perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directo...;EN-US;Q315341

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with WinXP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this point.
You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. (If
you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as picking up a
Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch style
foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K before it,
is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any
old hardware configuration you throw at it. On installation it
"tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This is one of the
reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much more stable
than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than
120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most
likely be able to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's
been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.


> ... specifically, will the XP OS still be "considered" Authentic by MS
> standards (for example when accessing updates from the MS site) even
> though it would be running on a different computer than the one for
> which is was OEM registered?


Well, as you do the requisite repair installation, simply enter the OEM
WinXP Product Key that came with the Dell. (Provided they're the same
edition, of course.)


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
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safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

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killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

Did the Dell come with XP?
Same edition (Home, Professional, etc) as the Lenovo?
Sticker still on the bottom with the XP Product Key (of the Dell)?

If yes - you could do it - but with a Lenovo install - I would expect a
*LOT* of issues with drivers and Lenovo/IBM specific stuff until you get it
all cleaned out (even after the repair install that would undoubtedly be
required to even get it to boot again.)

You'd be able to change the OEM product key with a tool from Microsoft and
be legit on the Dell.

Personally - I'd backup my stuff and just put the data on another machine.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[peacock_eric]

Originally Posted by Bruce Chambers

TMitchell wrote:[color=blue]


Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
installations are BIOS-locked to a specific motherboard chipset and
therefore are *not* transferable to a new motherboard - check yours
before starting),

not very common at all. i've seen hardware specific windows installs that would not accept anything but the factory hardware, but not many. and i've worked on literally hundreds of WinXP machines over the years.

but as you say, backing up the hdd data on another machine before doing anything, is the smartest thing to do.

Originally Posted by Bruce Chambers

WinXP, like Win2K before it,
is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any
old hardware configuration you throw at it.

you have SO got that backwards.
win9x would NOT work at ALL if you put the hdd in a machine with diff hardware.
i've done it several times with XP.

<snipped>
<IMO, best to see the whole thing:>
http://groups.google.com/group/micro...befa6d2770c5c/



Bruce Chambers wrote:
> Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
> installations are BIOS-locked to a specific motherboard chipset and
> therefore are *not* transferable to a new motherboard - check yours
> before starting)
<snipped>

peacock_eric wrote:
> not very common at all. i've seen hardware specific windows installs
> that would not accept anything but the factory hardware, but not
> many. and i've worked on literally hundreds of WinXP machines over
> the years.
>
> but as you say, backing up the hdd data on another machine before
> doing anything, is the smartest thing to do.

The installation media for some of the larger software vendors may/may not
work at all on anything but the vendors machine (they do a check for
something at startup.) Usually - the installed operating system/etc will
work fine on other hardware *if* you do a repair installation in some cases
so the HAL has been modified correctly. That's the cloning part. However -
it can and likely will become un-activated/need to be re-activated. This is
where things can get tricky - especially if it was an OEM that belonged on a
Lenovo laptop and is now on a Dell laptop and no changing of product keys is
done to 'make it right'. It's an illegitimate move and may fail to
activate.

However - you then agree with something you did not bother to quote with the
back thing. ;-) That would have been this:
Bruce Chambers wrote:
<snipped>
> As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up
> any important data before starting.
<snipped>



Bruce Chambers wrote:
<snipped>
> WinXP, like Win2K before it,
> is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting
> any old hardware configuration you throw at it.
<snipped>

peacock_eric wrote:
> you have SO got that backwards.
> win9x would NOT work at ALL if you put the hdd in a machine with
> diff hardware.
> i've done it several times with XP.

Now is a matter of time progressing. If you had done it when Windows 98 was
popular/supported - it would have worked. Even during the cross-over time
with Windows XP. As long as the machine had drivers for Windows 98 (many in
the past 5 years do not) it would work and you could boot the first time and
let it 'find drivers' that would work and then later you could fill in the
gaps/replace them with other drivers.

Windows XP on the other hand normally does not work when there is much
difference between hardware types - particularly the motherboard
chipset/hard drive controller. It basically will bluescreen with some error
(7B is common enough) and you will need to perform a repair installation of
the operating system in order to change the HAL so Windows XP can boot so
you can get the proper drivers installed.

For both Windows 98 and Windows XP - as more and more time passes from their
original release date - this 'ability' will fade further and further into
the darkness - as their built-in drivers will not work and even a repair
installation for the latter will begin to fail unless it is done with a
modified (by the owner) CD/DVD.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html