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Old 26-09-2019, 11:52 PM
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pmrid (Peter)
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Transfer OS etc to a new computer

I have a HP desktop that is getting pretty long in the tooth but it is set up the way I like it and I don't want to have to start from the bottom again with a new PC. That includes forking out for a new Windows when I have already paid for one. The question therefore is whether (and how) I can migrate my current OS and files etc from the old to the new.

Peter
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Old 27-09-2019, 06:31 AM
nsavage (Nick)
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The Windows license is tied to that computer and is not portable. You need a new license for a new computer or you would be breaching the software agreement.

Whilst there are utilities that will clone drives etc. your new device will require different drivers etc. and it would likely not boot from your current install. I am sure there are ways to make it work but it would probably be more trouble than just installing everything from scratch.

Last edited by nsavage; 27-09-2019 at 06:45 PM.
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Old 04-10-2019, 05:29 PM
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doppler (Rick)
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How old is your "old" computer, if your running win7 that o/s won't be compatible with a new win10 motherboard / cpu computer.

There are still some not so old motherboard cpu combo's that will support win7 but these are becoming hard to find. I've managed to keep my 2010, win7 desktop alive with a new hdd and ram so far.
Rick
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Old 13-10-2019, 01:59 PM
AstroFeral (Steve)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nsavage View Post
The Windows license is tied to that computer and is not portable. You need a new license for a new computer or you would be breaching the software agreement.

Whilst there are utilities that will clone drives etc. your new device will require different drivers etc. and it would likely not boot from your current install. I am sure there are ways to make it work but it would probably be more trouble than just installing everything from scratch.

I disagree, I recently rebuilt my entire system migrated windows 7 Pro OEM from the old Intel box to the a total AMD system and it never missed a beat.
I had to reregister with MS citing "hardware failure".


The skill and knowledge of the end user will determine how well migrating will work out.
I used cloning software that came with a new NVme drive.
The OP needs to make sure they back everything up in case of a failure. Macreum reflect is what I used to make images of each partition.

I also backup the user data folders which contain the profiles.
Make sure they have copies of all licences for software they have installed.
The biggest problem will be the hardware drivers from the HP box they will cause problems.
I had all the hardware drivers downloaded and prepared on a USB ready to go when I did the install.
Most motherboards will not have an issue with win 7, the OP will most likely need to flash the BIOS or turn on a setting in BIOS before loading the OS. Read the mainboard manual for the right procedure for the board you use.
I had one minor issue, I can not remember what it was that took a little bit of work to resolve but for the most part, the system has not missed a beat.
It can be done, just requires some work.
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Old 15-10-2019, 11:13 AM
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sil (Steve)
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migrating OS also means you're migrating broken files, malware, viruses etc too. A fresh os reinstall is alway the best and safest your machine will ever be, its downhill from there. to save the hassles involved especially when a drive fails is to use separate physical drives for the Operating System (a fast SSD) then install ALL your programs onto a second drive (larger SSD preferred) and have at least one or two other HDD for working data. That way an OS reinstall doesnt mean wiping data and some apps will remaining working where they are but the separate program drive means you know what needs to be reinstalled over the top for registry entries etc to be made to the new os. Also a good practice here is to store config files with the programs not in %appdata% so again you often are back and running with those configurations and preferences that took you six months to optimise.
but if you can't build a pc yourself basically its not safe or even easy to migrate and existing os to new (differing) hardware. it can work out short term while recovering a dead machine but its not suitable for actual use.
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