Changing partition order / Moving installation on the same disk

So, I have a disk with Windows 7 installed on the 3rd partition of that disk. I want to move that installation to the first partition of the disk.

Repartitioning and boot settings aside, is there a way to do that? (besides using sysprep)

Last time I tried that, windows would load slowly and after ''Preparing your desktop'' screen it would just show the one-color desktop, no icons, no explorer shell loaded.
Alt,Ctrl,delete works, for running ''explorer'' from task manager, but computer, control panel or anything system-related does not open, instead it pops up an error window with, (e.x.)''{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}''... not found.

Thank you in advance.

Make an image with any imaging app. - Macrium and Easeus do good free ones.

Restore the image to the partition of your choice.

That was what I did in the first place with Acronis True Image, and I does not work. Windows are no longer in partition number #3, but in partition number #1. That is the problem.

It would be the same if I had a disk with two partitions :
#1 XP / #2 Win 7
Let's say that I want to get rid of XP. Win7 would not work properly, whether I just deleted the xp partition (which puts win7 on the single partition #1, or kept both partitions and moving win7 from #2 to #1.
Moving windows over partitions does not work. Is there a way to fix that?
Is there someone, who for whatever reason, has done this successfully?

What doesn't work & how? Have you lost your master boot record?

Sorry for being brusque, but did you read my posts before posting?

I have done it hundreds of times.

Windows 7 does not use partition numbers - it is not like XP.

Win 7 bootmanager references the Boot Configuration Datastore (bcd)

The bcd entries should be adjusted automatically by the imaging program during the image restore process.

I don't know about Acronis - but I have used Macrium, Paragon and Easeus Todo - they all work perfectly.

Maybe you are using an old version of Acronis which does not understand the new boot process( actually the new boot process is not that new - it has been around about 5 years now )