Windows 7 - Can I use Macrium Reflect free to clone my laptop?

I understand what you are trying to do but I am not sure of the answer since I have never tried that.

I think it is best if you "sysprep" the new disk - that means you define a partition of the same or bigger size than the partition from where the image came. You can do that e.g.with an elevated Command Prompt (run as admin). The commands would be:

Diskpart
List disk
Select disk n (where n is the number that was given for your new disk in List Disk)
Create partition primary size=XXXX (This number must be in the amount of MB - NOT GB - that you want the partition to be)
Active
Exit

If you do that on a PC where you have have no opersting system running, you can do it from the installation or repair disk (you find it in System Repair) or from the Hirens DVD.

Dear Gozoman,
The latest clone of your new Laptop cannot/need not be copied onto the old one for two reasons.

1) The Internal HD of the old laptop is 80 GB( is it the real size?) and as such partitioned into 2 drives.You will need to recreate a partition big enough to fit the 72 GB clone of the new one. That will leave you with theoretically 8 GB free space. Your idea of converting the old laptop into another storage disk is hazardous as the chances of an old HD failing are more!

2) The new laptop is a 64-bit system and thus has a 64-bit OS and i assume (as you have not mentioned whether the old laptop is a 32-bit or 64-bit system) and the 72 GB clone is 64-bit and will not be accepted by the old one.Period!


3) As you have a clone of the new OS +all the added media on your External Drive, why are you thinking of copying the clone onto the old laptop with probably insufficient space on the HD? I hope i made it clear.

Best wishes,
sreedhav

I understand that as the old laptop stands at present it wouldn't work from the point of view that it would first have to be partitioned into a single 80 GB C drive rather than the split C and D drives it has at present.

As you say the new laptop is a 64-bit system and the old one is a 32-bit system but surely as the copied clone contains the 64-bit operating system wouldn't that transfer over to the old drive? I know there would be driver issues but couldn't they be sorted out after the data transfer?

I understand what you are saying in point 3 and agree totally. However the old laptop is pretty ropey to say the least whereas the new one was custom built by Sony. The old one would be a good machine to carry when I was out and about, travelling etc simply because if it got nicked so what. The new one on the other hand I prefer to keep safely indoors as at the moment I just couldn't afford to replace it. Okay I can use it in it's XP mode at the moment but I was hoping for something along the lines of a complete clone which I could keep in sync with the new one so that I could pick it up head off and carry on where I was on the new machine. I'm getting the idea however that this is not possible.

The site here has instructions which are probably far better than what I could write. Their instructions work great for single OS but you have to do some other stuff to transfer a dual boot system.

Windows 7 Installation - Transfer to a New Computer

Thanks for that. Unfortunately my version is an OEM version so it wouldn't work. Having said that I have just fallen in with a copy of Windows 7 complete with licence which has never been used. I might just end up installing that on the old laptop and then installing everything I want over time.

Alternatively you can transfer the image and activate it with your new license key.

Would that work?

Sure, when you get the message about the illegal windows copy, just use that new legal key. If that does not work, call MS and have them fix it. Activation and registration of a Microsoft product

Okay cheers.