Image restore to a different pc

Hi,

I just came from a "nightmare" of a week and I just resurrected an old pc while my new desktop/laptop is up for replacement. I am using Acronis True Image Home 2011 and an idea just popped-up in my mind...can I use my latest image backup from another pc here in my old resurrected one?

Have not tried it yet and I just formatted yesterday with XP SP3 and Win 7 x32 but the programs and activations (and all plus the AV/firewall updates etc) will be a pain to me the next days that will come....

Drivers will be different as the mobo's are different but I assume that when the image is restored it will ask for the "proper-drivers"...correct?

Anybody who has used ATI have done this?

Thanks all and Happy Halloween :)

I don't have any personal experience with Acronis but I came across an Acronis article that may help:

Stephen: The key here is that when you make your image, you make an image that's transportable. What I mean, is you make an image that can be moved to a different machine. The way that you do that with Acronis Software, at least, is with a component that we call Acronis Universal Restore. The Acronis Universal Restore module for Acronis True Image allows you to actually take that image and make it transportable to any other hardware set.

Alan: You have to have the Acronis Universal Restore installed before you actually make the backup?

Stephen: Actually, you do not. And that's one of the key differences between the way Acronis does Acronis Universal Restore and the way some of our competitors attempt to do that.

Restore Your Backups to a Totally Different Computer

In the alternative, you may be able to use the technique from this previous Forum thread:

Restore Windows 7 to different computer

One other thing to consider is whether or not the image is of an OEM system or a retail system. The moment an OEM version is activated, it is tied to that very first machine. Trying to move it to a different machine with a different mobo will cause activation issues. This Microsoft article attempts to explain the legal issues.

How exactly does Windows 7 Retail vs OEM - Microsoft Community

marsmimar said:

I don't have any personal experience with Acronis but I came across an Acronis article that may help:

Stephen: The key here is that when you make your image, you make an image that's transportable. What I mean, is you make an image that can be moved to a different machine. The way that you do that with Acronis Software, at least, is with a component that we call Acronis Universal Restore. The Acronis Universal Restore module for Acronis True Image allows you to actually take that image and make it transportable to any other hardware set.

Alan: You have to have the Acronis Universal Restore installed before you actually make the backup?

Stephen: Actually, you do not. And that's one of the key differences between the way Acronis does Acronis Universal Restore and the way some of our competitors attempt to do that.

Restore Your Backups to a Totally Different Computer

In the alternative, you may be able to use the technique from this previous Forum thread:

Restore Windows 7 to different computer

One other thing to consider is whether or not the image is of an OEM system or a retail system. The moment an OEM version is activated, it is tied to that very first machine. Trying to move it to a different machine with a different mobo will cause activation issues. This Microsoft article attempts to explain the legal issues.

How exactly does Windows 7 Retail vs OEM - Microsoft Community

Sorry for the late reply.

YEAH!!! Your the man dude! It worked! I observed also that you'd have to load all the drivers manually as Acronis seems to be very sloooooow searching for it even if you have specified the correct path for it. Thanks there.

I have bookmarked the links and printed it in pdf :)

Glad to hear it worked for you. Thanks for posting back!