Multiple OS installations from 1 image file

Yes, I do it all the time.

Plenty of people take an image so that if the HD fails, they can restore it to not just a different partition - but an entirely different HD.

Usually, but not necessarily.

You can see my current windows partition ( labelled "boot" in disk management ) is in fact, X.

whs said:

Ztruker said:

I don't understand how that will work. If you install to C: that means everything in the registry is expecting things to be on C:.

If you then take an image and restore it to another partition which is F: or G:, anything but C: are you saying Windows 7 will boot and run without any problems?

The active OS partition (the one that runs at this moment - not to be confused with 'active' where the bootngr is) will always be C - but if it is not active and running, it can have any letter.

During installation:

Apply the o/s image to the partition ( in the normal way ) - load up the registry, make a few changes.

Then continue as normal,creating the boot files, restarting the pc -and installation completes as normal - except you now have your chosen o/s letter.

I use a batch file to do it.

Will pm you a copy if you like.

I don't know a way of changing the o/s letter after installation

SIW2 said:

You can take an image of your o/s partition ( usually calls itself C ) - which may be on Disk0 partition 2.

You can restore that image to any other partition without issue.

Hi SIW2
Do you mean each time it restored to a different drive it will enlist itself to menu entries and show up on initial screen? (which is editable by BCD program)
Thx

Yes, it will be on the boot menu - (assuming you have the boot menu set to display)

Have you guys never restored an image to a different partition than it was made from?

I am amazed.

It is not something you can do easily with Windows built in system imaging program .

All other imaging programs I can think of will do it.

Imaging software has come on a lot since the days of Ghost 5 or whatever everyone used to use.