How to Transfer your Complete Windows 7 Installation to a New Computer
Information
Windows 7 System Preparation Tool is a powerful, native Windows tool. When for instance used in so called Audit Mode, it let's you to freely configure Windows 7 to be then deployed to other computers as hardware independent image.
In this tutorial we use System Preparation Tool (sysprep) to prepare your Windows 7 installation to be moved to a new computer, keeping all your installed applications, program settings and user profiles. You can use this method for instance when you have bought a new PC and want to transfer your existing setup completely, without need to reinstall everything, or when you want to make major hardware changes like change the motherboard or GPU, which would usually cause Windows to stop booting normally.
Warning
Using this method causes Windows 7 to lose all activation information, and it needs to be reactivated afterwards. If your Windows 7 is an OEM version, you might not be able to reactivate it, at least not without phone activation option.
I do not recommend to use this method on RAID systems. All experiments on RAID I know have failed.
With the speed of today's hardware evolution, most of us geeks are upgrading the hardware more often than operating system. Upgrading hardware can be painfully slow process if we need to reinstall the operating system and all our installed applications, plus transfer program settings and user profiles.
Using sysprep makes this easy. Changing the motherboard, or for instance an old ATI GPU to a new nVidia GPU quite often causes Windows 7 not to be able to boot anymore. This fact is usually accepted by the user, who then reinstalls the OS and all applications and transfers user profiles from a backup location.
Same thing when buying a new computer with completely different hardware setup compared to the old one, or trying to restore a system image to different hardware setup. Normally this would include a complete reinstallation of Windows 7 and all applications.
Why not use sysprep to avoid reinstalling? Here are the different scenarios where you can use it.
Warning
An upgraded Windows cannot be sysprepped. As this method is based in sysprepping, this tutorial is valid only for Windows setups which have not been upgraded.
This means that if you have for instance in-place upgraded Vista to Seven, or using Anytime Upgrade upgraded for instance a Home Premium to Ultimate, you cannot sysprep and this tutorial cannot be used in your case.
Notice that a repair install is also an upgrade install, so if you have ever done a repair install (= in-place upgrade to same edition), you cannot sysprep.
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO CREATE A SYSTEM IMAGE BEFORE PROCEEDING!
As you can read on this thread, on rare occasions this method does not work. If this happens, you can always restore your system using your backup image.
Changing hardware components but keeping old hard disk(s)
Use this method if you:
- Change other hardware components but keep your old HD containing Windows 7
- Move the HD containing Windows 7 to another computer
Before installing new hardware, boot Windows 7 normally
Run Command Prompt as administrator
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Type to Command Prompt: %windir%\System32\Sysprep\Sysprep.exe, and hit Enter
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In sysprep dialog that opens, choose System Cleanup Action as Enter System Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE), select Generalize, select Shutdown OptionsShutdown. Click OK
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Sysprep generalizes now your Windows 7 setup and shuts down your computer. Do not run any other programs during this phase!
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Switch the main power of your PC off and install the new hardware OR dismount the hard disk(s) and mount it (them) to a new computer
Boot the PC from sysprep generalized hard disk. You will notice Windows booting as if it was the first boot after installation, installing default drivers and updating registry. One or two reboots are needed, depending on your system specifications
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When Windows finally boots up, you will need to enter all information as if this really was a new, fresh installation
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Because your old user profiles already exist, Windows does not accept your normal username, but instead you have to create a new temporary user. I use username Test for this purpose
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When login screen appears, choose your old user account to login
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Windows boots now to default OOBE first boot desktop, with default 800*600 resolution and default theme. All your installed applications are there, as well as your old user profiles and folders. Windows has installed the default drivers for your setup, you can update them if needed
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Go to Control Panel > User Accounts and delete the temporary user account (in this case Test) that you just created
METHOD TWO
Change the hard disk(s) or move Windows 7 setup to a new computer using third party imaging software
Use this method if you:
- Replace the HD containing Windows 7 on your old computer
- Move Windows 7 to a new HD on another computer
Follow steps 1 through 5 above (method 1)
Boot PC with an imaging CD/DVD (Paragon, Macrium etc.)
Create an image of your system
Turn PC off, change the hard disk(s) and reboot with imaging application, restoring the image OR boot the new computer with imaging software and restore the image
Continue from step 7 above (method 1)
METHOD THREE
Change the hard disk(s) or move Windows 7 setup to a new computer using Windows Seven's native Backup and Restore
Use this method if you:
- Replace the HD containing Windows 7 on your old computer
- Move Windows 7 to a new HD on another computer
Follow steps 1 through 5 above (method 1)
Change the hardware componets you want to, letting the old HD be still mounted as system disk OR if transferring to a new computer, mount the old HD to the new computer as system (boot) disk
Boot computer normally, continuing from step 7 above (method 1)
Shut down the computer, dismount the HD and mount the new one
Boot from Windows 7 installation DVD, choosing Repair > Restore an image, using the image you created in previous step. This tutorial shows you how (from Step Two / 7): System Image Recovery
When image is restored, boot your computer normally
This procedure is failsafe, and works every time. There is nothing to worry, but of course it is recommended to make a backup before trying this. I have even used this method when some serious driver issues caused the PC to constantly crash (BSOD), to reset all drivers to Windows defaults and then reinstalling them one by one to find the culprit.
Note
What does Sysprep generalizing do to my Windows 7 setup?
All system specific information is removed or uninstalled
Security ID (SID) of your hardware setup is reseted
All system restore points are deleted
All event logs are deleted
All personalization is removed (taskbar, toolbars, folder options, start orb etc.)
Built-in administrator account is disabled (if it was enabled) and needs to be re-enabled if needed
What happens when booting first time after sysprep generalizing?
First boot configuration is run
New SID is created
Re-arm counter is reseted if not already re-armed three times
Windows 7 is booted using first boot default drivers and settings
I have tested all above mentioned methods with all versions of Windows 7, from Starter to Enterprise. It works every time, with one exception: for reasons unknown to me, sysprep seems sometimes dislike Windows Media Player networking service, which is by default started every time Windows 7 starts. In about every third time I've done this, I've got an error message when trying to generalize:
However, this is not a big problem. You just need to stop the WMP networking service, and run sysprep with generalize option again. You can stop the service in question by typing net stop WMPNetworkSvc to command prompt, and hitting Enter:
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.
Happy computing!
Kari
EDIT: A Useful tip from xxxwea, as later confirmed by Victor:
Quote: Originally Posted by Victor S
Kari, just a suggestion.
You might note in the tutorial that if on first booting Windows can't finish configuring, a reboot into safe mode, then a normal reboot will allow it to finish successfully.
This has happened to me both times I used a sysprepped system drive in a new computer. I found the answer to this problem buried deep in this thread the first time I ran into it, and the same thing happened yesterday on a different computer.
It's a seemingly very silly solution, but it works. I do believe many people have abandoned their sysprep work when they encounter the problem.
I think the solution deserves more visibility.
Need more help? Try searching our extensive help and support site.
Computer type PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number Compaq sr5410f case OS Windows 7 Pro 64 SP1 CPU AMD X2 4450E @ 2.3 ghz Motherboard Biostar MCP6P M2+ Memory 4.0 g Graphics Card Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT , 512mb Sound Card onboard Monitor(s) Displays auria eq2367 Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080
Keyboard logitech wave cordless Mouse logitech LX8 cordless laser mouse PSU 250 watts Case Compaq Cooling couple fans Hard Drives 1 tb Hitachi HDT721010SLA scsi, 500 gb external Internet Speed comcast hi speed 19 dn 8 up Antivirus Microsoft Security Essentials Browser IE10 Other Info Laptop specs: HP g7-1365dx /
CPU: AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics /
RAM: Crucial 8Gb (2x4Gb) /
SSD: Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2 ATA Device/ FW 000F /
GFX: AMD Radeon HD 6520G /
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
Computer type Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number HP ENVY 17-1150eg OS Windows 7 x64 Ultimate CPU 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor Memory 6 GB Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics Sound Card Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer Monitor(s) Displays 17" laptop display, 22" LCD and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI Screen Resolution 1600*900, 1680*1050 and 1920*1080
Keyboard Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (bluetooth) Mouse Logitech MX1000 Laser (Bluetooth) Hard Drives Internal: 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
External: 2TB for backups, 3TB USB3 network drive for media Internet Speed 50/10 Mbps VDSL Antivirus MSE, Windows Defender Browser Maxthon 3.5.2. Other Info Windows 7 Ultimate Retail Full in English, additional Guest-user accounts in Finnish, German and Swedish (Working languages English & Swedish, Family language German, my own language, mother tongue, Finnish. I really need Ultimate to get to use Language Packs!)
Computer type PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number Compaq sr5410f case OS Windows 7 Pro 64 SP1 CPU AMD X2 4450E @ 2.3 ghz Motherboard Biostar MCP6P M2+ Memory 4.0 g Graphics Card Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT , 512mb Sound Card onboard Monitor(s) Displays auria eq2367 Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080
Keyboard logitech wave cordless Mouse logitech LX8 cordless laser mouse PSU 250 watts Case Compaq Cooling couple fans Hard Drives 1 tb Hitachi HDT721010SLA scsi, 500 gb external Internet Speed comcast hi speed 19 dn 8 up Antivirus Microsoft Security Essentials Browser IE10 Other Info Laptop specs: HP g7-1365dx /
CPU: AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics /
RAM: Crucial 8Gb (2x4Gb) /
SSD: Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2 ATA Device/ FW 000F /
GFX: AMD Radeon HD 6520G /
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
Computer type PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number Built them myself, Science Experiments ! OS Win7 Enterprise, Win7 x86 (Ult 7600), Win7 x64 Ult 7600, TechNet RTM on AMD x64 (2.8Ghz) CPU AMD fx8350 4ghz, AMD-32 2400mhz, AMD-64 3200mhz, AMDx64 2.8G Motherboard SIS 755, ECS-K8M890M-M (Ult 7600), GigaByte & others Memory 2gb, 4gb on the Ult 7600, 4gb on Technet RTM, 32gb on FX8350 Graphics Card Draw my own Graphics, several nVidia cards Sound Card on motherboard Monitor(s) Displays 19" flat scr, 28" I-Inc widescr,22" Emprex Widescr, 23" Acer Screen Resolution 1280 x 1024, 1440 x 900, 1920 x 1080
Keyboard Compaq & Dell recycled from GoodWill Mouse Made in China Optical Wired Mouse PSU 430w, 550w, 600w, 700, 800, etc Case All Generic Full Towers Cooling Open Air & a few fans, some w/ colored LEDs Hard Drives 6 pata Ide HD's & 2 Sata HD's
added 80gb external on Ult 7600 computer,
numerous extra 1tb, 2TB, 3Tb SATA HD's
A collection of ext HD Docks w/ HDs Internet Speed Fast Cable InterNet Antivirus AVG Free on 24 different Desktops, NO Problems! Browser IE 8 is preferred, but use FireFox sometimes Other Info Linksys Routers, switches, & Hubs
Too Many USB Flash Drives to count, Biggest is 64GB !
Eight computers in my home network.
Sixteen computers at my business network.
Linked via TeamViewer !
Lots of old used spare computer parts everywhere!
Computer type Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number HP ENVY 17-1150eg OS Windows 7 x64 Ultimate CPU 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor Memory 6 GB Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics Sound Card Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer Monitor(s) Displays 17" laptop display, 22" LCD and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI Screen Resolution 1600*900, 1680*1050 and 1920*1080
Keyboard Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (bluetooth) Mouse Logitech MX1000 Laser (Bluetooth) Hard Drives Internal: 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
External: 2TB for backups, 3TB USB3 network drive for media Internet Speed 50/10 Mbps VDSL Antivirus MSE, Windows Defender Browser Maxthon 3.5.2. Other Info Windows 7 Ultimate Retail Full in English, additional Guest-user accounts in Finnish, German and Swedish (Working languages English & Swedish, Family language German, my own language, mother tongue, Finnish. I really need Ultimate to get to use Language Packs!)
All personalization is removed (taskbar, toolbars, folder options, start orb etc.)
This is one of the major problems with sysprep that computer techs have complained about for years. In major deployments we NEED the personalization to stay in the image.
Another note: If you have the Built-In Administrator account Enabled it will Disable it. If you have any custom settings for the Built-In Administrator account those are wiped out too as it is part of the personalization removal process. Very annoying. -WS
System Manufacturer/Model Number Dell OP760 OS Windows 7 Enterprise (x64); Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64) Memory 8GB Monitor(s) Displays 2 Dell 19" LCD Screen Resolution 1280x1024
Keyboard Dell Mouse Dell Optical Internet Speed 40meg
WS, thanks for pointing out I forgot to mention that about sysprep generalizing disabling built-in administrator account. I add that piece of information to tutorial.
I agree with you, including personalization should be possible. Using this method to transfer a single user's existing Windows setup to new hardware setup or computer, even deploying a Windows setup to a few computers as I have done transferring an existing setup from an older computer to a new desktop and new laptop, then activating them with two codes, this is not a big deal. But deploying tens, maybe hundreds of images in a corporate network should have the option to fine tune it as wanted and needed.
It's a bit funny that as much as I want to think that Microsoft listens users and their needs, this issue still remains although it has been discussed on every major pro forum and board.
Computer type Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number HP ENVY 17-1150eg OS Windows 7 x64 Ultimate CPU 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor Memory 6 GB Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics Sound Card Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer Monitor(s) Displays 17" laptop display, 22" LCD and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI Screen Resolution 1600*900, 1680*1050 and 1920*1080
Keyboard Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (bluetooth) Mouse Logitech MX1000 Laser (Bluetooth) Hard Drives Internal: 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
External: 2TB for backups, 3TB USB3 network drive for media Internet Speed 50/10 Mbps VDSL Antivirus MSE, Windows Defender Browser Maxthon 3.5.2. Other Info Windows 7 Ultimate Retail Full in English, additional Guest-user accounts in Finnish, German and Swedish (Working languages English & Swedish, Family language German, my own language, mother tongue, Finnish. I really need Ultimate to get to use Language Packs!)
Information
Warning
METHOD ONE 
Note
Quote: Originally Posted by Kari 
Transfer Windows 7 to New Computer 
