Solved Copy image from windows 7 to 10?

[April Raine]

Can you image a win 7 disk and then copy it to a win 10 PC? Would you use any of the commercial back up like paragon. Or better to use the inbuilt windows back up


I am not talking about upgrading but getting a new computer with 10, image the 7 disk, and load it on 10



If a program won't work under 10 will it just fail to work or will it cause problems?

 

[Bree]

Or better to use the inbuilt windows back up

The built in system imaging is probably the most temperamental and least reliable method available. It has been a deprecated feature in W10 for more than 3 years.

System Image Backup (SIB) Solution
We recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors.

Windows 10 features we’re no longer developing - Windows Deployment | Microsoft Docs

I am not talking about upgrading but getting a new computer with 10, image the 7 disk, and load it on 10

A recent machine may not support running Windows 7.

Read this article
- Microsoft says new processors will only work with Windows 10 - The Verge
- Why Windows 7 Won't Work On Intel's Current & Next Gen CPUs

Motherboard compatibility doubts

If a program won't work under 10 will it just fail to work or will it cause problems?

If you Upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 for Free then the upgrade process will list any programs that are not compatible and will need to be uninstalled. The majority (if not all) will be compatible.

 

[April Raine]

i would be imaging the OS as well? I cannot image the disk from 7 and put the files on 10?

 

[Bree]

i would be imaging the OS as well? I cannot image the disk from 7 and put the files on 10?

You are free to copy your user files, documents photos etc. from an old W7 machine to a new W10 one.

If you wish to transfer installed software from a W7 machine to a W10 one that is a complex task. It is not just a case of copying over the files, there are a lot of program-specific registry settings that need to be recreated on the target machine. There is software that claims to be able to do this transfer, but you'll need to purchase it.

Can I transfer programs from one computer to another? - Windows 10 Forums

By far the easiest option would be to make sure you have the install media and any keys for the software you want, then install it on the new machine.

 

[April Raine]

@ Bree


OK thanks. I have noted your comments re installed software.

 

[AK6DN]

i would be imaging the OS as well? I cannot image the disk from 7 and put the files on 10?

It all depends on the drivers present. Windows is not just a generic system but each computer has chipset specific drivers added that account for the differences in an HP laptop with Intel chipset X vs a Lenovo laptop with AMD chipset Y, for example. So you can't just move a disk (or image of it) from one system to another and just expect it to work.

Some vendors (like Macrium I think) offer image backup and redeploy tools (a 'redeploy' is what you are really trying to do). It requires that you have access to the drivers specific to your new hardware.

It may also be the case that, if your new Windows 10 hardware is very new, that Windows 7 drivers do not exist for that platform, so no matter what Windows 7 won't run on it at all, or not very well.

So without knowing exactly what hardware you are moving from and moving to, a specific answer is not possible.

 

[April Raine]

AK6DN Thanks for the reply. I understand now it is not as easy as I had hoped. I had read about Macrium but I will just do it the hard way

 

[RolandJS]

Make sure you have the numerous license numbers, product keys, license keys, etc. with their software names naturally above each number, handy in a text file, so that you can copyNpaste X number into X software's blank.