Copy of Hard Drive before Installation

[richc46]

Can someone help me with this issue? Many times in this forum, advice was given to make a copy of the HD (with Acronis etc) before making a clean or upgrade installation of an OS. My question is, if the replaced OS is no longer valid, after the upgrade, how can you use its image on the HD to replace the OS that was just installed, if desired?

 

[kegobeer]

I haven't done it, but I imagine you simply restore the image and if/when Windows complains about not being valid, you call Microsoft and tell them that you had to restore to XP/Vista/etc.

 

[Snufffed]

Can someone help me with this issue? Many times in this forum, advice was given to make a copy of the HD (with Acronis etc) before making a clean or upgrade installation of an OS. My question is, if the replaced OS is no longer valid, after the upgrade, how can you use its image on the HD to replace the OS that was just installed, if desired?

I'm not sure I understand your question correctly.
1. I have Acronis image of Vista SP2 Ultimate.
2. I currently am using Windows 7 Ultimate.
a. Now my original EULA stated that If I upgraded to a newer OS I lost the right to use the old OS.
b. No I did not upgrade from Vista to Windows 7.
c. I did a Clean install of Windows 7.
So I can still us my Original Windows and Dual boot, Vista and Win7.
If I want I can also install back to Windows XP SP3, I did not upgrade from XP to Vista, I did a Clean install using my " Vista UPGRADE Disks".
Every time I have reinstalled or restored via the IMAGE I have never had MS complain about the RESTORE.

At this time I have no wish to Triple Boot or Dual Boot, But I do still have 100% Full working Acronis Images for XP & Vista.
Unless you use the UPGRADE option you do not loose the ability to use the other OS.

 

[richc46]

Thanks for all the help

 

[gregrocker]

When you restore your HDD with reimaging, it maintains your activation, license(s) and everything else in exactly the condition it was when that image was made. Nothing has changed unless certain combinations of hardware have been swapped out.

In the worst case, you will have to reactivate but your proof of retail purchase or OEM sticker will eventually win out.

 

[aem]

Can someone help me with this issue? Many times in this forum, advice was given to make a copy of the HD (with Acronis etc) before making a clean or upgrade installation of an OS. My question is, if the replaced OS is no longer valid, after the upgrade, how can you use its image on the HD to replace the OS that was just installed, if desired?

When you make that copy of your HDD. It's becomes a file (depending on what tool you use, you may have a couple of files). This file is kept somewhere where it can be hooked up to inorder to reimage your machine. If you have say upgrade from Xp to w7 and had taken that image of xp before you do your upgrade, you can either create another partition to install that image back onto your machine (dualbooting) or use Xp Mode to "build" that image as virtual machine.

 

[Dave76]

Can someone help me with this issue? Many times in this forum, advice was given to make a copy of the HD (with Acronis etc) before making a clean or upgrade installation of an OS. My question is, if the replaced OS is no longer valid, after the upgrade, how can you use its image on the HD to replace the OS that was just installed, if desired?

Along with what everyone has said here, If your installation should happen to go terribly wrong, then you can restore your previous OS backup image and have a working OS until you can figure out what caused the installation problems.

 

[L.P.]

Can someone help me with this issue? Many times in this forum, advice was given to make a copy of the HD (with Acronis etc) before making a clean or upgrade installation of an OS. My question is, if the replaced OS is no longer valid, after the upgrade, how can you use its image on the HD to replace the OS that was just installed, if desired?

Win7 has got an option for System Restore!

Type "Backup" on start menu and you will get a result of "System Backup and Restore Center" which is the tool that helps you,to Backup and Restore it!

P.S1: You can use Norton Ghost Software!
P.S2: Use an External Drive (Recommended)

Kind Reagrds,Cheers
LP

 

[Mark Phelps]

... and have a working OS until you can figure out what caused the installation problems.

Really? I thought that in the case of an "upgrade", the key associated with the previous OS was disabled by MS. If that's true, the restored OS will only work until it contacts MS and discovers that its key is no longer valid.

Of course, with a new install (non-upgrade), the old key remains valid and the OS can continue to be used indefinitely.

 

[Snufffed]

---Quote (Originally by richc46)---
Can someone help me with this issue? Many times in this forum, advice was given to make a copy of the HD (with Acronis etc) before making a clean or upgrade installation of an OS. My question is, if the replaced OS is no longer valid, after the upgrade, how can you use its image on the HD to replace the OS that was just installed, if desired?
---End Quote---
This info is 100% correct. (

Of course, with a new install (non-upgrade), the old key remains valid and the OS can continue to be used indefinitely

.)
If you do the
1. UPGRADE method the old OS KEY is now invalid.
2. If you do the Clean install with the UPGRADE Disc, then the old KEY is still VALID, therfore the old OS is valid and can be used indefinitely.

 

[gregrocker]

From the Windows 7 License Agreement:

15. Upgrades. To use upgrade software, you must first be licenced for the software that is eligible for the upgrade. Upon upgrade, this agreement takes the place of the agreement for the software you upgraded from. After you upgrade, you may no longer use the software you upgraded from.

That said, there is no mechanism by which they track, disable or deactivate the old OS.

But why would you want it, as you will eventually discover? So just do the overwrite or install 7 to a second formatted primary HDD, make a backup image stored externally, and you never have to mess with XP/Vista again.

 

[Mark Phelps]

That said, there is no mechanism by which they track, disable or deactivate the old OS

How can you be so sure of this?

I'm presuming that during the upgrade, since they either ask you for the old key, or they get it from the machine you're upgrading, they do something back at MS to invalidate that key.

The "mechanism by which they could ... disable or deactivate the old OS" would then be simple -- next time the machine containing that OS boots and contacts MS, WPA/WGA will determine that key to now be invalid and will deactivate that installation.

OK, so I'm guessing they will do this and don't know for certain -- but they already do this with Vista keys to prevent reuse across other installations. So, they already have the "mechanism" in place to do a similar thing for XP-to-Seven upgrades.

 

[gregrocker]

That said, there is no mechanism by which they track, disable or deactivate the old OS

How can you be so sure of this?

I'm presuming that during the upgrade, since they either ask you for the old key, or they get it from the machine you're upgrading, they do something back at MS to invalidate that key.

The "mechanism by which they could ... disable or deactivate the old OS" would then be simple -- next time the machine containing that OS boots and contacts MS, WPA/WGA will determine that key to now be invalid and will deactivate that installation.

OK, so I'm guessing they will do this and don't know for certain -- but they already do this with Vista keys to prevent reuse across other installations. So, they already have the "mechanism" in place to do a similar thing for XP-to-Seven upgrades.

This has been debated at length on Technet with the MS MVP's and techs and they admit they have no mechanism for deactivating the key, and won't because it is needed for reinstalling the Upgrade if necessary.

Now they might be lying and that might change, but the Vista install I upgraded to Win7 on the next partition is still activated, even though I only need it for file transfer and then plan to delete it.

 

[Mark Phelps]

This has been debated at length on Technet with the MS MVP's and techs and they admit they have no mechanism for deactivating the key, and won't because it is needed for reinstalling the Upgrade if necessary.

Now they might be lying and that might change, but the Vista install I upgraded to Win7 on the next partition is still activated, even though I only need it for file transfer and then plan to delete it.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Dave76]

... and have a working OS until you can figure out what caused the installation problems.

Really? I thought that in the case of an "upgrade", the key associated with the previous OS was disabled by MS. If that's true, the restored OS will only work until it contacts MS and discovers that its key is no longer valid.

Of course, with a new install (non-upgrade), the old key remains valid and the OS can continue to be used indefinitely.

If the Upgrade version has not been activated, then the old OS is still valid and legal, of course.