Windows 7 Installation - Transfer to a New Computer

Victor S said:

Thanks for the tutorial, Kari
I just used sysprep to move my Win 7 system to a different computer.
Got the error that indicated I had to disable Network sharing services.
Did that and it ran - didn't time it, but it was pretty fast.
It shut down the computer when it finished.
"New" computer has different socket/CPU, MB, sound, graphics, etc., etc.
Even has only PATA drives, versus all SATA on original.
I used a Ghost 15 image of the sysprep'ed original.
After putting the image on the " new" box it got stuck at at the "Windows could not finish configuring" loop.
I used the method first posted by xxxwea to get past that.
Safe mode until it stops again, then reboot. That's a really lame bug.
The hotfix sometimes referenced to fix that sysprep problem is included in SP1, which I was using. So there's still confusion about that.
But thanks to xxxwea!
All progams were there, with desktop shortcuts.
Five stars for sysprep.

Then I tried the other method mentioned here - no sysprep.
Loaded Standard IDE PCI drivers to my IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, rebooted to install, verified they were installed, shut down, and took an image.
That image failed on the new machine. Initial Windows load screen came up for a few seconds, then it repeatedly rebooted to the same load screen. Recovery disk tried, but failed to fix it.


Seems sysprep is the clean method, and there's no reason I can see to try the "deleted/changed" driver method.

I think (of course not sure) you changed from SATA to normal IDE disks(?) You had to:

• In win7 (registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\pciide set Start to 0 instead of 3). Do the same for ControlSet001, ControlSet002 etc.
• Shutdown and enter BIOS. Change old bios settings to SATA in IDE-mode.
• Replace driver (device managment: IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers): "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller".

In your case you forgot to do it I assume. This causes the infamous STOP 0x0000007B Blue Screen Of Death (and system reboot).

Enable and/or Disable AHCI
Advanced Host Controller Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victor S said:

Kaktussoft said:

I think (of course not sure) you changed from SATA to normal IDE disks(?) You had to:

• In win7 (registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\pciide set Start to 0 instead of 3). Do the same for ControlSet001, ControlSet002 etc.
• Shutdown and enter BIOS. Change old bios settings to SATA in IDE-mode.
• Replace driver (device managment: IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers): "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller".

In your case you forgot to do it I assume. This causes the infamous STOP 0x0000007B Blue Screen Of Death (and system reboot).

Enable and/or Disable AHCI
Advanced Host Controller Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I just changed the drivers to Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller, as I've read in this thread and elsewhere.
Since sysprep generalizes all drivers automatically, is simple to use, and works, I'd need to see an advantage to do it the way you suggest.
Do you have one?

Sysprep is not just a clone
If your motherboard crashes you can't do sysprep!!

   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:


==================
And switching to PCIIDE temporary is quite easy
Assuming pciide isn't started in registry you can easily activate it even from recovery environment. "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller" will be activated then. Load the registry key offline Load registry hive for offline registry editing | Troubleshoot | Smallvoid.com
Of course also activate SATA IDE mode in BIOS
----

Kaktussoft, now it is my turn to speak. You are from now on on my ignore list so please PM me if you want to answer, I can no longer see your posts.

First, can you please give me a reason why you have quoted my tutorial without marking it as a quote. The text is mine and I want to have credits for that. I am quite vain, ask anyone here. My vocabulary does not know the word modesty

I hate those long posts with long quotes but now I really have no choice, I have to show what I mean. All this is taken from my tutorial:

Kaktussoft said:

   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:

Why did you not mention that is from my tutorial?

I have given you quite a lot credit for finding alternative ways to do this. I am an old school geek so I understand you: you hate it when someone else has found a better way to do the stuff. All this your bulls**t of forgetting sysprep and doing it manually, it's exactly as those hardcore geeks refusing to right click a file and selecting Delete but instead going to command promt and typing del this_s**t_file.exe. I mean, doing so you of course know it is a stupid way to do that but you can feel superior thinking you are A Geek, you know how to do it manually.

I have been wondering how come you are so bloody s***id stubborn, why do you tell users responding to this thread, this tutorial of mine, that they should forget the perfect automated system Microsoft has created and instead do it all manually, exponentially increasing the possibility that something goes wrong.

I have told other members to listen to you because I thought I am a big enough person to forgive you for trying to nullify my efforts in helping fellow Windows users. Now I have noticed that's not true: I am not big enough person. I do not like it, I do not like you telling the users this is not the right or correct method.

I really can understand you. It is not a nice feeling, to think you are the best and then someone else finds a better method. You just have to live with it. With our fellow member Victor's words:

Victor S said:

Since sysprep generalizes all drivers automatically, is simple to use, and works, I'd need to see an advantage to do it the way you suggest.

Do you have one?

Kari

Hi Av8tor, welcome to the Seven Forums.

This is my recommendation:

• Create a system image on external disk
• Follow the steps on this tutorial as described in Method One
• When you reach step 6 of Method One, change the motherboard and continue from step 7

Everything should work just fine. Worst case scenario: if it does not boot, put old motherboard back, restore the system image and come back, will find something else. But don't worry, it will work.

Kari