It so happens that it is necessary to replace an old computer or laptop, or to replace the motherboard. Then the operating system would have to be reinstalled. Yes, this process is not difficult, but you can transfer the operating system using the utility Sysprep... This is a utility from Microsoft that allows users to migrate the OS to new hardware while preserving all data.
As soon as you run the sysprep utility, all driver and operating system information is cleared. The main thing is that all installed programs will not be touched. You will not need to do all sorts of backups there, reinstall programs, etc. Another nuance is that information about the activation of windows 7 is also lost, therefore, you will have to re-activate it. This does not apply to the version, since the activation is tied to the hardware and it happens automatically.
To port Windows 7 using sysprep, you must open a command prompt. To do this, click Win + R and introduce cmd... Now, on the command line, enter the following command:
% windir% \ system32 \ sysprep \ sysprep
A system preparation window will open, where you need to put down some settings.
Where it says System cleanup action, you need to select the item Go to the system welcome window (OOBE) and be sure to check the box Preparation for use.
In parameters completion of work you can select shutdown, or you can select and reboot the system.
After running Sysprep, to avoid going through this procedure again when transferring to a new computer, it is not recommended to boot on the same computer.
So we press OK waiting for the end of the work. After all, the computer turns off and now you can change the motherboard, or move the hard drive to a new computer.
When you turn on a new computer, or a PC with a new motherboard, Windows 7 will be installed, devices are checked and detected. The system can be rebooted. We do not touch anything and wait. After that, a window will appear with a choice of regional parameters: country, language, etc.
Having done everything necessary, now you can log in using your account that you had on your old computer. Be sure to install the required drivers beforehand. You can now work as usual.
As you can see, the procedure is not complicated, and it is better to use the Sysprep utility, and do everything quickly, than reinstall Windows.
Microsoft does not guarantee 100% that during the transfer all data will be saved, and there may be any failures, but it depends on what hardware you will be transferring to. Mostly everything goes smoothly.
In case of replacing or buying a new computer or laptop, when replacing the motherboard on the computer, you will either have to install the system from scratch or use the method of transferring all data and installed programs using the utility Sysprep... This is a built-in utility from Microsoft that helps the user to prepare your system for porting to new hardware without rearranging the operating system.
At startup sysprep Your operating system clears all information about the installed ones, and the unique information about the installed OS is also reset. The main thing that interests users in this method is that all data and installed programs will remain intact. That is, you do not have to make a backup, and install all the software on the computer again. Microsoft warns that in addition to information about drivers and devices, information about the activation of your Windows will be lost, so you will have to activate your licensed Winodos 7 either by phone or via the Internet (except for the OEM version). The OEM version binds the activation to the hardware, so it can only be done by phone.
We are starting to prepare our OS for porting.
To do this, run the (already installed) utility sysprep on a computer using the command (in the command line as an administrator, enter the line (Start - Run - cmd)):
% windir% \ system32 \ sysprep \ sysprep
A window with utility settings should open with the following items and settings:
In point System cleaning action choose Go to the system welcome window (OOBE) and put a tick Preparation for use.
In the parameter completion of work select item Completion of work... You can also choose to reboot the system if you want to take an image of this system by booting from a DVD or flash drive.
Do not boot after the Sysprep procedure on the same computer, as you will have to perform this procedure again before transferring to a new PC.
Press OK and wait until the system is initialized. After the end of the process, the computer will turn off. Now you can change the motherboard on your computer, or transfer to a new computer.
When you start the Windows 7 operating system, it will install and detect devices.
It is possible that the system will reboot (this is normal), and at the end of the installation, you will need to select a language and configure regional settings.
Enter the date, standard settings, automatic system update mode, etc.
At the end of the installation, log into the system as the Test user, end the session and you can log in under your account under which you have always worked. It remains to install new drivers and work normally on the computer.
Migrating Windows 7 with the software installed is not that complicated and is much faster with Sysprep than a complete installation from scratch. But there are also some nuances in this method. Microsoft does not guarantee 100% operation of this method when porting, for example, different chipsets, for example, from Intel to AMD or vice versa. But in practice, there were cases that the system was up and running without failures. If you are transferring with similar models and chipsets, then most likely problems and conflicts should not arise.
Hi admin, I recently bought a new computer with a quad-core processor and two gig video card and now I want to transfer Windows 7 along with a hard drive from an old computer to a new one. The only confusing thing is that the old and the new computer have different motherboards and different processors, even in my Windows 7 there are two users, that is, two accounts - mine and my younger brother. And my brother and I have a lot of installed programs, I would like transfer Windows 7 to another computer along with existing accounts, installed programs and personal files.
I read your article and I'm thinking of using this method for Windows 7, since the sysprep utility is present in both Windows 7 and Windows 8. I think everything will work out, but I'm worried - will the Windows and the installed software be transferred, after all, the motherboards are different!
And another question - what if I need to transfer Windows 7 completely to another computer with a different hard drive. How to proceed in this case?
How to transfer Windows 7 to another computer
Hello, friends! This is very easy to do and does not depend on how many accounts you have in the system. For the transfer, we will use the sysprep utility built into Windows 7, designed specifically to prepare a customized Windows image along with installed programs for transfer to another computer (preferably with a similar architecture). For those who want to completely transfer the configured operating system to another computer, there is also information in this article.
- Note : If you are interested in the article, visit the special section, where are collected from one hard drive to another.
- If you have a laptop, then perhaps articles will be useful to you.
For example, let's move Windows 7 from my old work computer to a new one with a quad-core processor. My old and new computers also have different motherboards and different processors. Will Windows be transferred? Hopefully, in most cases, this method works even if a completely different hardware is installed on the computer to which we want to transfer Windows 7.
My Windows 7 also has two accounts "Alex" (administrator) and "Andrey" (simple account) and they both should function successfully after transferring the system to another computer. Almost all installed programs will start and work. Note: before starting the Windows 7 migration process, I recommend that you play it safe and if something goes wrong, you can recover from this image.
And yet, if you have DAEMON Tools, Alcohol 120%, or UltraISO programs installed, I recommend uninstalling them, it would not be superfluous to remove the antivirus, because if you do not do this, the error “Windows could not complete the system setup. To resume the configuration, restart the computer »In some cases, it is worth restarting the computer again (sometimes several times) and the error will disappear.
So, run the command line as administrator and enter the slmgr / dlv command,
A window appears, in which we can see the remaining amount of Windows transfer to other computers.
System preparation program window.
We expose everything as on the screenshot and click OK.
1. Putting the system into OOBE mode - the operating system transfer mode is activated the next time the system is started.
2. Preparation for use - all data will be deleted from the system that should not be copied along with the image (security identifiers (SID), activation information, and so on), but the installed programs should be transferred without much difficulty.
Windows 7 prepares to be transferred to another computer for a few minutes, then the computer shuts down.
Note: then you can successfully deploy this distribution of sevens to other computers, the only thing you need to do after installation is to enter the system license key or Windows will only work for 30 days and will ask for activation (everything is fair).
We dismantle our hard drive from the old computer and connect it to the new computer. We turn on the computer. Windows 7 operating system updates registry configuration settings,
Starts services,
Sometimes at this stage of the transfer Windows 7 may receive the error " Windows was unable to complete system setup. To resume setup, restart your computer»In some cases, it is worth rebooting the computer again (sometimes several times) and the error will disappear. Sometimes this error appears due to the installed antivirus or DAEMON Tools, Alcohol 120%, UltraISO programs, I recommend removing them before transferring the system.
binding to new equipment is carried out, devices are installed,
system configuration settings are applied
the computer is being prepared for first use. Reboot.
This article will discuss how to transfer Windows 7 from local drive C to local drive D. This method is a universal instruction and is suitable for solving the following problems:
1. Transferring Windows 7 to another computer
2. Transferring Windows 7 to another hard drive or local drive
I want to warn you right away! This article is primarily aimed at advanced computer users. If you are familiar with the computer, then there should be no problems with understanding the instructions for transferring Windows to another disk or hard drive. If you are a novice user, then read the article carefully from cover to cover. If you understand all the points of the instructions and you do not have any questions, then great. If you find it difficult, then think carefully! Maybe it will be much easier for you to install the new Windows on the desired partition!
Well, it seems like they would have figured it out) Well, now we breathe in and let's go ...)
Why is porting Windows 7 better than reinstalling it?
Sometimes a situation arises that you do not need to reinstall the Windows 7 operating system, but transfer it to another computer or another drive, for example, from drive C to drive D and at the same time save all settings, installed programs, drivers, etc.
Of course, a clean system can also be installed. But then you have to install drivers, programs, etc. In general, it is long and painful. And if we move Windows to another drive, then we will save all the settings plus a lot of time, effort and energy. Wherein the system will remain exactly in the state to which you are accustomed, but already on another local disk or hard drive.
Let's now take a closer look at the process of transferring an operating system from one local disk to another disk (or from one computer to another).
Instructions
Step 1 - Create a Windows 7 Backup
We have two local drives. Drive C and Drive D. The operating system is installed on drive C, and it needs to be transferred to drive D. First of all, before transferring the system, you need to make a backup copy of it (backup).
For this I use Acronis True Image. After creating a backup, you will need to place it on another local drive (E, F, G, etc.). Only not on the C drive (since it is the system one) and not on D, because we will install Windows there.
By the way, when using Akronis, you need to be careful - the program labels disks in its own way if it works from a bootable USB flash drive or disk, so be careful. In this case, I am guided by the size of the disks, and not by the letter.
Making Backup
Making a backup is very simple. Launch Acronis True Image and follow the steps shown in the photo below:
We start the backup:
We indicate the drive on which Windows is installed:
Create a new archive (backup):
Disable scheduling:
Select the incremental backup type:
Here we leave everything as it is (by default):
You can set up password protection for your backup:
Redundancy settings (default):
Step 2 - Transfer Windows to another disk (computer, hard drive)
OK. The backup is created and located on a third-party local disk or hard drive. Now you need to restore it to local drive D.
It's very easy to do! Start Acronis True Image again. Now instead of paragraph "Backup" select item "Recovery"... And you perform actions that practically repeat the steps for creating a backup:
Select the Windows 7 backup we created and click "Restore":
We select the item "Recover disks or partitions":
Despite the fact that we need to put the system on drive D, in this window we still select the local drive C !!!:
Change the location for unpacking the backup:
Select drive D to install Windows 7 into it from our backup:
Settings changed! The system will now be unpacked to the local drive D !!!:
Click the Get Started button:
After that, the computer will go to reboot!
Acronis True Image will download automatically, so don't worry, just wait! After the program has loaded, start the recovery and, if necessary, repeat the steps described above!
If you transfer Windows to another hard drive!
I would like to note that if you no longer intend to use your old hard drive in your work, then before deploying the system to a new hard drive, it is better to remove it - this will avoid conflicts when two identical operating systems appear on the computer..
After the deployment has happened (hopefully successfully) to the D drive, the computer needs to be restarted.
As a result, you have two working operating systems on your computer: on Disk C and on Disk D, or on another disk, in case you have located the backup on another hard drive.
Step 3 - Removing the old operating system
After rebooting, the old system will still boot. To only work with the new one, you need to remove the old OS. Consider the procedure for deleting through.
Windows 7. You have a menu with two items - Install and System Restore. We need the second point:
In the recovery options, you need to select the first item "Use recovery tools ..." and click Next. After that, another menu appears and in it selects the last item - "Command line".
We enter the Bootrec.exe / RebuildBcd command, with the help of which all hard disk partitions are scanned for the presence of an operating system. The command finds the second version of the system on the F drive and offers to add it to the boot list. You need to confirm your selection with Y.
After confirming the addition to the download, type Exit in the command line and you will see the boot menu for the operating systems you have installed. After that, you choose the second system (restored). After booting, the boot disk is automatically named C, not D, as it was.
Please note - your old C drive has disappeared from Explorer altogether. But in fact, it has not gone anywhere, it just does not have a label. You can assign it manually through Disk Management. Entering here, you will see an unmarked disc. Manually assign it a letter of your convenience, say F and that's it, it will appear in the explorer again.
We assign a letter to the local disk:
That's all the instructions for transferring Windows to another local drive.
By the way, after restoring, most likely, your Windows 7 may ask for reactivation.
When replacing an HDD or transferring a system from one computer to another, you need to know how to transfer to another disk or SSD. This is done in order not to install "Windu" from scratch, but simply to make a copy from the old media and continue to use it.
You can transfer the OS to an SSD or HDD, a regular optical disk or a flash drive with a large amount of memory. In this case, the technique will remain the same, only it may take more time.
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Good afternoon, please tell me how without reinstalling. I explain my situation: My Windows 7 is on an old 120 GB hard drive NOT partitioned, is it possible to move the system to a new 1.5 TB hard drive, but unfortunately it is not empty, it has two partitions. One section with data (nothing should happen to them), the other is not busy, and it is necessary to transfer the operating system to it. I want to use the old hard drive for file storage. Alexander.
How to transfer Windows to another drive
Friends, a few more people have turned to the same request and before starting, a small note: If you are a novice user, then this article is given to you first of all for familiarization. Before you start, read everything from start to finish and think if this method is right for you, maybe it will be easier for you to just reinstall Windows. Basically, any operations related to the Acronis program are carried out by professionals. If you are in doubt, be careful, practice from the beginning in a virtual machine, or consult a specialist.
Personally, I always work out everything in a virtual machine, sometimes for several days, then on my work computer and then I go to the customer's machine. Many in their letters reprimand that they did not succeed in this or that. I think there is nothing terrible in this, do not be afraid of mistakes and failures, win in the end. The same experienced users also did not succeed in everything at once, the whole difference between a pro and a simple person is in experience, and friends gain experience quickly, only you cannot sit in one place and do nothing. You may not succeed today, but you will succeed tomorrow. Be sure to make backups and roll back in case of unfamiliar and unforeseen situations.
To show how move Windows to another drive, I simulated a similar situation on my computer. There are also two hard drives:
- The first hard disk is NOT partitioned and is designated in Disk Management as Disk (C :) with a volume of 465.00 GB it has an operating system installed.
First of all, what would move Windows to another drive create a backup of the current operating system in Acronis True Image Home 2011 using an Acronis bootable disk or flash drive. How do I make bootable media? I will not repeat myself, read our article on how to use Acronis. How to boot from media by changing the boot priority? Also read with us or How to install a boot from a USB flash drive.
Let me remind you that if you, like me, contacted Acronis, do not forget that it often confuses drive letters when working from bootable media.
After creating a backup of the current Windows 7, you just need to deploy it to a free partition of the new hard drive (E :) 350.59 GB.
- Aside: If you do not need an old hard drive, before deploying a backup, you need to turn off the computer and remove the old hard drive completely, so there will be less problems with two operating systems.
As a result, we will have two identical systems on one computer, but one will be loaded. Next, using the EasyBCD program (a very simple way, link to our article) or whoever wants the Bootrec.exe command and the command line, we will get two operating systems loaded. Next, we will remove from the boot menu one Windows 7 located on the old disk and use this disk as a file storage, that's all.
Result: All data on all hard drives is safe and sound, including the old one at 465.00 GB. The operating system is now located on one of the partitions of the new hard drive (E :) 350.59 GB and boots smoothly, which is what we wanted at the beginning. In the future, if you completely get rid of the old 465.00 GB hard drive and remove it, you may have problems booting Windows 7, they can always be fixed using our articles: Restoring the Windows 7 boot loader, How to restore the Windows 7 system. BOOTMGR is missing in Windows 7. In the case of using the EasyBCD program, it's generally simple, you can leave a boot record at will on any disk.
So loaded into our program, choose Backup. Discs.
Create a backup of our Windows 7 located on disk (C :) 465.00 GB, put a tick on it and Next.
In this window, you need to select a location for storing the backup with our operating system, click Browse.
Disk (C :) is excluded by the rules, (E :) is also excluded, but (D :) 1030.35 GB is just right, by the way, the volume is large, and there is a lot of free space. Select it once with the mouse.
Write the name of the backup in the File name field, for example # 13 and OK. Further
So the Windows 7 backup has been created, if you open my computer, then the disk (D :) we can see it,
now we expand our backup to a new hard disk partition (E :) 350.59 GB,
- Note: If you do not need the old hard drive at all, it is better to disconnect and remove it in this place.
We choose Recovery. Disks.
Overview 
we find our backup # 13. As you remember, we have it on disk (D :),
go into it, see our Backup, select it and press the OK button.
As you can see, Acronis wants to restore the default backup to partition (C :) 465.00 GB, but we need (E :), we still tick and Next.
In this window, select the New storage option.
And only in this window, select our disk (E :) 350.59 GB and Accept
We press Change default settings
The Primary item should be checked and read: Thus, the partition will become bootable even when restoring to a partition or disk different from the original. To accept.
We see what is being restored where. Proceed.
We wait. The Windows 7 operating system is deployed to disk (E :) 350.59 GB. In theory, the download from it should occur immediately. OK and reboot.
Unfortunately, we are booted to the old Windows 7. As we agreed, now the easiest way to get two operating systems to boot is to install the EasyBCD utility, read the entire step-by-step guide here.
Or another way, boot from the Windows 7 installation disk and select recovery, then the command line.
it is clear that now it should have a different letter. We go to the disk management, we see our disk safe and sound, assign it a different letter and that's it.
Change the letter or path to the drive, assign any, for example (F :).
The disk (F :) appears, which we can use as file storage.
If we do not need any menu when the computer boots up, go to Control Panel-> System and Security-> System-> Advanced Settings-> Advanced Tab-> Startup and Recovery-> Settings-> Select the Windows 7 we need from the drop-down list, in in our case, the second, we can also uncheck the item Show recovery options and by default will boot Windows 7, which is located on the new hard drive.
You may need to reactivate Windows 7.
