Cloning Windows

[Guest]

Has anyone come across software that will clone a machine without being hardware specific? I am looking for deploy software that will allow me to clone a Windows PC and then be able to drop it back down on any model PC.

 

[R. McCarty]

Cloning can be done by a number of methods. Microsoft has a
Image deployment tool called SysPrep. With it you can create a
master image to be deployed across "Similar" machines. The
issue is core level components. Images designed for an Intel
chipset will not function on an Via/SiS/AMD platform. Also, you
can run into issues with Processor drivers (HAL's). The single
biggest stumbling block to a "Generic" image, is the driver for
the boot device. What you can do, is create an image using
Generic drivers (much like Safe Mode). Apply the image and
then allow XP to re-enumerate all the exact components on the
destination machine. There is some post processing (Cleaning
out Phantom Devices,etc), but it can be done. There are other
Newsgroups that specialize in Deployment and Cloning. I would
suggest you check there for more specific help.

Has anyone come across software that will clone a machine without being

hardware specific? I am looking for deploy software that will allow me to
clone a Windows PC and then be able to drop it back down on any model PC.

 

[Yves Leclerc]

If you sign up as a OEM builder, MS has another version of XP. Windows PE
is a pre-install environment system where you can add all the drivers you
want and then "push" out the XP configuration to the machines you want.
Then, only a valid CD Key is required.

 

[S.Sengupta]

Hi Joyce,
check here:-
'Beginners Guides: Cloning WindowsXP'
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=418

regards,
ssg MS-MVP
pronetworks.org