Deploying XP OS image to other PC or laptop

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Guest

Dear All

Anyone has an idea on how to transport a XP PC to other similar PC but with
the same image frm PC1? Example...from PC1 ...the image is distributed to
other PC with similar architecture....

Example will be a Dell GX110 image is burnt is distributed to Dell GX150 ,
GX200 and so fore.....

Can anyone enlighten me on how the procedure and the steps in doing it.

Thank you and regards,
SummerCool
 
When you use the word "transport", you really mean copy.
To do this means there are licencing issues. If you want
to do this for a lot of computers then the best thing to do
is get a site licence. The hardware on the target computers
has to be exactly the same or the target computer will
not work properly.

charles....
 
.. The hardware on the target computers
has to be exactly the same or the target computer will
not work properly.
Click to expand...

This is not nesaccarily true. As a small system builder we use MS's own OEM
tools to rollback a OS ready for imaging. This strips out all hardware
references (on a reference machine) allowing the OS to be imaged and
installed on dis-similar target machines. I'm not sure if software such as
Ghost or Drive Image (or others) can do this job as well.

Effectivly when you boot he new machine, the computer goes through a mini
setup installing all the nessacary hardware files. You can install different
drivers than those that are needed on the reference machine allowing you to
install on machines with vastly differing setups.

Chris
 
Ther maybe a priviso here in that images built on desktops won't transfer to
laptops - but as I've never done this I'm not sure...
 
SummerCool said:
Dear All

Anyone has an idea on how to transport a XP PC to other similar PC but with
the same image frm PC1? Example...from PC1 ...the image is distributed to
other PC with similar architecture....

Example will be a Dell GX110 image is burnt is distributed to Dell GX150 ,
GX200 and so fore.....

Can anyone enlighten me on how the procedure and the steps in doing it.

Thank you and regards,
SummerCool
Click to expand...

If it is an image of a completed installation then the PC that it is
being transferred to *must* be absolutely identical to the original PC
or you risk serious hardware issues requiring at least a Repair
Install.

And you will have licensing issues which will require you to at least
change the Product Key on the new system unless you have a volume
license.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm
 
If you are using Sysprep prior to imaging (which I suggest, yet I don't think
you mention) you should look at pre-populating drivers for the foreseeable
future systems, and configure the procedure for PNP enumeration upon boot.
This should allow the mini-setup to enumerate any plug and play hardware,
search for a provided driver, and continue through boot. Most important
drivers are the hard drive controller for obvious reasons, and video card
(not so obvious :)). If you run SetupMangler / err / SetupMgr correctly
prior to sysprep, you should see that it creates a few folders under the
\SYSPREP folder with a few extra drivers waiting for the reboot. Has this
worked for me? yes, once. Good luck. And there is plenty of good reading
for sysprep if you're seriously curious on the MS site. Don't forget to look
into the OOBEINFO.TXT/INI file for added fun.
One more thing - pay close attention to the verbage ProductKey vs. ProductID
as you need the right one for your sysprep version, both mean the same but
one will work, one won't.

PS - If the HALs are too disimilar - x86 / x64 - forget it, make two or more
images.

:)
 
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