How to transfer an operating system to a new computer. Transferring the system without losing data to another computer

The hard drive is divided into two or more partitions
Installed Windows 7 on drive C:
Requires Windows 10 to be installed
The current Windows should remain operational and run from drive D:
Disk D cannot be formatted
This is not the first time the user sees the computer 🙂

And you can vice versa, install the seven, and copy the ten, and swap the disks, it doesn’t change anything.

What is this for? Well, for example, it's high time to reinstall the system, but in the old OS, a lot of things have been installed and configured since time immemorial. When you reinstall the OS, all programs and settings are lost. And I want to be able to run the old system and see what is there and how it worked. Well, or stupidly some licenses are problematic to transfer.

The whole difficulty lies in the fact that existing programs can, but on the same logical partition. That is, from drive C: to drive C. But they don’t know how to go to the same physical disk and to the second partition. Everything is complicated by the fact that even if they learn, we cannot format the destination disk, because, according to legend, there is a ton of information that has nowhere to go, or for a very long time and hemorrhoids.

Will have to tinker. The action plan is:

Edit boot menu
Booting from a flash drive
Copy system folders
Changing drive letters

Windows boot menu

At Windows boot we will have a menu with the ability to select the operating system: the new (current) Windows and the copied current one. To add a new item there

Run through the right button and select "Run as administrator". Next, go to the "BCD" tab, where "BCD of current system" should be selected. Click on the "Easy mode" button

Now we need to set up a new menu item:

Bootdisk: our hard drive with current Windows

Partition: partition (disk D) to which the current Windows was copied

OStitle: arbitrary menu item name

language: ru-RU, Russian language

timeout: Seconds after which the default item is automatically selected.

To record the changes, click "Save current system". All this can be done and then, read below.

Preparing a flash drive

By article. We will need Paragon Hard Disk Manager and Acronis Disk Director. Therefore, we select an image for a flash drive where these programs are. Suitable image from Sergei Strelec. Instead of a flash drive, there can be a CD / DVD or an external hard drive, it does not matter.

IN Windows environment PE, this is the Windows that starts from USB.

Now you need to copy the system folders to the root of drive D, namely:

Windows
Users
Program Files
Program Files (x86) - if any
ProgramData

All these folders are needed for Windows and all installed programs to function on the second partition. Some highly specialized programs are installed by default in the root of the disk, and not in the Program Files folder, so take a look at the root of the C: drive and if you see familiar folder names, then you need to copy them too.

You can just copy with file manager, For example, Total Commander. You can use the TeraCopy program, which is included in the Sergei Strelec image. It copies without stopping for error messages, if anything. And then at the end you can see what failed to copy and take action.

There may be problems at this step. Surprisingly, when running Windows from a flash drive, it still protects system files Windows on other disks! Not always, but it happens. Therefore, there may be access error messages when copying the registry files and its user branches (ntuser.dat). The problem folders are:

System32\config
ServiceProfiles
Users\user folder\ntuser*.*

If you obeyed and chose an image from Paragon Hard Disk Manager, then we copy EVERYTHING or only problem areas of the IM. Run it, go to "Utilities" and select "Move Files"

Select the necessary folders or files and wait for the end of the process:

You can also copy using Acronis True Image by choosing there backup files, saving them to another drive, and then restoring them to your D drive.

If someone will only have this program at their disposal, then please. But sometimes, for some reason, it freezes when copying large volumes, for example, all the necessary folders.

If there is a BOOTICE utility on the flash drive, then you can add another Windows to the menu item now, and not in the first step. All actions are the same, but on the "BCD" tab, select "Other BCD file" and look for it along the path "C:\boot\BCD". Now drive C is a hidden drive in regular Windows, and booting into Windows PE it is visible, and it should be 100-350 Mb in size. Or, if there is no such hidden drive, then this is a drive with the current Windows 7/8/10.

Final touch - letters

And now the highlight. The main problem with starting Windows from another disk is that it has a different letter, for example D, and most of the settings are permanently written to the C drive. We will change the drive letters in the copy of the operating system, i.e. so that Windows considers that D drive to where it is now, drive C.

So, we start Acronis Disk Director from a flash drive. Select the copied Windows from the list. Now, in theory, you should have got two identical windows, and you can distinguish a copy by the drive letter and its size on which it is located:

Now click on drive C right click and select "Change letter". We select any free one, for example the letter G. Now we just need to free the letter C. Next, change the drive letter D to C, and drive G to D:

It remains to apply the changes:

That's all.

Results, what happened

So, we created a new item in the boot menu, copied the system folders and swapped the letters. The trick is that both Windows will now work, and the one that remains on the C drive, the current one, will still “see” the C and D drives as they are now. And if you run the copied Windows, then in it you will see your disks “entangled” in places.

When you install Windows 10 on drive C, feel free to format the partition. New installation replace the name in the menu old Windows 7/8 on 10 and leave our new menu item.

But there may be a problem - most likely the activation of a copy of Windows will fly off. You can re-activate or do nothing if you need it for a short time.

I did not find a simpler and "stupid" method to do all this, and if you know how else you can, please unsubscribe in the comments.

In case of replacement or purchase of a new computer or laptop, when replacing 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 installed information, and 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 untouched. That is, you do not have to make a backup, and install all the software on the computer on a new one. Microsoft warns that in addition to information about drivers and devices, information about activating 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 begin to prepare our OS for transfer.
To do this, run the (already installed) utility sysprep on the 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 Going to the System Welcome Window (OOBE) and check the box Preparation with use.
In parameter completion of work select item Shutdown. 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, because you will have to redo this procedure before transferring to a new PC.

Click OK and wait until the system is brought to its initial form. After the process is completed, the computer will turn off. Now you can change the motherboard on the computer, or transfer it to new computer.

When the Windows 7 operating system starts, it will install and detect devices.

It will be possible to reboot the system (this is normal), and at the end of the installation, you will need to select the language and configure the regional settings.

Enter the date, standard settings, mode automatic update systems, etc.
At the end of the installation, log in as the user Test, log out and you can log in with your account under which you have always worked. It remains to install new drivers and work in normal mode on the computer.

Transferring Windows 7 with installed programs is not such a complicated procedure, which is carried out using the Sysprep utility much faster than full installation from scratch. But there are some nuances in this method. Microsoft does not guarantee 100% performance this method when transferring, for example, different chipsets, for example from Intel to AMD or vice versa. But in practice there were cases that the system rose and worked without failures. If you are transferring with similar models and chipsets, then most likely there should be no problems and conflicts.

Quite often, users of computers and laptops have situations when they replace existing equipment (for example, a motherboard or HDD). Naturally, the old OS will not accept a new “motherboard” or an uninitialized hard drive just like that (like other built-in or peripheral equipment for which you just need to install drivers). Some argue that the system is easiest to reinstall. Yes, indeed, it is. But after all, in the old OS, which also works quite normally, programs that the user needs may be installed, the re-installation of which may take too long, or the user simply does not have their installation distributions. This is where the need arises Windows Migration 7 to another hardware or even to a new computer if the old one cannot be upgraded.

But it's not all that simple. The fact is that, according to some, creating an image will not give any effect, since the OS itself is, as it were, “tied” to the equipment that was installed earlier. And it is not a fact that it will be possible to just copy the system from an image to a disk of 2 TB or more, which have and not MBR. However, to perform such actions, you can use several options for actions, which we will talk about later, but the main emphasis will be placed on the built-in tools of the system itself, so as not to resort to installing or using a third-party software.

Is it possible to transfer Windows 7 to another hardware: options

To begin with, let's briefly dwell on the possible situations on which the further actions of the user will depend. The most, as it is considered, the simplest option is associated with the replacement of the motherboard. In this case installed equipment it will be necessary, as it were, to “untie” from the system in order to bring it to that state, as if it were just starting to recognize new hardware (most often this may be due to replacing the motherboard). In the second case, when you want to transfer the working system to new hard 1TB disk or any other volume, the steps are somewhat more complicated. But, if you follow all the instructions below exactly, there should not be any special problems.

Checking the hardware of a new computer or laptop

It goes without saying that the configuration of the new hardware that is installed on the motherboard should also be taken into account. For example, what processor is needed for a 64-bit "seven"?

Naturally, only the one that has the appropriate architecture, otherwise the system simply will not work. In a sense, this can also apply to hard drives, only here the problem rests on the style of the partition. A hard drive with 1TB of memory of any OS of the seventh version is recognized without problems, but devices with volumes of 2TB and above can only be partially determined (not all available disk space will be available) or not recognized at all (not to mention SSD drives). We will dwell on the actions with hard drives a little later, but for now we will focus on some important aspects regarding pre-training.

Utilities used

As for the software you use, you can use many utilities, such as those from Acronis, or even run a complete working system. However, if there are no such tools at hand, you can use the built-in "native" Windows program 7 Sysprep. With its help, the transfer, however, may take a little longer, nevertheless, in most cases, the use of this particular tool looks the most acceptable for any user.

Preliminary actions

Finally, before proceeding with the transfer of Windows 7 to another hardware, it is advisable to completely uninstall everything installed antiviruses, as well as applications for working with disk images or virtual drives like UltraISO or Alcohol 120%, since during the transfer process their presence can provoke conflicts or unexpected errors.

Also, just in case, when transferring Windows 7 to another computer that will use the existing hard drive, it is advisable to create an image of the original system in advance. If something goes wrong, it will be possible to recover from it quickly enough.

How to transfer Windows 7 to another hardware with an existing hard drive?

Now directly about the actions performed. First of all, we launch the Sysprep utility (Windows 7 will only start the transfer at the next start).

Calling command line on behalf of the admin, enter the command of the same name, after which in the window that appears from the list of actions, select the transition to the welcome window (OOBE), tick the preparation for use item and set the shutdown mode. At this point, the running service will remove all hardware IDs, activation information, etc.

After turning off the computer, remove the hard drive, replace the motherboard and reconnect it (or install it on a new PC). After turning it on, the system will automatically update the registry settings, run desired services, will install the equipment and test it during restart.

Configuring system settings immediately after migration

After that, as with the first installation of the system, you will need to select the language and region, and then create a new user registration.

It is extremely important that it differs from those already in the system! This entry can be deleted later. Next, you will need to perform standard procedures for setting the time, Internet, etc. When the system starts, in the welcome window, you must select the registration that was installed in the system earlier (and not the one that was created at the transfer stage) and delete the temporary "account".

Note: Please note that the system will need to be reactivated. If you do not have a license, use the KMSAuto Net utility or similar, although this is considered, to put it mildly, an illegal or even illegal act.

Transferring the system to a new HDD

In the case of transferring Windows 7 to another drive, the actions performed are completely similar to those just described, only the drive with the system is connected as an external medium and is set as the first priority BIOS boot. After starting the OS, you need to go to the backup and restore section in the Control Panel and create a system image. To save the image, you will need an additional third media (for example, external USB HDD). You can skip the recovery disk creation step. After that, you need to disconnect the source disk, boot the system from the installation DVD, select the recovery partition and specify recovery from the previously created image.

Then the found image will appear on external drive, which is to be used. This will be followed by the start of the transfer process of all parameters, at the end of which the computer will reboot, but after restarting you will receive the system in the form in which it was on the old hard drive. As you can see, the Sysprep utility in Windows 7 (or any other OS of this family) is not as difficult to use as it might seem at first glance.

What should be considered when migrating the OS to large disks?

Finally, a few words about the hard drives themselves. First, if you are migrating your system to a new HDD, please note that quite often you may need to primary and create a simple volume (for example, after connecting the old drive to a new computer as an external one).

Secondly, it is desirable to partition the new disk into sections in order to leave not all the space for the system, but as much as is needed. Thirdly, for large volumes (2 TB or more), you should use only 64-bit Windows paired with UEFI, not BIOS. Otherwise, transferring Windows 7 to another hardware will be impossible. In the extreme case, a large hard drive can be divided into more than two logical partitions (but no more than four), setting the MBR style for each of them, and not GPT. It goes without saying that in order to perform the transfer correctly, as mentioned above, one should take into account which processor is used, how many random access memory installed and what is the bit depth of the OS itself. And in general, does a new or upgraded PC meet the minimum requirements for a portable version of the "seven".

Hello, dear readers, Trishkin Denis is with you.

Over time, any Hardware aging mentally and physically. Fortunately, computers are designed in such a way that individual elements can be changed in them. After the procedure itself, there are usually no problems. But what if you want to completely upgrade the hardware, leaving only the hard drive? Fortunately, the developers from Microsoft foresaw this situation and implemented the transfer of Windows 7 to another computer. After all, if you simply rearrange the hard drive, in most cases, when you turn it on, blue screen death, since the system simply will not find the appropriate drivers that connect the motherboard to the HDD, and therefore all the others.

It must be said right away that the problem does not always appear. If you are installing old hard disk paired with motherboard, whose firm is the same as the previous one - there are high chances that nothing will need to be done at all. The only thing is to download and install updates. This will help the operating system to programmatically connect all connected components on its own.

As usual, this can be done in several ways:

built-in Sysprep utility;

tool from Acronis.

Migrating with sysprep( )

The first method involves using special program Sysprep before exercising transfer of hard disk with the installed operating system on new hardware.

To do this, you need to do a chain of actions:

The program removes controllers and most of the information that is associated with Windows. Therefore, updates are not migrated. This is for the best, because in this way the OS can find everything that it lacks, including missing drivers.

After that, preparations will be made to clone the image in order to use it for installation in a new environment. Then the work will be completed.
Next, the necessary hardware components are replaced. Or even the HDD is installed in a new system unit.

After that, a few more simple movements are carried out:

The computer starts up. The system will automatically update the registry, install all necessary devices, and generally prepare the device for first use.

Then a window will appear where you need to enter the data that is usually needed during the first installation - country, time, keyboard layout.

This is followed by a name. It should be different from the one under which the user worked earlier. The easiest way is to create a temporary account « Temp” to remove it after a few steps.

You must wait for the program to complete the process.

After the OS is fully loaded, we go to " Control Panel" And "".

Select temporary and delete it.

Although this method transfers installed programs, nevertheless, activation is removed from all of them. The only thing that is fully implemented is the transfer of the profile. There will be no problems here.

Migration with Acronis( )

To transfer data using Acronis, we need the True Image tool from this developer and a disk. In addition, you need a removable USB memory on which the OS image will be placed (it must be a portable hard drive). And for a successful launch, you need to install the program in advance to save the drivers on external media. Ours is DriverMax.

Thus, everything that was on the previous computer is copied. Sometimes the truth is that the OS does not want to transfer the license. So be careful.
Well, it is clear that such tools can simplify the process of customizing new equipment to the needs of the user.

Despite the presence of such a function, I still recommend putting a clean operating system. This will not only allow you to properly configure the equipment, but also remove all sorts of troubles that occurred in the previous version.

Hope you find it for yourself useful information In this article. Subscribe and tell your friends about my blog.

If you have recently bought or built a new computer, the question may arise: is it possible to install an old hard drive in a new PC and thus transfer the installed operating system? But everything is not so simple.

Systems from the Linux family usually load all the drivers at startup, so they are more portable - this is why the existence of the so-called Live CD or Live USB to run Linux without installation is possible. But Windows doesn't work that way. During installation, it is tied to the hardware configuration of a particular computer, so if you transfer the system to another computer, certain difficulties arise.

Technical Issues: Drivers

If you transfer the Windows disk to another computer or try to restore the system from an image, you will not be able to boot in the normal way. An error message related to the "hardware abstraction layer" or "hal.dll" will pop up, or a blue screen will appear in general.

The fact is that when installing Windows, drivers are installed that are suitable for the motherboard and chipset of a particular computer. Drivers for the storage controller that allows the motherboard to communicate with the hard drive are of great importance. Therefore, when booting Windows on another computer, the system simply does not know how to handle unfamiliar hardware and does not boot.

License Issues: Windows Activation

Windows activation can also create difficulties when transferring the system. In most cases, Windows comes pre-installed on the computer. The preinstalled system has OEM license(for the original equipment supplier), which implies a binding to the equipment on which it was originally installed. Microsoft does not allow transfer of OEM versions of Windows from one PC to another.

But if you bought a retail version of Windows and installed it yourself, things aren't so bad. The Windows activation process aims to ensure that the operating system is in this moment is installed on only one computer, so when you change the motherboard or some other components, Windows activation ceases to work. Fortunately, to solve the problem, it is enough to re-enter the activation key.

Conclusion: Transferring Windows to another computer is not easy

Despite all of the above, it is still possible to transfer Windows to another computer ... in some cases. But for this you will have to tinker with the settings, and the result is not guaranteed, and Microsoft does not support this practice.

However, Microsoft has a System Preparation utility, or sysprep , for exactly this purpose. It is intended for large organizations and computer manufacturers. With this utility, you can create a Windows image for installation, or deployment, on a variety of different computers. Organizations can use this method to deploy Windows image With ready-made settings and pre-installed software on all their computers, and manufacturers - for Windows installation with special settings on the PC before selling. But on average Windows users this method is not calculated, and besides, it does not work with update - only if . Here's what the Microsoft support page says:

If you intend to transfer a Windows image to another computer, you must run the sysprep /generalize command, even if the other computer has the same hardware configuration. The sysprep /generalize command removes unique information from a Windows installation so that the image can be used on other computers. The next time such a Windows image is run, the specialize... configuration pass is executed. hard drive or any other method, you need to prepare with the sysprep /generalize command. Moving or copying a Windows image to another computer without first using the sysprep /generalize command is not supported.

Some enthusiasts have tried using the sysprep /generalize command before moving Windows to another computer. Sometimes this works, but since Microsoft does not support this practice for home use, various problems can arise. Success is not guaranteed.

For the same purposes, you can try to use other tools for creating disk images. For example, Acronis has the Acronis Universal Restore utility for use with Acronis True Image imaging software. In fact, it replaces the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and controller drivers hard drives in an existing Windows installation.

In this case, Windows is deactivated, so the activation will have to be repeated. If you have a retail copy (so-called " full version”) Windows, just enter the activation key. But if you have an OEM version (for building a computer), the license does not allow you to transfer it to another computer. However, activation can still work if done over the phone (initially, this method is designed for those who do not have access to the Internet). Try it - maybe it will work. But if the OEM version came pre-installed on your computer, you definitely won't be able to reactivate it.

Easier to reinstall

You can, of course, tinker with sysprep, Acronis Universal Restore, or any other tool to transfer Windows to another computer. But to be honest, it’s better not to get involved - it’s not worth the time and effort that you have to spend. When changing computers, it's easier to install Windows on it from scratch or use new Windows preinstalled on it. It's better to re-install desired programs and transfer files from the old computer than move the entire Windows.

And if you need to recover files from a non-working computer, it is not necessary to run Windows installed on it. Remove the hard drive from it, connect it to another computer and copy all the necessary files using the new Windows.

Well, if a specific Windows configuration is of great importance to you, maybe it would be better