I need to replace my older dell with one I will tailor myself. What I would like to do is with my win7 drives (2) on the dell, transfer them to the new computer so that all of the software I have gets moved over to the new computer. Can that be done?

Not easily.

You can clone your existing Dell hard drives with a product such as Acronis TrueImage, however if you're changing the underlying hardware, the OS typically has issues with base drivers.

The best thing to do on a new machine is to install Windows fresh, which means re-installing all your software. Once you've done that, you can transfer your files and settings using Microsoft's handy Windows Easy Transfer utility that comes with all Windows 7 editions.

OzzFan thanks,

I was afraid of that answer, but I kind of expected it.

Theoretically you can do it.

The Windows will bootup. It will see all this different hardware and try to install default drivers for it. You might want to boot in Safe Mode and manually install drivers. So you could put the old hd into new machine, turn it on, enter Windows Safe Mode, in Windows run hardware scan, Windows will find new hardware and will try to install Windows default drivers. At this point you have done the basic stuff. Reboot, Windows will come up, start installing hardware specific drivers like video card, etc.

The bottom line is that you will likely get the thing to work. But "under the hood" the Windows will be a mess. Maybe run a couple of utilities that clean up unused drivers and clean up Windows registry entries.

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Thanks spitfire,
That was very interesting. What are the odds I could get it cleaned up enough so it would run as well or nearly as well as a fresh install?

And of course sometimes Windows will think you are trying to evade the MS licensing rules and refuse to run. This is particularly the case if you are using a "non-OEM" license - they appear to be less tolerant of hardware changes than OEM versions of the same Windows version.

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Bob Smith
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And of course sometimes Windows will think you are trying to evade the MS licensing rules and refuse to run. This is particularly the case if you are using a "non-OEM" license - they appear to be less tolerant of hardware changes than OEM versions of the same Windows version.

That is a posibility. Particularly since we are dealing with Dell machine.

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Maybe I'll just go straight to MS and ask their advice. I hate to admit this but a few months back I had a system crash and went to get help from MS. Well they did a good job of it and impressed me so I took out a contract for a year's support. And now, duh, that we have been conversing, it occurs to me that I should put it to them and they should be able to help me out. What are friends for? :-)

I really hate to reinstall all my software again. I am always tinkering with something or other and get myself into a jamb and break something. You should have seen me with Debian unstable for a few years. I finally got tired of always trying to redo something or other that I switched back to windows about four years ago.

And of course sometimes Windows will think you are trying to evade the MS licensing rules and refuse to run. This is particularly the case if you are using a "non-OEM" license - they appear to be less tolerant of hardware changes than OEM versions of the same Windows version.

That is a posibility. Particularly since we are dealing with Dell machine.

I did this once - motherboard failed on a Dell machine, and I transferred the hard disk to a non-Dell replacement. That triggered the 'activation needed' process - this was Vista, IIRC - but Dell put a certificate of authenticity sticker on their boxes, with a full 25-character licence key. Typing that in restored fully-licenced service.

And of course sometimes Windows will think you are trying to evade the MS licensing rules and refuse to run. This is particularly the case if you are using a "non-OEM" license - they appear to be less tolerant of hardware changes than OEM versions of the same Windows version.

That is a posibility. Particularly since we are dealing with Dell machine.

I did this once - motherboard failed on a Dell machine, and I transferred the hard disk to a non-Dell replacement. That triggered the 'activation needed' process - this was Vista, IIRC - but Dell put a certificate of authenticity sticker on their boxes, with a full 25-character licence key. Typing that in restored fully-licenced service.

I sort of done something similar. I had Acer laptop, it came with partitioned hd and FAT32 file system, no restore cd or OS cd. After a couple of years the system got "cloged up" so I decided to reinstal windows, remove the partitions and to use NTFS file system. The lappy has the MS sticker that clearly states which version of OS I need (Home or Pro or whatever) and has the cd key for the OS. So I got disk image of the correct OS, burned it on cd/dvd, installed it and used the cd key from the sticker. All worked very well.

However, I was not really changing anything in hardware like OP and you have done.

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If I am reading you correctly, I would have to go thru dell and their support $. I really don't want to go that route. My last computer I built myself, which I really didn't think I could do without a failure. I wouldn't want to get in another tie-in with a hardware mfg. if I can avoid it.

It is not clear who do you address in "reading you correctly"
The question is: do you have the Windows 'licence key'/'CD key' somewhere? (in a file, printed on CD case, printed on computer case, in computer manual, ...)

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- ALF - "Find out what you don't do well ..... then don't do it!" :)
 

If I am reading you correctly, I would have to go thru dell and their support $. I really don't want to go that route. My last computer I built myself, which I really didn't think I could do without a failure. I wouldn't want to get in another tie-in with a hardware mfg. if I can avoid it.

Dell puts the Microsoft OS key on the outside of the case. As per Microsoft's policy for OEMs to do so.

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Dell puts the Microsoft OS key on the outside of the case

But that means anyone that have physical access to the computer can steal the OS key? (e.g. by making photo)

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- ALF - "Find out what you don't do well ..... then don't do it!" :)
 

Dell puts the Microsoft OS key on the outside of the case

But that means anyone that have physical access to the computer can steal the OS key? (e.g. by making photo)

Yup.

Edit - but you have to get right up close and personal. In the early days of M$ 'Genuine Advantage' (when for a while they required even OEM purchasers to re-validate their licences by typing in the key), I had to lift a heavy base unit on to a flat-bed scanner to get a readable image of the very small print. I was advising a totally blind client at the time, and I went through the whole palaver with a second-tier support technician until we reached the point where 'this feature' (audio alternative for a captcha challenge) 'has not been implemented yet'. He retired hurt at that point, and I believe heads were knocked together between the anti-piracy team and the disability-awareness-accessibility team.

Dell puts the Microsoft OS key on the outside of the case

But that means anyone that have physical access to the computer can steal the OS key? (e.g. by making photo)

Having someones key that has been activated doesn't do you a lot of good. If you try to use an already activated key on another system. You get prompted to call MS and provide more information before activation occurs. Last time I did that it was automated, but it took ages to punch in everything on the phone keypad.

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Well I have the upgrade version box of win7 with product key. I suppose if I look that somewhere I have the vista product key that the dell machine came with. I want to avoid dell and get away from that hardware tie in.

I want to build a box from scratch with my own needs in mind particularly space for two good gpu's but at the same time be able to transfer my old win7 with all my software without having to reinstall the whole mess. If I can do that without screwing up the works.

--edit

I have a dvd that says 'operating system already installed on your computer, reinstallation dvd vista home premium 64bit sp1. Use only to reinstall the os on a DELL pc, support for these products is provided by dell'.

I guess that MS won't help me put it on a white box.

It's been a while since I did this (mainly in the Windows 2000 and XP days), but my understanding then was that the Dell-branded re-installation CDs contained a BIOS check program. If the CD was run, and found a Dell BIOS, then the combination was automatically licensed and didn't need to go down the product key/activation route.

I still run a Dell Precision workstation which was supplied with Dell OEM XP pre-installed. I upgraded it to Vista using a Dell-supplied upgrade DVD (the hardware was already Vista-certified before I bought it - just that the OS hadn't been officially released), and I upgraded it again to Windows 7 using a Technet evaluation DVD and Technet-supplied product key. It's still running with the applications I first installed in 2006.

So it can be done, but there are so many possible permutations it's hard to predict how it will turn out in any particular case, with any particular combination of OS versions.

(My workstation went from XP Pro --> Vista Business --> 7 Ultimate. Remember that with Vista and 7, you can't mix Home and Business/Pro versions)

Since the bios resides on the mobo, I won't be able to get it to work on an ASRock mobo. It would be worth it to me to just buy a new copy of win7 since I want to be able to get away from a mfg. tie-in.

If I am reading you correctly, I would have to go thru dell and their support $. I really don't want to go that route. My last computer I built myself, which I really didn't think I could do without a failure. I wouldn't want to get in another tie-in with a hardware mfg. if I can avoid it.

Dell puts the Microsoft OS key on the outside of the case. As per Microsoft's policy for OEMs to do so.

Just a tip for those interested. With every system I build for customers, I put this on the computer & also keep a copy myself...

Belarc Advisor It lists everything on that computer, both software (including product keys) & hardware.

I don't put the CoA's on my own rigs & that program has often got me out of trouble with issues with product keys.