Is there an easier way- copying one disc to another

[Daff_Duck]

I am new to IT Engineering and am constantly having to replace old pcs. However the new pcs are imaged with XP and the relevant build software, most of the time I can slave the hard drives from the original pcs but rather than copying the profiles and settings etc is there an easier way of transferring all the information including obscure programmes that come to light after I have left?


I work in the NHS and there are clinical systems that I re install time and time again - I know that you cant clone a disc from one HP model to another and often wondered about file transfer wizard but don't know if it will capture all that I need

Does anyone else work in the Same field and have a more simplified and less time consuming way of getting the files and folders I need off one disc and onto the new build

 

[Raumarik]

*Cries*

If you work in the NHS you really should know about all of this, so I'm guessing you're not getting the support you need. Do you have a local IT department you can talk to, this is really bread and butter stuff for IT staff.

Ghost, Acronis True image etc are all common programs used. However be mindful that SSIDs may need to be reset on PCs following cloning if you haven't sysprep'd the image.

You can create images (clean installs of windows + apps) which work over multiple vendors and models of PCs but it requires a fair bit of work and a good deal of understanding of how the process works. I no longer work in IT Support (I'm in IT Security/Risk now) but it sounds as if you need some guidance from a local NHS IT resource on this to ensure you're following policy/guidelines etc.

 

[Meekal]

I'd agree with Halfmad, creating images will be the best way to go for this. But I would have assumed that NHS would already have images for this type of build, especially as NHS still use IE6 as standard. I know they are going to Windows 7 now, but i would still assume there would be images for this already and then it would just be a case of copying the profiles from one machine to the other, which you could do using a caddy.

 

[Daff_Duck]

Sorry I should have made myself clearer yes there is a build (image) for each model of slimline but it is just a basic image xp and sp and other essential HP software.

So for example Docman you have to install all over again along with other clinical software - mainly because not all the customers we support use standard apps across the board- if it was that simple then yes one image could fit all

I just wondered if there was an easier way of like Ghost or Acronis which could you could set to copy not the whole disc as obviously the models that you are copying from are not the same but the essential programes so that in effect you could slave the old disc and set a programme off that would copy the profiles of the users along with the essential programme files.. rather than having to re install the clinical software again from pen drives caddies etc.

I guess from what you are saying a true image has not been done (one that works across multiple sites- I doubt if that is going to happen) So It looks like its the long winded approach for the time being

 

[kirbz]

I would look into creating an image per site if the sites are all different. What are you using to deploy your images?

You need to spend a good bit of time to figure out how the software installs and where information is saved, I would get in touch with the developers if you don't know about the above. It could be that you can import a registry key or .ini config file that sets up programs.

 

[Maverick01]

Have you considered storage craft? You can take an image and just do hardware independant restores putting the same image on any machine. In my experience, its very good.

 

[OspreyO]

I worked on a large migration project once wind95 to XP on new machines. We used to set up a type of machine, for a specific job role. Install all the relevent apps. then image it and store the image on a local network.

Then as new machines came in (we'd do a floor or an office at a time, then moved to different buildings) we'd image it with the right role. Some apps couldn't be installed like this, so occasionally you'd have a a couple to install manually. This was all done in a dedicated location with a network set up to process new machines.

Then on site we'd pull the drive out of the old machine, set up the new machine, then run an app to pull all the data off the old drive (in the caddy) to the new machine. Make sure outlook was configured, they had all their PST etc. Then that was that. Took about 20 mins per machine.

We had a team of about 8 or 10 and did about a few thousand machines before I left the project.

Depends how many you are doing how much prep is worth it.