System restore on dissimilar hardware

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Joined
6 Feb 2009
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70
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Cheltenham
I've tried restoring a disc image using Windows recovery tools off the Windows Vista installation disk, but without success. First of all, Windows restore wouldn't recognise the 1Gb hard disc. I then used another computer to format the disc. Even though I was then able to restore the disc image, Windows failed to boot each time, typically going to a blue screen memory dump. I'm wondering if this is Microsoft's way of preventing me from restoring to dissimilar hardware. Any ideas ?
 
Bare-metal recovery

I recently bought a similar piece of software for a different issue, which promised everything and delivered nothing. I was left £50 out of pocket and having to use a line of dos that I found on a forum instead.
 
I'm wondering whether an image taken in Windows Server Backup and Recovery enables restoration to dissimilar hardware. I noticed Windows Server mentioned bare-metal recovery while it was backing up. Is bare-metal recovery basically the same as we've already covered, or does it let you restore to a different machine ?
 
I guess it's a choice between restoring to identical hardware, buying an unbelievably expensive third party backup solution, or persevering and trying to discover whatever bios setting needs changing or missing driver needs adding.

By the way, how do you load missing drivers if you can't get into Windows. I think I saw that option on the Windows recovery tools, but I was't paying attention. Is that it, or can you force safe mode instead ?
 
I don't really have the option of a clean install. It's a work pc and too much time and effort has gone into setting up the installed software. If I was going to buy a piece of software, bearing in mind it's business use, I'd have to be totally confident in it, so it would have to be an industry standard. I was checking out the prices lately, and they can cost thousands. After my recent bad experience with a piece of software I bought through a software marketplace, I won't be trying my luck again any time soon.
 
Are you saying I should do a clean install of Windows and then launch recovery from within Windows, rather than from the Windows installation disc recovery tools ?
 
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This Appassure thing is a Dell solution. It doesn't even say how much it costs. The advice relates specifically to options available from within the product.
 
I definitely want to do a disc image restore, not a reinstall. The problem seems to be mainly that the drivers on the Windows Vista disc are way out of date. I've heard this term 'slipstreaming' for pre-loading the drivers. I guess that's what I need to know about. I suppose I could use the free version of Acronis.

I think Windows recovery actually gives you the chance to load drivers from a driver disc, so probably this is becoming a bit of a wild goose chase.

I probably should have done that before asking for help.
 
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It's certainly newer hardware. The discs are brand new, but the other components are maybe four years old. I guess it's the age of the OS that's the real problem though. As a thought experiment, I wonder what would happen if I upgraded the older machine to Windows 8 and then performed a back up and restore. Windows 8 would probably have all the drivers, and it's currently selling for around £40.
 
I've tried the repair install option on the Vista disk. The Windows 8 idea was just a thought experiment, though I recognise that 64bit would be out of the question.

I'm putting this on ice for now. I'll have to come back to it later. It's going to be a bit of trial and error at best when it does happen.
 
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