Vista and a Board-Swap operation

All,

I just installed Vista Ultimate about two weeks ago. I am debating on
purchasing/installing a new CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and primary Harddrive. My
question is: Is is going to be possible to clone my primary drive onto my new
primary drive, install the new Mobo, CPU, RAM without major issues? Keep in
mind I do have BitLocker enabled on my primary drive. Just curious to see if
anyone has had success doing this yet with Vista Ultimate and BitLocker, or
would it be better to start from scratch (fresh install). My concern comes
from it being a new operating system from Microsoft, and re-activating the OS
within a short ammount of time (about two to three weeks when I finally get
all the parts together). I don't want to activate the piracy flag ;-)

Nate,

You have to do a fresh install. You'll never be able to boot your new
system using your previous hard drive contents. Toooooo much new hardware,
and Vista will be looking for the OLD hardware, but won't be able to find it.

Start fresh and call Microsoft for a new activation key. Microsoft is
usually very accommodating in these matters, so long as you have a legitimate
copy of Vista and it doesn't remain installed on the old system.
--
freddy


"Nate" wrote:

> All,
>
> I just installed Vista Ultimate about two weeks ago. I am debating on
> purchasing/installing a new CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and primary Harddrive. My
> question is: Is is going to be possible to clone my primary drive onto my new
> primary drive, install the new Mobo, CPU, RAM without major issues? Keep in
> mind I do have BitLocker enabled on my primary drive. Just curious to see if
> anyone has had success doing this yet with Vista Ultimate and BitLocker, or
> would it be better to start from scratch (fresh install). My concern comes
> from it being a new operating system from Microsoft, and re-activating the OS
> within a short ammount of time (about two to three weeks when I finally get
> all the parts together). I don't want to activate the piracy flag ;-)

Backup what you need onto DVD's and do a clean install on the new hard
drive. You can not move Vista from one computer to another, vastly
different, computer. That is basically what you are trying to do.

OR

After you have your new computer built, install the old drive as a slave
drive in the new computer and copy off what you need. Then delete the
partitions from the old drive and create new logical partitions for saving
your data to.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)



"Nate" <Nate@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:4075F02F-68AC-486C-B088-3FED3C3BCFF1@microsoft.com...
> All,
>
> I just installed Vista Ultimate about two weeks ago. I am debating on
> purchasing/installing a new CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and primary Harddrive.
> My
> question is: Is is going to be possible to clone my primary drive onto my
> new
> primary drive, install the new Mobo, CPU, RAM without major issues? Keep
> in
> mind I do have BitLocker enabled on my primary drive. Just curious to see
> if
> anyone has had success doing this yet with Vista Ultimate and BitLocker,
> or
> would it be better to start from scratch (fresh install). My concern comes
> from it being a new operating system from Microsoft, and re-activating the
> OS
> within a short ammount of time (about two to three weeks when I finally
> get
> all the parts together). I don't want to activate the piracy flag ;-)

*sigh* I knew thats what it would amount to. Should have waited to install, I
guess. Thanks for the help!

~~ Nate



"freddy" wrote:

> Nate,
>
> You have to do a fresh install. You'll never be able to boot your new
> system using your previous hard drive contents. Toooooo much new hardware,
> and Vista will be looking for the OLD hardware, but won't be able to find it.
>
> Start fresh and call Microsoft for a new activation key. Microsoft is
> usually very accommodating in these matters, so long as you have a legitimate
> copy of Vista and it doesn't remain installed on the old system.
> --
> freddy
>
>
> "Nate" wrote:
>
> > All,
> >
> > I just installed Vista Ultimate about two weeks ago. I am debating on
> > purchasing/installing a new CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and primary Harddrive. My
> > question is: Is is going to be possible to clone my primary drive onto my new
> > primary drive, install the new Mobo, CPU, RAM without major issues? Keep in
> > mind I do have BitLocker enabled on my primary drive. Just curious to see if
> > anyone has had success doing this yet with Vista Ultimate and BitLocker, or
> > would it be better to start from scratch (fresh install). My concern comes
> > from it being a new operating system from Microsoft, and re-activating the OS
> > within a short ammount of time (about two to three weeks when I finally get
> > all the parts together). I don't want to activate the piracy flag ;-)

With BitLocker activated the only flag you'll be activating is the "This
data is STOLEN!" flag. I doubt any process you can use to clone or copy the
drive will result in its being able to be read in the "new" system, nor will
you be able to put it in the new system and read data off it. Back up data
you need now, then restore that data on the "new" system.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] rgharper@gmail.com
* NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Nate" <Nate@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:4075F02F-68AC-486C-B088-3FED3C3BCFF1@microsoft.com...
> All,
>
> I just installed Vista Ultimate about two weeks ago. I am debating on
> purchasing/installing a new CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and primary Harddrive.
> My
> question is: Is is going to be possible to clone my primary drive onto my
> new
> primary drive, install the new Mobo, CPU, RAM without major issues? Keep
> in
> mind I do have BitLocker enabled on my primary drive. Just curious to see
> if
> anyone has had success doing this yet with Vista Ultimate and BitLocker,
> or
> would it be better to start from scratch (fresh install). My concern comes
> from it being a new operating system from Microsoft, and re-activating the
> OS
> within a short ammount of time (about two to three weeks when I finally
> get
> all the parts together). I don't want to activate the piracy flag ;-)

first thing to do is turn off bit locker.
do not understand why people think they need it anyway, but that's another matter.
backup your important data

go ahead and clone the hard drive.
put the computer together and boot it.
it will either work or it will not.
simple case is a repair install done in vista with in place upgrade.
worst case is total new install.

in either case you will end up activating vista again. since its only been couple of weeks.
if you have to call ms tell them your hard drive died and you installed another.





mikeyhsd@comcast.net



"Nate" <Nate@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:4075F02F-68AC-486C-B088-3FED3C3BCFF1@microsoft.com...
All,

I just installed Vista Ultimate about two weeks ago. I am debating on
purchasing/installing a new CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and primary Harddrive. My
question is: Is is going to be possible to clone my primary drive onto my new
primary drive, install the new Mobo, CPU, RAM without major issues? Keep in
mind I do have BitLocker enabled on my primary drive. Just curious to see if
anyone has had success doing this yet with Vista Ultimate and BitLocker, or
would it be better to start from scratch (fresh install). My concern comes
from it being a new operating system from Microsoft, and re-activating the OS
within a short ammount of time (about two to three weeks when I finally get
all the parts together). I don't want to activate the piracy flag ;-)

Depends on if you bought a retail, upgrade or OEM version of the OS. With
retail and upgrade versions, MS will require a decent reason to hand out a
new key. With OEM, I have been told by phone representatives that the license
dies with the machine. OEM versions generally ship with machines built by
companies like Dell, Compaq etc and the "System Restore" disks have the OEM
OS in there and will only install on a machine with specific hardware. If you
built your own machine and purchased an OEM disk at the time you purchased
all the hardware, you scored a "cheap" copy but at the cost of no support and
a small chance of getting a key for another system. Typically a motherboard
failure can warrant the issue of a new key given that it occured in a
reasonable amount of time after the key was first used in an Activation.

"freddy" wrote:

> Nate,
>
> You have to do a fresh install. You'll never be able to boot your new
> system using your previous hard drive contents. Toooooo much new hardware,
> and Vista will be looking for the OLD hardware, but won't be able to find it.
>
> Start fresh and call Microsoft for a new activation key. Microsoft is
> usually very accommodating in these matters, so long as you have a legitimate
> copy of Vista and it doesn't remain installed on the old system.
> --
> freddy
>
>
> "Nate" wrote:
>
> > All,
> >
> > I just installed Vista Ultimate about two weeks ago. I am debating on
> > purchasing/installing a new CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and primary Harddrive. My
> > question is: Is is going to be possible to clone my primary drive onto my new
> > primary drive, install the new Mobo, CPU, RAM without major issues? Keep in
> > mind I do have BitLocker enabled on my primary drive. Just curious to see if
> > anyone has had success doing this yet with Vista Ultimate and BitLocker, or
> > would it be better to start from scratch (fresh install). My concern comes
> > from it being a new operating system from Microsoft, and re-activating the OS
> > within a short ammount of time (about two to three weeks when I finally get
> > all the parts together). I don't want to activate the piracy flag ;-)

Andrew,

What you say is all very true, and something Nate would soon learn
regardless of what anyone had to say about his situation. A big problem on
forums like this is that people don't disclose all the information needed
about their particular situation so that others can provide a comprehensive
response. Thus, Nate got responses all over the board.
--
freddy


"Andrew McNab" wrote:

> Depends on if you bought a retail, upgrade or OEM version of the OS. With
> retail and upgrade versions, MS will require a decent reason to hand out a
> new key. With OEM, I have been told by phone representatives that the license
> dies with the machine. OEM versions generally ship with machines built by
> companies like Dell, Compaq etc and the "System Restore" disks have the OEM
> OS in there and will only install on a machine with specific hardware. If you
> built your own machine and purchased an OEM disk at the time you purchased
> all the hardware, you scored a "cheap" copy but at the cost of no support and
> a small chance of getting a key for another system. Typically a motherboard
> failure can warrant the issue of a new key given that it occured in a
> reasonable amount of time after the key was first used in an Activation.
>
> "freddy" wrote:
>
> > Nate,
> >
> > You have to do a fresh install. You'll never be able to boot your new
> > system using your previous hard drive contents. Toooooo much new hardware,
> > and Vista will be looking for the OLD hardware, but won't be able to find it.
> >
> > Start fresh and call Microsoft for a new activation key. Microsoft is
> > usually very accommodating in these matters, so long as you have a legitimate
> > copy of Vista and it doesn't remain installed on the old system.
> > --
> > freddy
> >
> >
> > "Nate" wrote:
> >
> > > All,
> > >
> > > I just installed Vista Ultimate about two weeks ago. I am debating on
> > > purchasing/installing a new CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and primary Harddrive. My
> > > question is: Is is going to be possible to clone my primary drive onto my new
> > > primary drive, install the new Mobo, CPU, RAM without major issues? Keep in
> > > mind I do have BitLocker enabled on my primary drive. Just curious to see if
> > > anyone has had success doing this yet with Vista Ultimate and BitLocker, or
> > > would it be better to start from scratch (fresh install). My concern comes
> > > from it being a new operating system from Microsoft, and re-activating the OS
> > > within a short ammount of time (about two to three weeks when I finally get
> > > all the parts together). I don't want to activate the piracy flag ;-)