Transition from desktop to laptop

[Featureless]

Is it as simple as cloning the desktop ssd to the laptop? Or do all the applicatons and data have to be reinstalled?

[ldsnet]

All of your applications have to be reinstalled (if Microsoft, you probably have to be repurchased).
Your data can be copied drive to drive.

[Featureless]

Well that's discouraging.

[C.G.]

Originally Posted by ldsnet

All of your applications have to be reinstalled (if Microsoft, you probably have to be repurchased).
Your data can be copied drive to drive.

Many Microsoft apps can be installed on multiple devices. I am told that the OS, I assume W10, can be transferred if it was a bought version but not when it was OEM, but I have not had the opportunity to test that yet.

[HecklerNKoch]

The applications have to be reinstalled, and it is better this way, they are portable apps or PortableApps.

The data can be simply transferred over. Best to use a utility like 'Fast Copier' to verify by checksum that everything transferred flawlessly (no corruption).

[The War Wagon]

Originally Posted by ldsnet

All of your applications have to be reinstalled (if Microsoft, you probably have to be repurchased).
Your data can be copied drive to drive.

This.


But you can still buy Office for XP on fleabay. Just download the 2007 and later patches, and it'll run on Win10 even. You can use it as MANY times as you want, with the authentication code. I can't remember how many computers of mine I've installed it on since 2002!

[Featureless]

I use Acronis to backup the entire SSD. It has been my understanding that if my desktop were stolen or destroyed all I needed to do was restore that backup on a new machine. That's not the way it works?

[Jorvaljr]

Fyi,
Simply take out the ssd from the desktop and install it in the laptop. Everything should work. As is, then simply go to the laptop manufacturer website and under support download drivers for your laptop. Ive done many times myself without issue

[Marauder2003]

If you do a bare metal restore it is a big problem. There is stuff in the installed OS that is unique to the CPU, Northbridge and Southbridge chips, audio chips, video chips, network chips, etc.

The first time you boot the restored drive in a new PC Windows will go crazy trying to update itself. Chances are it will not be stable afterwards.

Originally Posted by Featureless

I use Acronis to backup the entire SSD. It has been my understanding that if my desktop were stolen or destroyed all I needed to do was restore that backup on a new machine. That's not the way it works?

[sonofeugene]

What OS is on the new laptop?

If it's Windows Pro, I'd leave it. The reinstall your apps on the new computer. You may have to call MS to get new pass codes.

[Featureless]

Originally Posted by sonofeugene

What OS is on the new laptop?

If it's Windows Pro, I'd leave it. The reinstall your apps on the new computer. You may have to call MS to get new pass codes.

The OS on the laptop will be Win 10 Pro 64 bit same as on the desktop.

[sonofeugene]

Then, unfortunately because of the way MS apps work, your best bet is to do new installs of all apps you want on the new computer. Then hook up to the old drive and copy over all files you want.

On a Mac, there are applications that can clone your drive to another drive. I used one to copy everything on my wife's old drive to a new drive. I then swapped drives and all I needed was a new pass code from MS for the Office apps and I was good to go.

[sonofeugene]

Apparently there are now cloning apps for MS OS. Here's one for 20 dollars:

https://www.easeus.com/disk-copy/clo...windows-7.html

[sonofeugene]

Here's a good review of various options:

https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/...ning-software/

If you can, try and find one that will just copy apps and leave he OS alone.

[HecklerNKoch]

You guys are slaughtering Featureless.


You cannot just clone one drive onto another that would be going on a wholly different motherboard and chipset without running into problems.

[Featureless]

This is way above my paygrade, I wouldn't even attempt it. I'll check into hiring a local IT person. It is disappointing though about the Acronis backup. I thought it could do a bare metal startup on a new machine. Was using Shadow Protect before, which claims that ability, but it was too complicated for me.

I'm self employed, one man office. The desktop is my business machine, it's got several versions of QuickBooks, multiple years of tax prep software, amortization software, and the usual MS Office apps plus Thunderbird for email and some other cloud accounting stuff on it.

What I'm trying to accomplish is to transition to the laptop and use docking stations for both the office and home in order to have a standard size monitor, keyboard and mouse in each location.

I also like the idea that everything on the machine will be with me rather than left at the office in case of a break in.

[sonofeugene]

Make sure you're doing comprehensive backups of everything.

Actually, another important question is, do you have a current backup of everything? If not, do that first in case the transfer goes bad and you loose everything. Always, always backup.

[Featureless]

I do full backups every few days and incrementals in between on to an external ssd.

[Featureless]

This guy says it can be done. He's using Paragon software.

[freespool]

Originally Posted by Featureless

I use Acronis to backup the entire SSD. It has been my understanding that if my desktop were stolen or destroyed all I needed to do was restore that backup on a new machine. That's not the way it works?

If your new machine is exactly the same as your old, you can do that. There is a ton of stuff in the operating system that has to match the specific hardware pieces inside of the new machine, and that is best done during installation unless the new and old machine are pretty much an exact match inside. Otherwise the risks of missing something important being set up correctly, are just not worth the slight time savings.

To make this kind of thing easier, it's best to partition the main hard drive to have one partition for the operating system, and another for all your personal files. That includes databases that your email client, tax software, or financial software creates, which are often by default stored on the main OS partition - any software that stores your "creations" or work-in-progress needs to have its default options/preferences changes so that storage location is moved to your "data partition". That way you can just back up your data partition, without all the space needed to back up the OS, which is a pointless exercise if done that way (there are good reasons and ways to back up the OS, but that should be done separate from your personal files). That also facilitates refreshing or repairing the operating system if it gets corrupted, or you want to change to a different one, without having to go hunting on the OS partition for all your personal stuff before you over-write everything. If you don't do it that way, for sure you will remember that important working file that you forgot to grab, only after it is too late because your OS went down or got wiped for some other reason.

[HecklerNKoch]

Give it a shot.

Clone your desktop hard drive onto your laptop's hard drive.
[Source: Desktop drive] [Target: Laptop drive]


(I am guessing there is nothing needed on the laptop drive?) as any data on there (the laptop drive) will be wiped out in the process:

you are cloning the entirety of the source drive [your desktop hard drive and all its hidden partitions] onto the source destination in a 1:1 copy [the laptop hard drive], unconcerned about disk size differences.

After this finishes, given that your operating systems are the same, there is a chance you will load into Windows but your operating system will be unstable: here we are already expecting dissimilar hardware components, requiring new device drivers before for the laptop.



Using the laptop, if possible, or another computer, go to the laptop manufacturer's website and download the Chipset drivers specific to your laptop model, install them — it will ask you to reboot, reboot before doing anything else.



Then install the other laptop drivers you find on the laptop manufacturer's website for your specific model.


Once you finish installing all the available drivers, open 'Device Manager' and see to it that there are no yellow exclamation marks.



Test out the laptop. Open your important applications. See if they run properly. Reboot your laptop a few times and re-open the applications do confirm if everything is working as it should.