Using original source disk I cloned from in a new computer.
I cloned a new SSD and put it in my laptop. I now have the disk I used as the source of the clone, and would like to install it in another laptop. Is that possible? I connected the source disk up to the laptop with the cloned SSD, via USB conversion cable, and didn't see files and folders like I expected, but only what looks like some kind of Acronis file.
Well perhaps I was wrong. What I just realized is that when I plug the source drive into the usb conversion cable and look at what drives I have via windows explorer, I see two drives instead of just the one I would have expected. I see a drive(OS) E: and drive(RECOVERY) F:. I only looked at F:, and didn't see anything. But in E: I see all of my files and data. So I guess everything is fine, and I can just put this into another laptop, and have it work just like it did in the laptop it originally was removed from. If you still want a screenshot, I can do that. Thanks.
The disk should work in a different computer. Windows may need to be authenticated however.
What does "authenticated" mean? Like putting in a serial number? And thank you for your responses. Most helpful.
Gregg, if you use a copy of Windows that has been previously activated on a different computer then unless you have a full retail licenced version of Windows, you will need to purchase a new licence in order to get past Windows activation.
There may be other considerations when using the source drive in a different computer such as missing device drivers that may require the use of Acronis Universal Restore to prepare that new OS to work. This is more likely if you are using an older version of Windows such as 7. Windows 10 is better able to cope with these types of changes but is licenced / activated based on the computer hardware signature.
Oh no. I used Acronis to clone a new SSD to my laptop, and it immediately thereafter blew up the sound card which is integral with the motherboard. So I just bought the same laptop on Craigslist thinking I could simply move my SSD over to it. Are you saying this isn't going to be that simple? I am using Windows 7 on my existing machine. And would you be so kind as to go over what I may need to do to accomplish this again? What would getting a full retail licenced version of Windows entail? And can I perform an Acronis Universal Restore having backed up this disk before cloning? I'm not well versed in this stuff.
Gregg, even if you have bought an identical laptop / model, the motherboard will present a different hardware signature that will cause Windows 7 to require to be activated by entry of a new licence. It may be worth checking the underside of the laptop to see if there is a Windows certificate of authenticity with a licence code for the same version of Windows 7.
If the laptop is essentially the same make/model with minimal differences in internal components, then you may not need Acronis Universal Restore.
A full retail copy of Windows is one of the most expensive but can be moved to new hardware provided only one copy is installed at any time. If your laptop came with an OEM version of Windows 7, i.e. one branded to the laptop maker such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer etc, then this is single use only, and is not transferable to another computer.
I hope you don't mind. I still have questions. When you say check the laptop underside, which laptop? The new one? These are identical laptops with the only difference I am aware of being that one has an i5 processor, and the other has an i7 processor, which may not be trivial, I don't know. And the other question would be, if I were to buy a full retail copy of Windows 7, then once installed on the new computer, could I then place either my SSD into it, or have it formatted, installed, and then restored to? I mean this was all supposed to be three clicks and done. Now it's turned into many days of time. I am dearly hoping to minimize my lost future time. And I thank you for your replies.
Gregg, you should be checking the underside of the new laptop for the COA sticker as I assume that the old laptop (with broken sound) was working OK with Windows 7 activated.
Personally, unless you have a good reason for keeping with Windows 7, I would recommend moving to Windows 10 and going for a clean install on the newer laptop.
See webpage: Windows lifecycle fact sheet which shows that Windows 7 will be unsupported by Microsoft from January 2020, which is now less than 2 years away.
Many laptops which come with Windows 7 installed have a sticker on the underside with the OEM activation code on it. This may depend on how old the computer is. All laptops I have seen that were acquired in recent times do not have such a sticker. This does not mean that you necessarily will have problems. About a year ago my wife changed employers and as a "parting gift" she was allowed to take the relatively new Dell notebook. The nuked the HDD before handing it over. It had always run Windows 7, however when I installed Windows 10 it authenticated without having to give an activation code. So, all you can do is to try and see what happens.