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Restore to new computer of same type

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I have a Dell XPS 8910 something (still not sure what) is wrong with it.  Dell is sending me a completely new desktop with all the same hardware.  I have a backup on an external hard drive.  When I look for information on how to restore all I see is instructions for installing on dissimiliar system using a bootable drive.  

Can't I just download True Image to the new computer, connect my xHD and restore my files and program that way?  Where do I find instructions for this situation?

 

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1) Before you do anything when you get your new computer, back it up "as is" with your recovery media - just in case.  That gives you the ability to restore to factory with the backup of it too.

2) No need to even install it to backup or restore.  Create your Rescue media or download the .iso and burn it to disc.  Boot the rescue media and restore with it.

Depending on the hard drive setup of the XPS (if using RAID or an NVME PCIE hard drive, you may need WinPE rescue media, or may be able to temporarily change the SATA mode in the bios to AHCI as a work-a-round).  Otherwise, if it is a standard SATA hard drive, the default recovery media should work just fine "out of the box".

These should help with the restore process:

User guide for 2017 - Recovering your comupter 

and this one is essentially what you'd do since you're going to the same hardware... http://www.acronis.com/en-us/support/documentation/ATI2017/#13903.html  (I would select to restore MBR and track 0 though - since you're not actually restoring to the same hard drive this time). 

And these user provided videos explain it well too. 

02 - SunGod2009 - How to backup and restore using Acronis True image - YouTube

04 - Britec - How To Restore Windows 10 from a System Image - YouTube

 

Ok. I guess I should have stated that I am not a computer professional.  Much of what you said if confusing to me.

The new computer will come with Windows 10 intstalled.  I will create a bootable thumb drive first thing. Is thumb drive what you mean by 'recover media?'

"Create your Rescue media or download the .iso and burn it to disc.  Boot the rescue media and restore with it."  I don't understand this at all.  The new computer will presummably work. 

I know how to access the BIOS setup screen and I will make sure the hard drive is set to AHCI.

The user guide for 2017 just talks about restoring to the same disk either if Windows is working or if it's not.  That's not really my case.  My old computer has No POST issues so, I can't get into it at all.  The new computer will be a blank slate with Windows installed. 

Kelly McDonald wrote:

The new computer will come with Windows 10 intstalled.  I will create a bootable thumb drive first thing. Is thumb drive what you mean by 'recover media?'

Yes.

Kelly McDonald wrote:

"Create your Rescue media or download the .iso and burn it to disc.  Boot the rescue media and restore with it."  I don't understand this at all.  The new computer will presummably work. 

An .iso is a CD/DVD virtual image.  It's a file you can download from your account.  Once dowloaded, you can burn it to an actual CD or DVD and boot the recovery media that way... if you don't have the application to build it locally.  Window's 10 can burn an .iso for you automatically, otherwise you'd need to use a third party tool like imageburn or Nero or something like that. 

Yes, the new computer should work, but it won't have all of your applications, data, and settings.  You have to restore your backup to the hard drive to make it like the old one.  However, before you do, I'd backup the new hard drive as a precaution too.

 

Kelly McDonald wrote:

I know how to access the BIOS setup screen and I will make sure the hard drive is set to AHCI.

The user guide for 2017 just talks about restoring to the same disk either if Windows is working or if it's not.  That's not really my case.  My old computer has No POST issues so, I can't get into it at all.  The new computer will be a blank slate with Windows installed. 

You're still going to be doing a full disk restore of your old disk image to the new hard drive - no?  So, essentially you're doing exactly what's in the manual.  Unless, you just want to get user data out of the backup, but plan to setup the new computer like a fresh, brand new computer and plan to install all of your applications and make each setting change manually.  Then that is slightly different.  Based on what you stated in your original post, my assumption has been that you took a full disk backup and plan to restore the entire disk backup to the new computer (on a new hard drive). If this is the case, you will be overwriting whatever is on the new disk, in the new computer, with exactly what was on the old computer (via a full disk restore).

Did you look at any of the videos in the links?  They explain and show the process, step by step.  Granted, they are doing a backup and restore to the exact same computer, but what you're trying to accomplish is the exact same thing, just with a new, identical computer since it is a warranty replacement. 

Ok.  I think I understand these steps.  However, I still don't see why I have to create the iso disk (which is a copy of True Image, yes?).  Can't I just download True Image onto the new computer (which I would need to do to create a back-up anyway), connect my xHD and then restore from it?

New problem.  I don't have access to the email account I purchased True Image with.  I have the cleverbridge number and a print out of that email.  When I enter the serial number it says its not valid.  I can't find an way to email Acronis.  All of the links just take me back to the support page.

Kelly McDonald wrote:

Ok.  I think I understand these steps.  However, I still don't see why I have to create the iso disk (which is a copy of True Image, yes?).  Can't I just download True Image onto the new computer (which I would need to do to create a back-up anyway), connect my xHD and then restore from it?

Kelly, the key reason why you should create the Acronis Rescue Media rather doing what you propose, is that when you launch an Acronis Recovery from within the installed Acronis GUI, the first thing that Acronis has to do is to reconfigure your Windows boot configuration to reboot from a temporary Linux OS environment from which to perform the Recovery operation.

There are many cases where modern computers with UEFI & Secure Boot BIOS configurations are unable to boot into such a Linux environment and where this could result in an unbootable system.

Testing with the standard Acronis Rescue Media (which uses the same Linux OS) will safely show whether such a recover can be started.  If you cannot use this standard rescue media, then you will need to create and use the alternative Windows PE Rescue Media.

Ditto to Steve.  Also want to note, that if you do go the route yo planned, you lose that install when the recovery is complete so it's extra work.  You need and should not just have recovery media, but know how to use it. If Windows fails to load, this is your saving grace for restoring backup images.  In many cases, the reason someone needs to restore is because they're hard drive died or they want to replace it... recovery media is required to do this if you don't have Windows running and, as Steve mentioned, if you do have Windows running, but start a recovery from it, there's the chance it won't boot properly and may leave you without a working Windows OS.   The recovery media also avoids that potential issue.  Not worth the risk, even if it's relatively small, when you can completely avoid it.

Glad that you're going to give the bootable media a go.