Cloning old main pc to install on new pc

I have a 10 year old pc with unsupported but upgraded successfully to Windows 11 Pro using Github workaround.
What i would like to know if i clone my main pc and install the saved backup onto a new pc which has Secure Boot and TPM and obviously the existing hard drive contents will be wiped and if i restart the new pc would this contain everything is settings ,files ,programs,accounts settings,login settings etc in other words would the new pc be like a indentical twin or would i face errors in terms of network older protocols...would these be be automatically be replaced with newer ones anyway.

What about Microsoft Windows 11 licence keys ? My main pc was upgraded via third party program is GitHub and new pc has Windows 11 Home pre-installed OEM OS.


Thank you

Windows 10/11 is very adept at adapting itself to new hardware. More than likely Windows will install all the needed drivers for the new hardware, as long as it has a way of connecting to the internet (you may have to supply a network adapter driver if Windows doesn't have one present in the current installation).

Since the new computer has Windows Home OEM, the Windows Pro installation will deactivate when moved to the new computer. You will either need to copy the license from the old computer to the new computer using a Microsoft Account and the Activation Troubleshooter or use a valid Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11 Pro product key to activate it.

My 2 cents for what it's worth. I would never clone a 10 year old system to a brand new one. I'm not saying it can't be made to work, only that it will move 10 years of accumulated junk files, old incompatible drivers, and leftover registry entries to what is now a pristine system. Folks always want to shortcut themselves when they buy a new system, trying to retain their files and apps without much effort. But , one can possibly cut his nose off to spite his face and contribute to problems on down the road.

I recommend you backup your data on the old system. Do a clean install of your apps on new system.
Copy and paste your data on old system to external media and then copy and paste the data files into the new computer. (Copy and Paste rather than Move so as to avoid any permission issues.) In the long run you won't regret the extra effort.

An alternative, if you're willing to pay some money, is to use an app like Easus ToDo PC Transfer to migrate your account, profile, settings, and current apps to the new PC. Last time I checked, it cost around $50 USD but it saved me hours and hours of work when I migrated from one OS to another. Just something to consider.

Setup the new machine with a dummy UEFI/GPT windows installation(*make sure encryption is turned off if you boot the system), then do a partition clone of the old windows partition from the old drive and overwrite the dummy windows partition on the new drive.

*If it doesnt boot you may need to use DISM++ to remove IDE/ATAPI and Storage controller drivers from the newly created disk and then add the raid drivers if its a newer raid system, but that should be all you need to do. (As long as its a x64 OS)

And alternatively, to move an account profile, I believe Fab's Autobackup Pro is the best: Fab's AutoBackup

Like the little girl said, why put old stuff on a new PC? (I'm paraphrasing).

Personally, I did move a HD with Win-7 Ultimate/x86 on it, from an old eMachine to my newly remodeled Win-11 PC, and set it up as a second boot drive. It snuggled in, made itself at home and all I had to do was install the LAN and USB 3,0 drivers, from an old Drivers Disk. I access it using the F12 boot menu. Win-7 and Win-11 seem to co-exist just fine on the same computer, as long as they are not on the same drive.

But then, that's just me. I've always colored outside the lines.

As also advised,,, back up all your data to a removable media, then do a clean install of whatever OS you're going to run, to the new PC, and copy your data files back again. I'll do clean installs all day long, just to have a nice clean and smooth running PC.

Good Luck!
TM

TechnoMage2021 said:

little girl

Click to expand...

Why, thank you TM. That's actually a compliment. It's been many a moon since anyone has referred to me as a "girl."

Update:
Since my last post here, I've taken a HD that was originally set up with Windows 8.1/Pro/x86, on an old eMachine, and transplanted it here to my Windows 11 PC, the one I use every day. It's now the third bootable drive on this Desktop PC.
Windows 8.1 has the incredible ability, to be moved from PC to PC, and it will install all the necessary drivers for its new home.
When I first booted up the Win-8.1 HD on this PC, it took a couple of minutes, while it asked me to wait while it took care of a few things, like it would do on a clean install, then it came up to the desktop, and everything worked, just like it did on the old eMachine.
I do that all the time, moving HD's from PC to PC.
The Windows 11 on this PC started out as a clone of the SSD in my MAIN PC. It settled in here, loaded a few drivers and is right at home.

Girls and boys, this stuff ain't Rocket Science. It's just stuff I do all the time. Don't make something difficult out of something so simple.