What's the best way to clone Windows 11?

CartmansPiehole · Jul 17, 2022

I'm setting up 8 PCs for work. I have one set up the way I want it. What's the easiest way to clone a Windows 11 computer, an application that is free to use for businesses?

cereberus · Jul 17, 2022

Macrium Reflect Free is free for 8 pcs.

Are all pcs identical?

CartmansPiehole · Jul 17, 2022

cereberus said:
Macrium Reflect Free is free for 8 pcs.

Are all pcs identical?

Yep, they're identical.

In fact, there's 1 that Windows 11 will not install on stating it doesn't meet system requirements. But the PCs are identical.

Bree · Jul 17, 2022

CartmansPiehole said:
there's 1 that Windows 11 will not install on stating it doesn't meet system requirements. But the PCs are identical.

If they are identical specs but one doesn't meet system requirements, then that may well be due to TPM, Intel PTT, or AMD fTPM being turned off in its bios.

cereberus · Jul 18, 2022

Bree said:
If they are identical specs but one doesn't meet system requirements, then that may well be due to TPM, Intel PTT, or AMD fTPM being turned off in its bios.

or maybe set to legacy bios, or secure boot off ?

But yeah - could be a bios setting.

Other possibilities are maybe an older CPU or not enough spare storage.

idgat · Jul 18, 2022

8 devices ? Don't clone. Image > restore image

Macrium Reflect freeware
AOMEI backupper freeware

jimbo45 · Jul 18, 2022

CartmansPiehole said:
I'm setting up 8 PCs for work. I have one set up the way I want it. What's the easiest way to clone a Windows 11 computer, an application that is free to use for businesses?

Any that work -- but if you are cloning Windows - and you need different licenses for each one then use the WINPE deployment -- docs on the Ms site. All free, 100% windows things. Designed for employing a customised image to multiple PC's.

If just doing a quick "Clone" and it's the entire hard disk you need cloning just boot up your "Tecnician computer" i.e Source machine with any linux distro and then do dd if=/dev/<src computer> of=/dev/<target computer> bs=4096M status=progress.

No file / disk formatting required if you do it this way. You'll need to activate each computer though after performing this clone process and its initial boot up - including any licenseable products such as Office/365 etc.

If those computers had W7/W8/W8.1 on them then digital activation under both methods (Winpe / linux dd command) should be free and automatic.

Note also the danger of "Cloning" multiple computers is then what do you do about the User id's and passwords !!!

The way you should do this (recommended for any business area big or small) is to use the Winpe deployment method. In the documentation the "Technician computer" is the one you start with i.e has the Windows images on it.

I've found the link :

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/deploy-a-custom-image?view=windows-11

Cheers
jimbo

CartmansPiehole · Jul 28, 2022

I finally got a chance to look into some of the solutions posted and I've got at least one new issue. Basically, I'm unable to remove a hard drive. It looks like one of the screws are covered by a Warranty Void sticker. Secondly, I don't have access to the necessary screwdriver to remove the hard drive. It looks like it has a star key. That said, I was going to attempt using CloneZilla and plug a bare hard drive into a SATA to USB 3.0 hub and clone a computer this way, and try to boot from it. I'm unable to remove a hard drive.

I also don't have access to a Windows 2016 server. Therefore, it would appear that using a Technician Computer type approach is out of the question.

It looks like the free version of AOMEI backupper freeware will not back up and restore to new computers, nor do a System clone.

Is there a way to perform a free system clone from USB to USB? I do have at least one male USB to Male USB cable laying around to try. That or backing up a system to a large USB flash drive and restoring that image to a new computer. I'm running out of options that I know of.

Ghot · Jul 28, 2022

@CartmansPiehole

Using Macrium Reflect...
Make a full OS image backup of the source machine.
Save the backup on an external drive, or large USB stick.
Create the Macrium Reflect bootable media on a USB stick.

Take the USB stick and the external drive (or large USB stick), to each destination machine, and use the Macrium bootable media to restore the backup, to each one.

As mentioned above... if all the machines, have identical hardware... then the Win 11 requirements issues are due to the BIOS settings.

/edit

If you are going to be maintaining 8 identical machines, you should have a decent external hard drive anyway.
This will make replicating any future software changes on the source machine or very large file transfers.... easy.

Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper and Hasleo Backup Suite - GUIDES

How to use backup software... 1. When everything is working perfectly... make a full Windows backup. 2. Then, if something breaks... restore from the latest backup. 3. Then... try "whatever you were doing" a different way. If it still breaks Windows, then... go to step #2. 4. Repeat...

www.elevenforum.com

cereberus · Jul 28, 2022

Ghot said:
@CartmansPiehole

Using Macrium Reflect...
Make a full OS image backup of the source machine.
Save the backup on an external drive, or large USB stick.
Create the Macrium Reflect bootable media on a USB stick.

Take the USB stick and the external drive (or large USB stick), to each destination machine, and use the Macrium bootable media to restore the backup, to each one.

As mentioned above... if all the machines, have identical hardware... then the Win 11 requirements issues are due to the BIOS settings.

/edit

If you are going to be maintaining 8 identical machines, you should have a decent external hard drive anyway.
This will make replicating any future software changes on the source machine or very large file transfers.... easy.

Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper and Hasleo Backup Suite - GUIDES

How to use backup software... 1. When everything is working perfectly... make a full Windows backup. 2. Then, if something breaks... restore from the latest backup. 3. Then... try "whatever you were doing" a different way. If it still breaks Windows, then... go to step #2. 4. Repeat...

www.elevenforum.com

This is definitely the way to go.

The only possible issue I can think of is that even though pcs are supposedly identical, I have found in past, they sometimes use different internal components.

Assuming each pc boots after restart, OP should check device manager to see all component drivers are working ok.

As an aside, I think it is a scam when PC manufacturers make it a warranty exception if user changes drive which is even regarded by MS as a disposable commodity for purposes of activation. Using TOR screws is even worse!

Bree · Jul 28, 2022

CartmansPiehole said:
Basically, I'm unable to remove a hard drive. It looks like one of the screws are covered by a Warranty Void sticker. Secondly, I don't have access to the necessary screwdriver to remove the hard drive. It looks like it has a star key

I don't think I've ever seen that before. What make of PC are they?

Torch · Jul 28, 2022

I would suggest using clonezilla to capture the disk but only after clearing out any user credentials and clearing up things like last file accessed history etc then run the sysprep in OOBE and Generalize with shutdown. once this is done do not let the machine boot up, instead use clonezilla to save the disk as an image and then you can deploy to other machines using clonezilla but this time use the restore disk option.
Just my 2 cents :)

pparks1 · Jul 28, 2022

i would get system 1 up and running exactly the way you want. Then, I would run sysprep on that box to get rid of the SID's and set for the OOBE (Out of Box Experience). I would then take an image of the machine with a software of your choice.

Restore the images to systems 2 through 8, and then go through the out of the box experience to setup the few unique parts.

CartmansPiehole · Jul 28, 2022

pparks1 said:
i would get system 1 up and running exactly the way you want. Then, I would run sysprep on that box to get rid of the SID's and set for the OOBE (Out of Box Experience). I would then take an image of the machine with a software of your choice.

Restore the images to systems 2 through 8, and then go through the out of the box experience to setup the few unique parts.

How would I restore? Would a Windows installation be required first? I've never used Sysprep but am willing to learn.

SIW2 · Jul 28, 2022

How would I restore? Would a Windows installation be required first? I've never used Sysprep but am willing to learn.

SIW2 · Jul 28, 2022

The usual way is to capture the sysprepped os partition as a .wim file.

Then partition the target disk and apply the wim to the partition created for windows. Then populate the esp partition you created with bcdboot command.

The capture as wim , create partitions, apply image and create boot files can all be done with commands, but there is a useful tool created by jfx called winntsetup that makes it simpler.

File folder on MEGA

mega.nz

SIW2 · Jul 28, 2022

This is probably the easiest way if you haven't done it before:

Capture the sysprepped os partition with dism or dism++ or wimlib, or gimagex or any number of other tools that can capture as a wim file

Save it as install.wim

Then replace the the original install.wim in the win 10 installation media sources folder with your captured version.

So the win 10 installation media is the same - except you have replaced sources\install.wim with your own version

Then do the regular win 10 installation setup routine and your captured image will be installed.

SIW2 · Jul 28, 2022

Dism++ makes capturing easy.

https://github.com/Chuyu-Team/Dism-Multi-language/releases/download/v10.1.1002.1/Dism++10.1.1002.1.zip

It can be run from another windows installation or from winpe with no extra dependencies.

Just select the os partition you want to capture in the top pane to highlight it in blue.

Then click File > Save Image

The details are automatically populated, all that is needed is to browse to where you want to save the wim

I have chosen to save it as M:\Install.wim. Click Ok

That'll do the job. There are optional exclusions, compression levels, etc if wanted under the Options > More settings tab

pparks1 · Jul 28, 2022

sysprep is really easy. You just run the following:
%WINDIR%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /shutdown /oobe

Then the box will turn off. Boot from a Macrium recovery USB key, take an image of the drive to an external drive.

Then, take the external drive to the other boxes, boot off the Macrium recovery key, restore the image to the hard driver and then when it finishes, just boot up the computer and it will start up, ask you a few questions and it will be just like the machine you made the image from.

SIW2 · Jul 28, 2022

It depends how it has been set up.

Has it been done in audit mode?

or there will the other user on there if that matters.

There are many advantages to the wim method, for example it is serviceable - updates, drivers and other changes can be made.

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