Need help moving applications from one computer to another!

[Entity]

Ok, I don't know if this is possible or not, so please advice: I want to take an image of an installation of around 30 applications (it's a several-hour long installation job, hence the desire for imaging) and apply it to several computers. These computers, however, are not identical; consequently, I have had problems using PQDI and Powerquest's HD->HD copier.

Are there any apps that I can do this with? We're dealing with different motherboards, HDs, chips, etc., but we are running win2k; FWIW, we have swapped HDs of w2k installations several times without a problem - meaning we will pull a HD that had been running w2k on a 440bx board and put it into a computer running a MSI 6330 w/o any problems.

Ideas?

TIA,
Rob

 

[AmazonRasta]

You can try Norton Ghost. I've heard good things about that program and I believe it does what you're looking for.

 

[Entity]

Downloading it now and hoping it works. DriveImage has failed me here, so here's crossing my fingers. If you want to port applications from one computer to another (these are all legitimate, licensed copies of programs that use the same license #), how would you go about that? This is win2k, once again.

Rob

 

[Windogg]

Yes Norton Ghost will drop an image onto any system with enough storage space but I do not recommend it. I'm afraid you will have to create a image for each unique system. If you are lucky, two sets of systems will be similar enough that you can maybe get away with it. It's usually hit or miss. For example the new Compaq Armada M300 in the office just sent through a revision and the old image works fine with a few new drivers. On our IBM ThinkPads, no 600E is able to take a image from a previous revisision without lots of blue screens and driver mixups. Since this is for business, the best thing to do is swallow the time and create a image for each unique system. It will save alot of headaches in the future.

Windogg

 

[somethingwitty]

wouldnt what you are trying to do require an appmover, not an imager?

 

[Entity]

somethingwitty,

Yes, an appmover is exactly what I'm looking for. The installation of w2k is really no big deal as long as I can port all apps from one machine to the next. I didn't know that appmovers, per se, existed.

Windogg,

I agree with you 100%. Unfortunately I'm doing this for 10 computers, and all 10 are different. I was hoping that w2k would be stable enough to handle what I'm throwing at it, fully knowing that it wouldn't. Thanks though.

Rob

 

[Plantanthera]

I don't think you can do much with NT/Win2k if there is change in the hardware. In Win9x, you can image the hdd then get in with safe mode to edit/del the Hardware setting in Registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then reboot and you puter will auto detect new devices.

You could try imaging the HDDs then uses the 4 recover disks to try to get the OS to regcornizes new devices, or reinstall the OS with out the need to reinstall the applications.

Please let us know how you did it so we coudl learn from your experience.

 

[KingHam]

Win2k has a wizard called sysprep.exe. If you run it it will clear your box of any unique ID. To take care of the hardware differences make sure to check the box "delete plug and play devices". Once you have run the wizard then image the box as normal. When you boot the first time a wizard will create an ID for the box.

KingHam

[edit]Microsoft created this handy utility for use with RISS but, I've found that it works as well, if not better with just a normal imaging program.[/edit]

 

[somethingwitty]

I know that iomega zip drives used to come with an appmover, though i'd assume it wouldnt work it win2k-at least not reliably.

I would guess that you can still buy an appmover-maybe norton puts one out, im not sure? I figure that since cleansweep does essentially the same thing (registry links, dlls, etc) someone must still sell an appmover

 

[Plantanthera]

You could try install the OSes and softwares using Distribution method. Boot up the Clients puters with the RAS Install disk make from the server. Then uses Distribution to automate the install process to the Client puters (you can set it up to install by Puters or to the User profile).

 

[Entity]

Hmm. Ran sysprep, and when I try to boot off of those imaged HDs, it still doesn't work the way I want it to. The computers still reboot before booting.

Rob

 

[Entity]

Any other suggestions?

 

[piku]

bump... I wouldn't mind finding an appmover either

 

[rahvin]

Your best bet is to toast all the hardware in device manager, reboot and create the ghost before loading up again. This should work with about 10 reboots of each box as it reinstalls all the hardware. Let us know if you get it working.

 

[Entity]

Rahvin,

I'll give that a shot. Thanks.

Rob

 

[Entity]

Kingham,

I don't see the box "delete plug and play devices" in the Sysprep setup at all. Help?

Rob

 

[Mday]

the differences in hardware will probably kill you...

however, if you do image, ghost, or whatever... partition as you like (correctly)

1) on the computer where the image is placed, remove all hardware that is not necessary... such as sound etc...

2) after the image is correctly restored on that computer, boot to SAFE MODE, remove ALL hardware drivers (start-control panel-system) which is a tedious task.

3) boot normally, and allow detected hardware to install (you will need the mobo's CD probably, and the installation files for whatever OS you're using)

4).... you know the rest.

 

[tomcat]

Have you tried using this program ?

 

[Entity]

<bleh>. I'm giving up on this, and am just gonna go through the several-hourlong installs on every machine.

Rob

 

[Entity]

tomcat,

Thanks. I'll give that appNstall a try.

Rob

 

[rahvin]

Go into device manager and delete everything man. It's that simple.

 

[Topochicho]

have been looking into this myself, found an interesting lead, but haven't had time to do all the reading
check out this link

the text gives very little help, but there are some links at the bottom that look interesting, but i haven't gone over yet, so no promises.

 

[overmars]

Maybe you could try this program? IC3