Thank you for sharing some important links that clears most of my doubts.

Regarding the identical machines, let me share my experience from the past. I had Two different models of Compaq DeskPro running WinNT 4.0 server. I have applied the image taken from one system to another and run ghostwalker. The second system booted successfully but the display was not proper and unable to see the network. So I had to download and apply the appropriate drivers for video and NIC then the second system was perfect.

this article pretty much sums up my thoughts: Article 2