With previous Windows versions transferring the OS to different hardware could be challenging. I think WinXP was the most difficult as different storage controllers needed different drivers. Win10 is a dream, at least on the few computers I've tested. Just image computer A and restore the image to computer B. Nothing else is needed.

I've done this several times but today the following tests were performed. Computer A is my main computer with Win10 installed in MBR mode. Computer B is my test computer with Win10 installed in UEFI mode. Win10 on computer A was imaged with IFW.

The image from Computer A was restored to Computer B. The disk was converted to GPT. Win10 loaded normally and was automatically Activated as this computer had previously used an Activated Win10 OS.

The UEFI Win10 was restored to Computer B. The disk was converted to MBR. Win10 on computer B was imaged with IFL. (outside Windows as the BIOS wasn't changed to MBR)

The image from Computer B was restored to Computer A. Win10 loaded normally and was automatically Activated as this computer had previously used an Activated Win10 OS.

Is it possible to perform a clean install of Win10 via the free upgrade offering for Win7 and Win8.1 users?  I'm currently running Win8.1 and thought the upgrade route was the only option.

Christer wrote on Jul 17^th, 2016 at 3:23am:


That would be my interpretation of what Brian is doing. (I believe he's away this week, but he'll probably fill in the details when he gets back.)

A partition, whether GPT or MBR, is just a group of disk sectors, and Windows doesn't really care which partitioning scheme it runs on. Once Windows boots, all partitions look the same to Windows--just blocks of a certain number of sectors starting at a particular absolute sector number. That's how partitions are defined in the [MountedDevices] registry key. They're not defined in the registry as GPT, MBR, primary or extended.

The difference between GPT and MBR isn't the partitions themselves, it's the layout scheme describing how to find them. Windows is only concerned with GPT/MBR to the extent, during the boot process, of determining the appropriate scheme to follow to locate where those blocks of sectors are that make up the partitions.

Thus, there's really no substantive difference between an image of a GPT partition vs. a MBR partition. They're both just images of a groups of sectors.

On several occasions I have converted Win8.x/10 systems from GPT to MBR by imaging the GPT OS partition, erasing the hard disk to remove the GPT layout, recreating MBR partitions, then restoring the OS image to one of the new partitions. (As you may guess, I prefer MBR partition layouts over GPT.) Partitions are partitions, so it works fine--and it doesn't surprise me at all that Brian has gone back and forth between GPT and MBR partitioning schemes without a problem.

Caveat: you may have to edit the BCD so that Windows knows were you moved itself to, depending on how the original BCD was configured and whether or not auxiliary partitions are being used (SRP, EFI, MSR, etc.) and where they are. But again, that issue is the same whether you're using GPT or MBR.

I think the intriguing part of Brian's post was Win10's flexibility in dealing with dissimilar hardware, not the GPT vs MBR issue.

I've read some who upgrade to Win10 have problems reverting to Win7 or Win8.1 when problems are encountered with Win10.  Would simply restoring a backup image of my Win8.1 avoid such problems should Win10 problems arise, or is there another good method to return to the previous OS if needed?

My Win8.1 is OEM, and I have it setup to dual boot WinXP.  Will I still be able to dual boot after upgrade, or do I need to somehow convert current Win8.1 from GPT to MBR layout?  Also will reverting to Win8.1 by restoring its image still work if my system is currently GPT?

I think I may have an MBR system after all because I remember running commands like "Fix MBR" from the WinXP recovery console.  Is there a way to determine which system type I have?  Have you any idea when Brain will be back?

I can tell you what was done if that might help determine system type.  I'm sure I don't use BCD since Windows Setup is the only thing I've used to setup systems.  I was multi-booting Win98/Win2k/WinXP until about 3 years ago when motherboard was upgraded that no longer supports Windows older than WinXP.  About 2 years ago I did a clean install of Win8.1 and setup the dual boot wonXP/Win8.1.  At that time BIOS SATA setting had to be set to IDE mode in order for WinXP to boot.  However, I noticed recently that setting was changed to AHCI mode, and WinXP still boots.  I don't know if a Windows update could have made the change from IDE to AHCI, but I did not change it myself.  This may be more detail than needed, but I hope it's useful info.

Quote:


If Win8.1 is anything like Win7 in this respect:

I run a dual boot of WinXP and Win7. WinXP went on first and the HDD was partitioned in three, two primary partitions (XP and 7) and an extended with a logical (data). When Win7 was installed, it created the dual boot.

With no free space on the HDD, a system reserved partition was not created. All those files ended up on the WinXP partition.

After having upgraded Win7 to Win10 and kept the dual boot, I created new images of both system partitions. I can't restore the original WinXP partition and the new Win10 partition. The system doesn't boot Win 10. They have to be synchronised.

My recommendation is to create two sets of images, one before and one after the upgrade to Win10.

According to the DonoftheDead reply at https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r30884335-WIN10-Win-10-Free-Upgrade-Ending-July... going back to Win7/8.1 from a Win10 upgrade after 7/29 would require purchase of a new license.  Does anybody know if that is true and if it applies even if Win7/8.1 images are restored instead of using the Windows reversion option?  In that same thread it is stated there is no control over Windows updates in Win10?  Is this true?