JSI Tip 1109. How do I "transfer" Windows NT to new hardware?

The following procedure may required some tweaking in your environment:

01. Run RDISK /S.

02. Install a temporary copy of Windows NT on the existing hardware, on any drive, but into TEMPNT.

03. Do a full backup of everything by booting to TEMPNT (You don't have to backup TEMPNT).

04. If you have multiple drives, or partitions, on the new hardware, install a copy of Windows NT to a non-SystemRoot drive letter, and use it format the SystemRoot partition with the allocation unit you desire.

05. Install a copy of Windows NT on the new hardware, using the same driver letter as the original install (step 04), but into ALTNT. Apply your latest Service Pack and hardware hotfixes.

06. Restore the backup from step 03 onto the new hardware. Note that ALTNT is no longer re-bootable due to restoring c:boot.ini.

07. Make a copy of ALTNTRepairsetup.log and change all occurences of ALTNT to WINNT (to make step 08 easier).

08. Use FC /C /L /N WINNTRepairsetup.log Copy of ALTNTRepairsetup.log to help identify the differences in hardware related entries (device drivers, hal, kernel).

09. Replace the hardware related entries in WINNTRepairsetup.log with those for the new hardware.

10. Use tip 182 to disable (tip 0324) or remove (tip 0027) the replaced device drivers. Add entries for the new device drivers (inspect the ALTNT registry).

11. Copy hardware related files from ALTNT to WINNT (as referenced in Copy of ALTNTRepairsetup.log).

12. Boot your normal install. If it won't boot, do an update install of Windows NT (don't forget that SP2+ requires setupdd.sys to be copied to diskette 2).

13. Re-apply your latest Service Pack and Hotfixes.

14. Delete ALTNT (and the installation from step 04, unless you want to alter c:boot.ini to make it bootable).

15. Use Disk Administrator (Windisk.exe) to save your configuration (Partition / Configuration / Save).

16. Run RDISK /S.

17. Do whatever testing you desire to feel comfortable that the above has indeed worked.

18. Do a full backup.

19. Say Thank you (for not making this a Subscriber tip).

NOTE: If you have a Service Pack Uninstall folder, it ( and Hotfix folders) have not been updated to reflect new hardware.

NOTE: If you don't have a backup device, you can use SCOPY and PERMCOPY and some manual setting of printer share permissions, to move things over the network, while booted to TEMPNT and ALTNT. I can't believe you consider your installation important enough to transfer, but not important enough to backup?????).