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Thread ID: 108947	2010-04-18 04:48:00	Setting up multiple PCs	Tony (4941)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
877718	2010-04-18 04:48:00	This feels like a bit of a newbie question, but here goes: I'm involved with SeniorNet, and for reasons which I won't bother you with, our club may want to re-setup a whole bunch of Pcs (14 machines, 2 OS on each). If I can establish that they all have identical hardware (I think it is two sets of 7, actually), Can we set up 1 PC and then clone that setup onto each of the other ones? If so, how do we do it? What tool(s) (preferably free) would we need? Do they, in fact, have to have the hardware identical? I really don't fancy the idea of re-installing XP and Vista 14 times. :eek::yuck: - once will be quite enough.	Tony (4941)
877719	2010-04-18 04:50:00	I dont know about cloning since they'll probably wont have the same hardware, but then how are you going to activate them?	Speedy Gonzales (78)
877720	2010-04-18 05:03:00	I dont about cloning since they'll probably wont have the same hardware, but then how are you going to activate them?Good question - the same thing occurred to me. I don't know what sort of licence we have - whether it is one of those multiple machine thingies, or whether they are each separate licences. There might in fact be two identical sets of hardware, as the two sets of machines were sourced (two sets at two different times) at the same time from the same source - if you see what I mean. :)	Tony (4941)
877721	2010-04-18 05:07:00	Were both OS's installed on all of them originally?	Speedy Gonzales (78)
877722	2010-04-18 05:13:00	Were both OS's installed on all of them originally?I'm not sure exactly what you mean. On the newer group of machines, XP and Vista were almost certainly installed together. The other group originally had Win98 + XP, so Vista would have been installed at a later date to replace Win98. I don't know what the process was for those original installs - they were before my time at the club. We have a tame techo who does most of this stuff for us at mates rates (and, I am beginning to suspect, at mates rates quality) - I'm just trying to get info together before we approach him with what we want to do.	Tony (4941)
877723	2010-04-18 05:21:00	But, whoever didnt buy them from a shop with both OS's on them? Someone did this after the computers were purchased? And this tech was the person who gave you the copies of Vista / XP with whatever licence?	Speedy Gonzales (78)
877724	2010-04-18 05:35:00	But, whoever didnt buy them from a shop with both OS's on them? Someone did this after the computers were purchased? And this tech was the person who gave you the copies of Vista / XP with whatever licence? All good questions, and I don't know the answers. Thinking about it, even if the machines originally came pre-loaded with an OS, the addition of a second OS would have required a license of some sort. Obviously I need to find out what the exact situation is. Leaving aside for the moment the activation/licensing issue (which obviously will have to be resolved at some point), is my original query technically feasible?	Tony (4941)
877725	2010-04-18 05:39:00	If all of them, are identical, then you could probably clone one and put it on the rest. If theyre not then I would say no (if the hardware is different). It'll probably crash.	Speedy Gonzales (78)
877726	2010-04-18 05:43:00	For sure - I use g4u for this - see www.feyrer.de . If you want the PCs to join a domain you will need to use sysprep - this page tells you how to do it with XP and the other OSs are not much different. As mentioned, the hardware needs to be the same or very similar for this to work with MS operating systems.	johnd (85)
877727	2010-04-18 05:44:00	So what would be the process? Presumably we would need a bootable portable HDD with an OS and the cloning software on to clone on to, which would then be carted from machine to machine? Is that how it works? Can you recommend any cloning software?	Tony (4941)
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