[SOLVED] How do I use a Windows 7 C Drive image on a Windows 10 laptop?

[Anonymuss]

I recently had the power supply on my Lenovo G700 kick the bucket. I replaced it with a MSI GF63, and since I had been backing up my now-dead laptop with Macrium Reflect, I have the image of the C Drive from my old system.

However, the MSI is Windows 10 system, and the Lenovo is a Windows 7. Will applying a Windows 7 image to a Windows 10 system cause any issues?

 

[Darkbreeze]

You can't. The image will not have the required driver support, both because the drivers already installed on the image will lack them AND because there are ZERO Windows 7 drivers for that laptop's and it's hardware.

Basically, and literally, Windows 7 is not supported on the GF63, and that holds true for the majority of new or recently new hardware. Windows 7 is dead, and no longer supported by Microsoft for consumers.

Windows 7, without some kind of custom drivers and extensively involved process getting it to all work, is very unlikely to be tenable on that system. Plus, transferring an OS image from one device to another never, or rarely, works out anyhow, unless the two devices have the exact same or at least VERY similar hardware, and those do not.

You would be wise to simply use the Windows 10 installation on the current device as is, and reinstall any programs or games you need to, or do a clean install of the Windows 10 OS on that device and then also reinstall any games or applications you require. Then, if there are any specific files or folders you need from the saved drive or image, you can always extract those but you cannot simply copy installed applications from one installation of Windows to another as you would with say, a steam folder. Won't work. Too many registry entries involved.

 

[Anonymuss]

Disclaimer: I've been making images with Macrium Reflect as backups for a while, but this is my first time needing to use them.

What's the best way to extract my apps/settings/programs/etc data from my C image without actually putting it on my MSI?

 

[TerryLaze]

You can't. The image will not have the required driver support, both because the drivers already installed on the image will lack them AND because there are ZERO Windows 7 drivers for that laptop's and it's hardware.

You can't as a physical OS but you can make a VM and assign the whole disk to it,since VMs emulate very basic hardware the generic windows drivers will get you at least into windows.

I recently had the power supply on my Lenovo G700 kick the bucket. I replaced it with a MSI GF63, and since I had been backing up my now-dead laptop with Macrium Reflect, I have the image of the C Drive from my old system.

However, the MSI is Windows 10 system, and the Lenovo is a Windows 7. Will applying a Windows 7 image to a Windows 10 system cause any issues?

If you just want to get some files boot up into windows 10 and the windows 7 drive will show up as a normal drive so you can copy all your data.
If you have really important stuff on there do a copy of your backup before you do anything.

 

[USAFRet]

Disclaimer: I've been making images with Macrium Reflect as backups for a while, but this is my first time needing to use them.

What's the best way to extract my apps/settings/programs/etc data from my C image without actually putting it on my MSI?

settings and programs from that WIn 7 Image absolutely will not work on a Win 10 install.

What are you actually wanting to do with that Win 7?

 

[Anonymuss]

If you just want to get some files boot up into windows 10 and the windows 7 drive will show up as a normal drive so you can copy all your data.

Even with the Win 7 Drive still as an image?

If you have really important stuff on there do a copy of your backup before you do anything.

I always do.

What are you actually wanting to do with that Win 7?

Now that I know I can't just image it, I want to be able to access it as a drive so I can go through, check what programs and settings I have, and then manually add those to my Windows 10 laptop.

 

[TerryLaze]

Even with the Win 7 Drive still as an image?

If it is a .vhd file you can use windows disk management to add the file as a normal drive.On the right side there is a more actions options which has an atach VHD option.

 

[USAFRet]

Now that I know I can't just image it, I want to be able to access it as a drive so I can go through, check what programs and settings I have, and then manually add those to my Windows 10 laptop.

As a Macrium Reflect image, you can mount that Image as a drive letter, and poke around in it like that.