How to get my Vista onto a new hard drive?

trickshot63

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Jun 24, 2011
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18,510
Can anyone tell me the easiest way to transfer my Windows Vista system from my dying hard drive to a new one. The product key on the bottom is worn and I can only ready about 70 percent of it, so a complete reinstall is out of the question. At the moment my old hard drive is fully accessible so at least I have that going for me. I tried to use one of those (product key) finding programs but it doesn't find the actual key that's on the bottom of the laptop, so that is out of the question. What's the fastest and easiest technique to get me back going again without having to order new disks? Could I do some sort of cloning technique, would that also transfer my embedded and inaccessible product key to the new hard drive? Thank you very much for your help.
 

trickshot63

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Jun 24, 2011
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Ok tell me how to prove it and I will. I don't think I'm asking anything illegal here. I'm simply asking how to get my genuine Windows system that has a genuine product key (encrypted somewhere) onto my new hard drive, without having to buy the recovery disks.
 

trickshot63

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Jun 24, 2011
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One more question...if you have a sec. Could I just create a set of system recovery disks and use those to set up my new drive?