How can I restore Server 2008 disk image to newer hardware, different CPU's, etc.?

Question

Have an older PC running Windows Server 2008. Can I restore an Acronis backup image of this system onto newer hardware with radically different components?

Answer 1

As long as you're not switching between incompatible processor architectures (e.g. from Itanium to x86) it's rather likely you'll be able to restore your old installation of Server 2008 to newer hardware. After cloning the OS to the newer machine, Windows will re-detect most of the hardware when you start up the new box.

A few tips to improve your chances of a successful migration:

• Make a backup of the old machine before making any changes to it. Use disk imaging software such as CloneZilla to get an exact bit-for-bit copy of the disk.

• Confirm drivers compatible with Server 2008 are available for the new machine's hardware.

• Pre-install the disk controller drivers required by the new machine on the old computer before making the image you'll transfer to the new computer. The inability to load the correct storage controller driver often prevents an operation like this from succeeding.

Bottom line is that you'll just have to try.

Another option worth considering is converting the old server into a virtual machine, which will run fine on newer hardware. SysInternals Disk2VHD is an excellent tool for doing this.