HP says I cant use the restore to update to SSD in Pavilion dv7 6000

Was just on the phone with them and they would only advise me to get a retail copy to get the SSD up and running. Said the restore would not match the hardware ID and would fail. I asked aboout the software that comes from Intel to migrete the system and they said it would not work and I needed to byt the disc. Is this right? HP is always telling me things that are not right! I will never buy from them again. I know some of you have gone to SSD with these notebooks. Any help would be appreciated.

 

A clean install on SSD is always the best.

 

I agree that a clean install is alwaws the best method but how is a minimal restore different than a clean install? It is simply an image of the OS that I bought with the notebook. The only difference I know of is that it puts the restore software and HP tools on the harddrive or SSD in this case which I could remove after the fact if I so choose. The OS has to be the exact same as the retail version except for the tools and restore partition that HP includes in the image.

I am assuming that you are saying the restore system will not work if I read between the lines correctly here. What I am wondering is how many seem to have done this via the Acronis or other cloaning software. I understand that Intel has its own set of tools that includes a data migration tool to assist in transfer of the data from the old harddrive to the new SSD. Does this not work?

What the HP support person said in the live chat was " You can use the recovery disk to install the OS but most of the times it fails due to un matched hardware benchmark. The recovery disk is an image of the present hard drive with all installed application and when we try to restore, it checks from the same hardware ID and if there is a mismatch, the installation stops rather failing. " It does not seem that if this is the case that others would be able to clone their existing disk to their new SSD as many have stated that they have done.

If I must purchase another OS copy then so be it but that seems kind of redundant to me. If you migrate a OEM install to a new harddrive Microsoft will let you do it. Why not HP? Hope someone who has done this can give me a heads-up.

 

Also this policy makes no sense if your HD dies and you buy a different model HD (or SSD) but you can't reinstall the OS because of the hardware ID mismatch. Derp.

 

In my live chat session with HP the Rep said that I could get a HDD of the exact same that I have in my notebook if it should fail and the restore would work. But to my way of thinking that is unnecessarily restrictive. It seems that HP is geared to force you to buy new hardware as opposed to helping their custoemr through problem and along the upgrade path.

I wonder if there is any way to change the " hardware ID mismatch" and eliminate the problem. Microsoft can and does do this to help its customers upgrade hardware or replace hardware without forcing them to purchase a new OS Package.

 

Follow this guide to do a clean install...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq/120228-clean-vista-install-no-activation.html
-or-
http://directedge.us/content/installing-vista-clean-with-no-crapware

You need a key to activate Windows7, but if you don't have one, you can use this to test out Windows 7 for 120 days (using the rearm command)

NOTE: If you currently have an OEM activation (a factory installed Windows 7), then the easiest way to reactivate is to use this program ( ABR Beta With Windows 7 Support | directedge.us) to backup the activation before clean-installing and to restore the activation after clean-installing. This way, you will not have to use the key on the bottom of your laptop, and you will not have to call MicroSoft to activate windows.

Obtaining the windows 7 DVDs:
You download a fixed version iso, and use a configuration tool ( http://www.mydigitallife.info/creat...ction-on-install-with-ei-cfg-removal-utility/) to remove the ei.cfg file from it to allow for all version installation – To use this method, see the following link...
Download Windows 7 ISO (Official 32-bit and 64-bit Direct Download Links) « My Digital Life

 

Thanks Mort for the info. I saw that thread and thought about doing that since I do have an OEM disc the same as the system on my notebook that I could use the ABR Beta to activate.

I was thinking of getting the Intel 330 and Intel has data migration software for their SSD's and I was wondering if that worked. Anyone use it?

 

Since your existing hard drive is still working you can make a Windows system image and then restore that image to the SSD. This way your existing setup will be replicated to the SSD and your Windows activation will still be there.

You will need an external drive (or secondary internal drive if your system has one) with enough space to store the system image. Note that if your existing hard drive is larger than your SSD, you'll first have to use Computer Management (right-click on Computer in the Start menu) to shrink the partition so it will fit onto the SSD. You'll also need a System Repair disk (Windows will prompt you to create one when it finishes writing the image) or a Windows install disk to restore the image onto the SSD.

 

I saw somewhere on another discussion about images being transfered to a new ssd that it was better to perform a clean install since windows will have an opportunity to configure itself properly for the new SSD. Makes since that if you make an image of your system and transfer it that the SSD is not in the mix on that image.I suppose that windows would see that on first boot and look for the proper drivers if needed or reconfigure accordingly. I have used segate software to clone their harddrives before as a backup and found it to work well but I was not changing hardware and was using an identical spare harddrive. Hp stated that their restore software image would fail if you tried to install to any disc smaller than the original the system had also. They say no way to get around that but they dont always tell us the truth because they dont know it! Thanks for the input jimbob!

 

If I want to save the restore software that is on the existing harddrive in the notebook can I just copy it to another harddrive and later move it back if I should need it? Is there a reason to do that I wonder. Cant I get all that is on the disk from the HP support site? It would seem that some of that could be outdated that is on the HDD from its original configuration anyway. Who would off any guidance as to what I should think of saving and what I should trash that I dont need?