Yes, you can transfer a Windows master drive from one laptop to several others.
Yes, you can transfer a Windows master drive from one laptop to several others.
Hey, a bunch of kids at the stem camp i work at installed some malware on 3 of our laptops. I was given the task of fixing it. ive already wiped all of them with windows recovery tool and im currently working on reninstaling and reconfiguring the apps and restrictions and accounts we had in place before (along with a decent antvirus, lesson learned). it would make my life a hundred times easyer if i could just copy this windows machine to all the others im working on. Is this possible? how can I do this? i worry about windows screaming at me for listens and this is my first major it task so i dont want to force my poor boss into buying all the windows os's back.
The optimal approach is to create an automated deployment system to handle installation tasks. Windows includes Defender, which should suffice for antivirus needs. Ensure users lack admin privileges and secure their accounts. The Windows key is likely linked to the laptop, preventing cloning during installs. If you duplicate an install, apply sysprep first (check the corresponding instructions). This process clears all system-specific identifiers.
Sysprep is built for this purpose. Set up a single system, add only what’s required, upgrade it, and then use sysprep to prepare the installation, finally deploying the prepped image to additional machines.
I made a video about this, but I'm not sure if I can link it here. You might want to look up Audit Deployment on YouTube. The part about imaging isn't visible in the clip, and there are plenty of ways to copy a drive available online.