Cloning 6 identical pc's from one reference pc with win 7 home premium

[MrBigL]

Hi all. Got a small challenge. I bought 6 identical win 7 tablet pc's. (Acer Iconia W501) one for each of us in the famliy. They come with a lot of crapware and the initial startup - process and cleaning took forever.
Now my neighbor want the same setup. All the computers are exactly identical. Before we had Windows XP machines and by using the cloning software from Easeus I took ,from just one of the pc's, a complete C : Partion sector copy to an external USB harddrive. Then using a Easeus boot cd on any of my other identical XP machines I could simply clone this single copy back to any of the identical xp machines, and they would work fine.
The question is then : Is this possible with Windows 7 home premium machines ? They all have their seperate windows license, so will 6 identical cloned machines be able to work. Can windows "feel" that it is not the original windows it came with, but the system software from its "sister".
I am reluctant to just try it out, since none of the new tablets came with a Windows 7 install disc.
Once im a through the startup cloning, can I rely on this one copy to be enough for future rescue-clonings ? or do I need to take a clone of each pc ?
I realise that this may be sort of a unique problem but hope that someone will know !
Thank You for any help.

 

[clifford_cooley]

The way I see it you have one of two different options.

1. Clone each one independently
2. Clone them before activation for one master clone

Its the activation key that defines them differently from one another. If you clone the OS before activation, you can then activate them independently after restoration.

There is also a third option but I'm not certain every install has the option to change product keys. Thats not to mention the fact, you would have to remember to do so after each restoration.

1. Press "Windows Key + Pause"
2. Where is says "Windows activation", look for a link that says "Change product key"

.

 

[MrBigL]

The way I see it you have one of two different options.

1. Clone each one independently
2. Clone them before activation for one master clone

Its the activation key that defines them differently from one another. If you clone the OS before activation, you can then activate them independently after restoration.

There is also a third option but I'm not certain every install has the option to change product keys. Thats not to mention the fact, you would have to remember to do so after each restoration.

1. Press "Windows Key + Pause"
2. Where is says "Windows activation", look for a link that says "Change product key"

.

thx Clifford. Its dosent seem to be necessary to activate them. None of the original 6 tablets (running for 4 months) has required any activation. I dont know if they come pre-activated or they simply dont have that requirement ? when I turn them on, for the first time.. they go through the process with accepting license-terms, choosing timezone, wifi and so on, But no activation. The idea was also to have the reference model cleaned from all the crapware and installl al the stuff I actually want them to have, and then create a master clone.
The trick with WinKey-Pause was unkown to me, Ill test that. Thank You for Your inputs

 

[clifford_cooley]

I dont know if they come pre-activated or they simply dont have that requirement ?
....
The trick with WinKey-Pause was unkown to me, Ill test that. Thank You for Your inputs

They do require activation. If you purchase a computer with Windows already installed, it usually comes pre-activated.

If interested, here is a list of other Keyboard Shortcuts