Software to Restore Disk Image (or Actual HDD) to Computer Running Different OS

Laplink Software, Inc. announced PCmover Image Assistant, a software capable of restoring a disk image (or the actual hard drive itself) to a computer running a different operating system.

“Disk imaging software started out with a simple concept – make an image; restore an image,” said Randy Clark, Laplink’s Chief Operating Officer. “The problem, of course, was the ‘restore’ had to be to the same computer. Technology has since advanced, and now some disk imaging software allows for a so-called ‘hardware independent’ restoration. In other words, you can take the image of one PC and then restore that image to a completely different PC. But the catch is that you restore everything, including the operating system. Laplink is changing this.”

As its name suggests, PCmover Image Assistant is built upon Laplink’s proprietary technology used in the family of PCmover products.

“We’ve leveraged our core PCmover technology to create a product that allows for direct access to an image or actual hard drive, which can then be restored to a PC even if the operating systems are different,” continued Clark. “The result is image restoration that is independent of operating systems. So you can take the image of a PC running Windows XP and restore that image to a different computer running Windows 7.”

Laplink’s PCmover is the only way to move files, settings, and even programs from an old PC to a new one – with no reinstallation of programs required.

PCmover Image Assistant is designed to work with your favorite imaging software. The requirements are that the image to be restored must be able to be read by the Windows File System; and, the PC accepting that image must be pathed to the location of the image.

“Another benefit offered by PCmover Image Assistant is complete control over image restoration, including application restoration selectivity and the ability to reverse the entire process,” explained Clark. “The user has significant control, much more so than is typical in disk imaging software.”

PCmover Image Assistant will be released during the second quarter of 2010 with a suggested retail price of $39.95. In addition to selling PCmover Image Assistant as a standalone product, complementing the imaging software an end user already owns, Laplink anticipates licensing this technology to disk imaging companies worldwide.