I need to create an image of a fully configured Windows 7 64bit laptop. By fully configured I mean it has Windows, MS Office 2010 and several other licensed applications on it like AutoCAD, SnagIT, SKetchUP, BLuebeamPDF, just to name a few.
I understand there are utilities in the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) called ImageX and Windows PE that will allow me to create and image.
What I don't understand is, how are licensed applications handled in an imaging process? In other words, if a computer image is a snapshot copy of a hard drive that is then placed on another hard drive as a copy, what about application licensing? I can't seem to get a solid answer to this on the internet.
I understand that there is what is called 'generalizing' the image, which means the SID and the computer name are not copied so that they can be created as new and not duplicate...but what about licensing? Help...
That depends on each application. Some publishers allow more than one installation per product key... but if they don't, then cloning the installation onto another machine would typically be a license violation. i.e. illegal.