how to re-image current gen Lenovo X1 Carbon

If you image the laptop to a VM ,it won't activate as the OS is licensed to the BIOS.
To accomplish something like this you would need a VL license to do what you want.

The are many products that allow for imaging and reimaging,but using a BIOS keyed OS is not one of them.

Use Veeam Endpoint to create a V2P works very well!

Please see my EE article I wrote step by step tutorial with screenshots

https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/28939/HOW-TO-Perform-a-Physical-to-Virtual-P2V-Conversion-the-easy-way-from-a-computer-backup-image.html

One is the main partition - do as you wish. One is the recovery partition - keep this, One is UEFI - Do NOT delete this.

I am typing this on my X1 Carbon 4th

@John

I have the following partitions on the laptop:

1: System (FAT32 LBA) Primary| 2: unformatted Primary | 3: Windows c:\ NTFS Primary | 4: WinRE_DRV

in my VM:

1: (FAT32 LBA) Primary | 2: C:\ NTFS Primary


So I can replace #1 on laptop with #1 from VM and #3 on laptop with #2 from VM?

Thanks,

@Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert / EE MVE^2)

Thanks, I am trying to do V2P to a laptop.  

I already have a VM with Windows 10 right now but I will save your article since I think I can use it for something else.

Thanks,

@pgm554

I am trying to use a generic installation of windows 10 (from a VM) and apply it to a laptop to overwrite the existing installation.  not taking the laptop OS and using it in a VM

Also, the laptop is EFI and GPT, do I have to have the same or can I use MBR and overwrite the GPT partitions ?

just to confirm,

I have the following partitions on the laptop:

1: System (FAT32 LBA) Primary| 2: unformatted Primary | 3: Windows c:\ NTFS Primary | 4: WinRE_DRV

I can overwrite  #1 and #3 right?

Thanks,

@John Thanks.

I am in the process of re-creating my VM again in EFI and GPT now.  then will backup the laptop and try to overwrite partitions 2 and 3.  Also, I think Windows 10 will auto activate on this laptop right? I think the key is in the bios?

@John

Correct, #2 has no label

@John

Ok, so after I image the laptop, it will be able to connect to the server (once networking is setup) and be able to activate?

@John, thanks.  will report back

MBR

Why ? That laptop needs UEFI for the Lenovo pre boot, at least mine does

I can change MBR or UEFI in our Lenovo

What benefit does UEFI give you

We have some MBR and some UEFI

All work and BOOT

Windows 10

I realize you can do this  but finger print reader works in BIOS before Windows starts

Oh fingerprint reader!

Yup and there is graphical text and error messages

Fingerprint reader does not work for us!

Therefore of no use!

Guys,

so the imaging worked and the laptop boots.

some issues:
- default recovery partition no longer works. I did not overwrite the recovery partition
- in Windows 10, there is a strange drive with no name but with the drive letter Z and it seems to be a mount of a temp folder.  it does not appear in disk management and I see files getting created and deleted.  It shares the same space as the c:\ partition.
- there is 500Mb which I cannot recovery even after trying to change the partitions with AOEMI partition software.

Other than that, system works and boots.  I used a util to get the OEM key from bios and activated windows with the OEM key.

Thanks,

@Andrew

Yes, the recovery partition is redundant since I can just re-deploy the image if anything happens.  

I will try that method on next deployment.  Laptops have been deployed and besides those listed issues, it boots, I was able to activate windows.

Thanks everyone!

used suggestions by members and I was able to image and get it working

Thanks for the update and I was happy to help alongside the others here.