Windows XP OEM and installing from disk image

I have two computers, a DELL DIMENSION 4600 and an HP PAVILION 7966, on which I want to reformat the hard drives and reinstall Windows. Each computer has its own OEM installation disk for Windows XP.

Since I want to back each system up as a disk image after installing SP2, etc., I would love to be able to use the backup from one to install on the other and save a whole lot of time. If I use disk imaging software that lets me leave out the drivers and not copy the free space (I recall that Norton Ghost has those options), would I be able to use the disk image from one computer to set up the other one? And then install the drivers?

One thing makes me think not: Because the HP crashed, I put its hard drive in the Dell (disconnected the Dell’s original hard drive) and tried using the Dell CD to reformat it. But I got a message that read something like “Owner ID not found.” (The HP CD won’t format it, either; I get a blue screen Stop message. I’m planning to try Ultimate Boot CD and the tools on it. I also need to do some diagnostics on the hardware, because I think there may be either a power supply problem or a bad motherboard.)

Any help is much appreciated.

 

There is also the Windows activation issue to consider.

 

Thanks for the reply, Just Playin'.

I don't know, but I would have guessed that the Windows activation code gets stored on the hard drive after it's been entered, and so would get included in the disk image made of the hard drive. Do you know whether that's true or not?

 

I believe it is stored in the somewhere in the Windows directory. I think you will run into far too many hardware, registry, driver, and other issues for this to be a good idea. Not all shortcuts are a good idea.