tweedo Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Hi! Cool to be here. Here's what I'm puzzling on doing, and REALLY could use some GURU advice:Plan to Ghost clone the boot drive. Works yet the User1 needs to be User2 named. PC1's Boot drive can be same as PC2's boot drive. From what I have deduced I need the best way to change: the user name [thoroughly] ; PC name [easy?]; Mac address; SID?; Static IP address [easy?]; and anything else I've missed. :)Need to have PC1 with it's 200 gig boot drive with my XP professional Cloned [ghost boot floppy I guess, unless better idea?] and be useable on PC2 which is an IDENTICAL machine in EVERY respect.I'm not doing anything clever like domains etc. though I BET some of the gurus here can easily help me enjoy getting this REALLY right.Here's what I may have deduced as being part of the info needed to comment, if you could:1) My linksys router currently has PC1 and PC2 BLOCKED from using the internet [mac address AND Static IP address are tryped into the routes BLOCK page. [EG IP. 192.168.1.120] I have a 3rd PC that ONLY accesses the net, though I need to have PC1 and PC2 on the LAN.2) PC1 [named PC1] is a very stock XP pro install with it's ONLY adimn user called USER1.3) PC2 [named PC2] is a very stock XP pro install with it's ONLY adimn user called USER2.Is there an order of events to follow. I'm cool with Ghost 2003 boot floppy and that works fine.Could anyone tell me the elegant and slick way to do this cloning on a daily or every couple of days basis. And the pitfalls. Not up on SID thing at all yet. BIG ONE is that: >> I've had MAJOR pains before not being able to delete users from the my documents folder etc. Just wanna do something about the fact that the USER1 in gonna be cloned over to PC2 and USER1 and should be USER2... That one scares me as dusty bit bug me, and I'm ignorant about it so far. Is it a registry write thing? Can this be done totally cleanly?The nitty gritty cleanest geekiest details is what my search is about so if anyone can help as this is a real big one for me to sort out.Best wishes to ALL... MASSIVE thanks.... it's been a LONG week of working this one thru...Hey, it's all getting pretty cool these days isn't it!!!tweedo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweedo Posted July 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Hi again....did some studying and the above post is redundant I think. Couldn't find a way to edit it. Sorry. Here's what I think now.------------------Now I WANT to have as much the same as possible between two IDENTICAL PCs with each running a clone of the others boot drive. SO: PC1 would have Same MAC address, SID, Single USER though different Static IP addresses and Computer name.My router Linksys blocks both IP address and Mac address from accessing the internet on both these PCs [i have one other PC that goes on the net.] THOUGH: I need them all on the LAN for simple files transfers etc.SO: the benefit of the Mac [and SID?] being the same is all programs would run??? Is this right I wonder. ALSO: I think it's ok to have just one user across all three PCs? Same name that is. WHEN I come the PC1 drive and Put it in the identical hardware'd PC2 I will need to change only the Computer name and the IP address... Can anyone tell me if this is right?I was worried about the user most of all then I found out, i think! THAT it's ojm to have the same user on my personal network the same on all 3 PCs. So cool that is. I'm thinking maybe the SID isn't a problem to change. Though if I change the Mac some programs might noyt run... Can anyone comment on this??Super thanks for amy help.Best wishes...!tweedo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Hi tweedo. If you need to edit, in future, just click on the blue Edit button under your summary panel on the left of your posing. It's to the right of the red Complaints button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 The EDIT button disappears after some 30 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow Man Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Acronis has a disk clone utility.I have used Norton Ghost to clone IBM machines before, and have not had any problems with MAC addresses. Every card will have a unique MAC address which is burned into the card and cannot be changed.When you image a machine, I believe the MAC address is read, and changed accordingly. You shouldn't have any problems there.The only thing I am unclear on is how are you going to have PC1 and PC2, with User1 and User2. When you clone, for example PC1, PC2 will have PC1's users and computer name. I believe the IP addresses are also cloned. MAC addresses are not.Does this help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuzzman Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 A MAC address is written into the specific NIC's firmware, and is thus hardware dependent. Depending on the driver of the NIC, it may be able to overcome this and clone the specific MAC. To check this, go to Start -> Control Panel -> Network & Internet Connections -> Network Connections. Right-click "Local Area Connection" and click the "Configure" button. Select the "Advanced" tab.In the options on this page, look for "Network Address" or "Locally Assigned Network Address". If you have either of these options, the MAC is cloneable. Otherwise, it's not.If it is cloneable, tick the "Value" box and type in the desired MAC address. Click OK all the way out. You're finished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweedo Posted July 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2005 WOW! Thank you all... this place is jumpin' ...! Back 2 work for a bit... wil read with Gratitude again later!NOTE: I've decided to user a generic 'admin' name as the user name for PC1 and PC2. Just my own little NWork so no probs? AND, I'll change the drive name AND most importantly the computer name and Static IP address after cloning....it's cool to have the same user name across mulitple PC's I expect?My concern, with my current knowledge/beliefs is about the MAC address / [sID too?] stopping certain installed programs from running IF it changes automagically, and wondering about any other power tips that might make me slicker.... I'm having no prob ghosting drives....tally ho!zzoooOOOOMMMMM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuzzman Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 it's cool to have the same user name across mulitple PC's I expect?Not if your concern is security... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweedo Posted July 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 No worries about security as these PC's are not on the net nor are they used by anyone but me. So using USER or something as the user name across both PC's is OK maybe.many thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.