"I own and recommend a copy of Acronis True Image. It allows you to create a complete image of your hard drive and restore it to another new drive very easily.
When restoring it to a new PC with a different motherboard, video card etc, upon restarting Windows will complain and sometimes blue screen.
To get around this you can boot from the Windows XP CD and choose to ""Repair the installation"". This will update / replace drivers with correct ones for the new hardware.
Alternatively, Acronis also offer a ""Universal Restore"" that is an add-on that automatically ensures your image is compatible with your new hardware.
I don't work for Acronis and have nothing to do with them apart from being a customer who is generally pleased with Acronis TrueImage (I still use version 8 and have no reason to upgrade)."
Best approach would be to install on the new machine (assuming it isn't pre-loaded), and then use the "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" to transfer your personal settings and files.
