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My wife got a new laptop and she wants her setup on laptop A to be the same as laptop B. She's not very technical and I'm dangerously lazy.
What program would you recommend us use to transfer everything (OS, settings, accounts, etc.) over to the new machine with the least fuss?
Thanks!
For me the one with the best results with least effort would be - Acronis True Image
I would also recommend Genie Backup Manager Home 8.0.
http://islanddog.impulsedriven.net/article/324857/Genie_Backup_Manager_Home_80_Walkthrough
You should just be able to make a complete backup of one PC, and restore on the other.
I've used both Acronis and Genie... but nao I use Genie. I recommend it +++++
Does Acronis allow selective imaging now? As I'd think a full disk image isn't going to cut it here, since windows OEM keys (OEM windows won't activate on a different mobo from that it came with/was first installed to, unless you're lucky to get a very generous rep on the phone-in) and laptop drivers will vary.
Disk Imaging is intended for the same system, not a second/different computer. As Kryo said the Win OS will expect the same hardware 'string' ID so there'll likely be an activation issue, even if the Laptops are identical make/model.
Windows has its own 'migration' proggy/option but whether it's the best/ideal I've never used it to know.
This sounds like a 'job- for- yrag' ...;)
As Jafo said, disk imaging is used for backing up the existing system or rolling out several workstations that all use the same hardware. You can use tools built into windows like the files & settings transfer wizard, I've used it with some success. But seriously, all you probably need to back up is the user's my documents folders, favorites folder, desktop shortcuts folders, if you use outlook, you want to go into the application data folder and copy the microsoft\outlook folder to copy over address book, ost files if necessary, personal address book & personal folder files (.pst) and then copy them over to the new system. Installed software will need to be re-installed on the new machine. Fairly simple processes even for those that are "dangerously lazy" - LOL!
Get 'er done! 
Yes, but Brad sets an entirely whole new standard for 'dangerously lazy' ....;)
There is a solution to the 'different mobo' but the extra steps would defeat the 'I'm dangerously lazy.' condition.
http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/support/kb/topics/Products/cid/184/articles/502/
You caved and bought her a new laptop did ya, and all she had to do is write an article showing how much faster your laptop was compared to hers. Watch out for the article on how slow her car is compared to yours.
If you don't mind spending 110.00 bucks on the workstation version of Acronis with the universal restore add on, you can restore an HD image to a completely different hardware configuration. http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/products/ATICW/index.html
Could you take the drive out of the new lappy and drop it in an enclosure and then take the HD from the old one and put it in th e new? YOu might have to reactivate but that's super easy.
True Image has selective backup imaging. "B" came with an OEM key. Image settings files from "A" and blow it in "B".
What I would do..... (well not really.......I'm too OCD ....but we can pretend...hehe)
warning : this may be too much work for some....
1. Boot the new laptop, then install and run DriverMagician to extract and save the drivers for the new hardware to a self-installing .exe file and copy to a USB stick.
2. Take the HD out of the new laptop and (assuming you have a notebook USB enclosure) place the new HD in said enclosure.
3. Download, run and install DriveSnapshot on the old laptop and take a complete image of the old notebook while running Windows.
4. Connect the new HD (now in a USB enclosure) to the old notebook via USB
5. Run DriveSnapshot again and RESTORE the image to the newly connected new HD.
6. Copy the self-extracting DriverMagician .EXE file from the USB stick to the newly imaged HD.
7. Remove the new HD from the USB enclosure and re-install into new notebook.
8. Boot, and run the driver self-extracting .EXE file to re-install all needed drivers.
9. Reboot the system.
Should work like a charm..... I'm sorry Brad......I couldn't shorten the steps any further......hehe
the Monk
*sigh*.....no EDIT button again...
I meant to add, that if the new system doesn't boot after imaging from the old to the new (ie. the hardware is just too different) you may need to run an OS repair and then do the driver re-install using the self-extracting .EXE.
Of course you might end up doing what I would really do. Painstakingly setting up the new machine and letting your wife know the time you're investing in her by doing so... hehe
I doubt that windows would even boot into safe mode if you did this because of the hardware differences.
Even if you then took out your install cd for the OS and attempted a repair, I doubt it would still work and if it did, "IF"... I'm sure it would be flaky.
- Just back up the personal stuff, my docs, favorites, desktop shortcuts, etc. and restore those on the new machine - that seriously would be the quickest way to go. Yes you may have to re-install some software but it is least painful method.
Shadows Protect! In my opinion, it's better than Ghost and Acronis. It also has a "Independent Hardware restore" option that will allow you to restore the image on a computer with different hardware. Pretty slick!
Sorry for not getting to this sooner, but I wanted to test it before I said anything. You need to prevent the BSOD that comes with moving the HD or image over. Once done, you can just load up the new drivers.
1. Boot up your original laptop.
2. Go to your Hardware Settings and look up your IDE settings. You'll have something like Primary IDE Channel, Secondary IDE Channel and VIA Bus Master IDE Controller. Change all 3 drivers to Standard IDE Controller. (You'll need to choose the driver from the list. Don't let the OS auto detect it.)
3. Move the HD or take an image of it and move it to the new laptop.
4. Boot up and install the new drivers.
My Gawd floks! Get an external USB drive cradle, pop out the old hard drive, drop the drive into the cradle, plug the drive cradle into the new laptop's USB and transfer anything or everything you want directly from the drive.
After that if you still feel the need to image the old drive, you can do that while it's cradled to the new laptop too.
And if you're really lazy, you can boot from the cradled drive as well, otherwise it's just external mass storage.
No muss, no fuss, no software, no having to figure things out, just plug and friggin play!
K.I.S.S.
Well my philosophy on new drives has always been: backup and move over stuff you can think of. The rest you didn't need anyway if it didn't pop into your head to back up 
Definitely fits the lazy thing...
Simple perhaps, but it won't work. Not unless the new laptop is identical to the old one. You won't be able to boot from the old drive. You also can't simply transfer programs and expect them to work. Same with the configuration that Frogboy wants to migrate. The only thing you could transfer that way is the basic data.
Unless your OS is Windows 98 or earlier. In that case, I'd use a hammer. 
Worked for me when I migrated from XP to Vista.
But then, that's just me.
And course you can't transfer applications and expect them to work, that's all install and OS registry.
Well yea but that's the point of cloning. Being able to clone a hard drive to another precisely so I don't have to reinstall all my programs.
Even so, it generally won't work if the hardware is too different.
Not reliably, anyway.
Cloning is more for building multiple computers with identical hardware specs, or as a backup for the current system.
You can try this software: http://www.novadevelopment.com/products/us/tzw/default.aspx.
I've never tried it, but it seems to be an interesting one. 
I've found that the easiest way to move your stuff to a new machine is copy/paste. That is of course if you've been keeping your personal files in a single, well organized location. But you've been doing that, right? 
Settings from various programs is a different story. I've tried a few software packages that claim to do this for you seamlessly, but none were compatible with all of the programs that I use. But then again, since I'm re-installing those on the new machine from scratch, fiddling with their settings doesn't takes much longer. Most have their own Export/Import Settings option anyways.
It usually doesn't take me more than 2 days to move to a brand new machine. That includes a complete wipe of the Hard Drive to clear out the pre-installed crap, installation of Windows (and Ubuntu on a dual-boot) and all the software I use.
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