Restore, Refresh, reload Win 8.1 after hardrive in multiple similar Thinkpads

All -

This is the deal...

Had a Thinkpad T-61 with partitioned Disk 0 into logical disks C: (System other stuff - no hidden partition), D: (disk images, data back up), E: reload programs and drivers. (WD SATA 320GB, 8 GB new RAM)

System was drowned in unknown "goo" and was essentially DOA - no power, no battery indicators.

Harddrive was swapped into my T-61p, and after doing a system enumeration, harddive proved to be uncorrupted (whew) - at least 12 hrs of config not blown, and data saved.

New T-61 base purchased (virtually identical to old one), LCD screen swapped, and after putting original harddrive, went through new enumeration as , of course, machine now "looked different" and did the Activation dance for both Win 8.1 and Office 2013.

The problem - looking in the registry it looks like I have 3 different "hardware profiles".  However, "hardware profiles" with ditched starting with Vista.  What I find is the wireless card is now Card #2 (not 3 as mine was an Intel BGN, not a BG), Wireless devices at now Wi-Fi 3 (not Wi-Fi) as is appears machine thinks there are 3 different hardware profiles, although only one is real.  Looking at the Registry, it is clear there are multiple entries, I assume each time the harddrive was inserted for test purposes, and finally in the  repaired machine with new mobo, etc.

Question - can these now "bogus" profiles be deleted or overwritten somehow to make this into a "clean machine".  In XP, this would have been  easy - get rid of the "obsolete" hardware profiles.  In 8.1 can one do this with a Restore, Refresh or, worst option (and I have done this) Reinstall 8.1 and everything else on the C: partition.  (Good thing - this is someone else Thinkpad with Office 2013, and maybe  10 other programs including utils, AV, and all data backed up; it's not mine, a T-61p used intensively as a development machine for Oracle, SQL-Server, MySQL, etc.)

Fortunately, the Thinkpads seem to be indestructible (T-61), and not like the old company Toshiba's that they had a stack of 15 in various stages of rebuilds/repairs for which I burned a series compatible XP disk image that just required a data reload.

Thanks in advance!!!
  • Edited by qudrcps Sunday, March 08, 2015 10:17 PM
March 8th, 2015 10:16pm

Hi,

System refresh would reserve user profile, it would be better to make system refresh to remove everything also contains User profile and settings, it equals to reinstall system.

Since your person data already backed up, it would be better to make a system reset to clear these old profiles.

You can refer to the contents below for more details about system refresh, reset, restore:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc

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March 9th, 2015 6:38am

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