We recently had an experience of the joys of a bare metal restore on a small scale. We had a full system backup made with Microsoft�s NTBACKUP program. Here�s what should have happened, according to Microsoft:

Install Windows XP
Restore full system backup, overwriting system files.
Reboot
Repair the XP installation from an installation CD to update windows to match hardware. (Note, do NOT use the Repair console � take the subsequent option to repair an existing installation instead of overwriting it).
Reactivate Windows
Here�s what actually happens:

You install Windows XP on the replacement hardware.
You use NTBACKUP to restore everything, overwriting system files.
You reboot.
As instructed, you repair the XP installation from an installation CD to update windows to match the new hardware.
You find Windows won�t run because it isn�t activated. When you try and activate it, you get an error message telling you the program MSOOBE.EXE has crashed.
You spend several hours searching the web. You find that MSOOBE.EXE is a Microsoft Program called ironically �Microsoft Out of the Box Advantage�. You find that Microsoft has a lot of information about making backups with NTBACKUP.EXE, but almost nothing about restoring a system from backups.
Finally you find this helpful posting from Kunal Mudliyar of Pune, India http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/genuinewindowsxp/thread/9e2a22a4-429e-4abc-9f8e-1735e46fb0c4
You boot Windows in Safe Mode, find the hidden spuninst.exe program in the hidden folder c:\windows\ie7\spuninst and uninstall Internet Explorer 7.
You reboot windows in normal mode and activate it.
You reinstall Internet Explorer 7.
A day has elapsed. You leave Windows updating itself and adjourn to the pub.
�Between the idea, And the reality � Falls the Shadow�.