" or ''hacks'' but since wndows 7 is now defunct, you may have some problems to do so with Msoft ??"
I gave up on Synology Business Backup. It just doesn't work with MBR very well at all. I grabbed Aoeme BackkerUpper and seemed to have made a good image and a Linux restoration environment that looks good. It is restoring on to the new "M6600" now. In about an hour, I should know the troubles I seek - lol.
I have re-activated XP license, actually relatively recently, within the last year, with Microsoft on a different MB (BUT VERY SIMILAR, IF NOT IDENTICAL SANS THE ETX Module) through automation. I remember calling their system. Years ago, I remember actually talking with someone explaining that the original industrial computer SBC burned up and getting them to let me re-activate XP. I have never had to do this with Windows 7 and I know it is a lot more picky than XP was.
It is a lot of work to re-installed a Windows 7 system from scratch and get all the support software from Agilent, National Instruments, Office, Tektronix, etc. to a workable state again and I am busier than sin right now.
I will get on EBAY and order a Windows 7 32 Bit Disk and License just in case. Hacking it sounds cool, but I have no idea how to do that. I better get another Office 2016 License too. It will probably mean another Advanced System Care Pro license...... this is what I am trying to avoid.