So if I clone again even with the 2TB hd it will deactivate
the clone again and I'll have to do the slui again? The 780
was a refurbished computer so it never did have the original
OS and that's why we never had a problems cloning it. Yet
from what you say I should have the same problem on the 780
regardless as the 8500 but I don't. Isn't that odd? Just as odd
as the 780 doesn't recognize the external hd but recognizes the
Patriot Key and the hd with Mrimgs and when I put the clones
drives inside the 780 they both worked. So there's some
inconsistencies going on.

At present both original hd's from both computers are boxed
and both computers now have a 2TB hd.

Are you suggesting I buy a larger hd's even though I won't use hardly
any of it? That will totally mess up my backup system because it
changes the format and I can't go backwards if I upgrade to a larger
hd, correct?

Robert