Moving My Hd To A Diff Comp

elitebearelitebear Join Date: 2002-05-29 Member: 696Members
in Off-Topic
my dad put a 80gb harddrive on an extremely crappy system (32mb sdram, 400mhz celeron, etc) which im planning to take and put in my new rig thats yet to be built. will i encounter any problems when starting my computer up with the harddrive in its new home?

would my motherboard bios automatically update? would there be any issues with the harddrive registering the new system specs?
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Comments

  • illhillh Join Date: 2004-08-31 Member: 31104Members
    The HDD might not be compatible, OS file format wise, but otherwise it should work fine and since it doesn't sound like he used the HDD you can just reformat if needed.
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  • ZaggyZaggy NullPointerException The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-12-10 Member: 24214Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Onos, Subnautica Playtester
    edited November 2004
    Should work, you will have to reïnstall Windows or whatever was on it though, I don't think the OS will like the switch of hardware.

    About the Bios, it should be set to automatic, so the bios will find out about it itself.
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  • SwiftspearSwiftspear Custim tital Join Date: 2003-10-29 Member: 22097Members
    If you want to tranfer data, your gonna have to back it up, via network or CD, otherwize just reformat and your good to go.
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  • BryBry Join Date: 2003-01-23 Member: 12609Members
    This is basically like doing a cpu/mobo upgrade. Your jsut moving the hdd to antoher system ratehr than upgradign directly.

    I doubt it will work tbh. I believe you stand a very good chance of having to format the drive. As windows will need reinstalling. Windows doesnt like having all the drivers especially for the motherbaord chipsets from different computers on at once.
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  • UltimaGeckoUltimaGecko hates endnotes Join Date: 2003-05-14 Member: 16320Members
    I transferred a 5 year old 20gb HDD into this year and a half year old computer. The only thing I needed to do was change it over to a slave instead of a master through the hard coding things (the little pegs near the IDE cable which have little bands that tell the cable which posistion it should be in).


    Anyway, most newer HDD can act as either. And if you're not sure, you can check the HDD's manufacturer's website...or it might be on the HDD.


    Otherwise, like I said: 20GB HD from a Win98 machine to a WinXP computer, works fine (except I don't get the Windows98 OS as a working OS...although their might be a way to do it if I could reconnect all the files with the registry or something).
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  • elitebearelitebear Join Date: 2002-05-29 Member: 696Members
    i dont understand...do i reformat/install a new mobo driver after i put it in the new computer, or before.
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  • UnCriticalUnCritical Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 73Members, Constellation
    If you try and boot of a harddrive that has been in another machine, chances are windows won't boot. As far too much stuff has changed.
    Your best bet is to backup everything you can/want, put it in your new machine and on the first boot completely format it and reinstall windows afresh. Just treat it as if it was a new drive.
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  • elitebearelitebear Join Date: 2002-05-29 Member: 696Members
    edited November 2004
    <!--QuoteBegin-UnCritical+Nov 4 2004, 12:03 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (UnCritical @ Nov 4 2004, 12:03 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> If you try and boot of a harddrive that has been in another machine, chances are windows won't boot. As far too much stuff has changed.
    Your best bet is to backup everything you can/want, put it in your new machine and on the first boot completely format it and reinstall windows afresh. Just treat it as if it was a new drive. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    hold on a second...you said that its not good to boot up the harddrive after ive put it in a new machine. then why should i format it after i put it in the new machine? its still going to have the old stuff on it while its booting the first time, so what makes you think windows is going to start up...sorry im confused
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  • Invader_ScootInvader_Scoot Join Date: 2003-10-13 Member: 21669Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    Just backup what you need onto a CD and then reformat. Trust me, you're going to have to do that. I've done the same thing you're questioning about, and windows just goes haywire. Forced me to reformat.
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  • elitebearelitebear Join Date: 2002-05-29 Member: 696Members
    look, my main question is this, do i reformat before or after i put it on the new computer, or does it not make a difference..? urgh
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  • SwiftspearSwiftspear Custim tital Join Date: 2003-10-29 Member: 22097Members
    <!--QuoteBegin-elitebear+Nov 3 2004, 08:10 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (elitebear @ Nov 3 2004, 08:10 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> look, my main question is this, do i reformat before or after i put it on the new computer, or does it not make a difference..? urgh <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    There isn't any reason it won't work after you put it into the new macine. It should work if you do it before to, because it would essentially just be a blank HDD.
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  • esunaesuna Rock Bottom Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15175Members, Constellation
    edited November 2004
    It's very possible that the HDD will work in the new machine.

    I can't remember if winxp / win2k _requires_ NTFS partitions, but NTFS > FAT32 anyway. I take it that it's currently a FAT32 drive, at the moment?

    Windows tends to flip a **** if you have too many hardware changes (WinXP asks to re-authorise, for example) and generally, it's good practice to format and reinstall windows for a new build anyway, purely so when it comes to building it up, you've not got a crap hanging around causing conflicts and the like.

    So anyway. Yeah. First thing to do, back up what you want from the drive. Then throw it in the new machine and see if it works. If it does work, and you're lazy, convert the file system to NTFS (using Paritition magic or similar) and use it. But to be on the safe side, after you back up what you want, delete the primary partition, repartition, format then install windows. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->

    EDIT: I R SPEL GUD!
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  • SwiftspearSwiftspear Custim tital Join Date: 2003-10-29 Member: 22097Members
    <!--QuoteBegin-esuna+Nov 3 2004, 09:46 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (esuna @ Nov 3 2004, 09:46 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> It's very possible that the HDD will work in the new machine.

    I can't remember if winxp / win2k _requires_ NTFS partitions, but NTFS > FAT32 anyway. I take it that it's currently a FAT32 drive, at the moment?

    Windows tends to flip a **** if you have too many hardware changes (WinXP asks to re-authorise, for example) and generally, it's good practice to format and reinstall windows for a new build anyway, purely so when it comes to building it up, you've not got a crap hanging around causing conflicts and the like.

    So anyway. Yeah. First thing to do, back up what you want from the drive. Then throw it in the new machine and see if it works. If it does work, and you're lazy, convert the file system to NTFS (using Paritition magic or similar) and use it. But to be on the safe side, after you back up what you want, delete the primary partition, repartition, format then install windows. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->

    EDIT: I R SPEL GUD! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Win XP handles FAT32 fine. I'm acctually running my XP off a 120 gig FAT32 partition right now, so my computer alone pretty much destroys all the comon misconceptions of the limited capability for WindowsXP to recognize and handle every sort of FAT32 file types.
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  • Invader_ScootInvader_Scoot Join Date: 2003-10-13 Member: 21669Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    When I used the same windows install from a different computer motherboard setup on a different computer it got all funky. Spammed me about activation windows every 5 seconds, and then said that _every_single_thing_ was a new hardware component, spamming windows on startup. Then it proceeds to go so slow it was unimaginable, and it was just not cool.
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  • ZeroByteZeroByte Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 3057Members
    Will your new rig have a HDD already installed? If it does, I say go install windows on that drive and then just set the HDD that you have already as the secondary drive.

    If the current HDD is going to be your primary drive in the new rig.. then go ahead and reformat it before you install it into the new rig (after backing your stuff up of course). Will make life less of a pain and you'll be sure it will work.
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