Solve : HDD swap?

1.	Solve : HDD swap?
Answer» Hello all!, I have a Pentium 3 500mhz which I'm using right now. But I also have a P4 2.1ghz that all it needs is a HDD. So can I take my HDD from the P3 and put it into the P4 and have the files and windows xp from my P3 on my P4 without reformatting and all that?I think you will need the Windows CD to varify it's a legitimate copy of Windows because XP will detect there has been a massive hardware change.So according to what your saying Carbon Dudeoxide It should work? As long as I have the Windows CD? If that is correct then I'm going to be a happy man.I'm not 100% on this. You will have to WAIT for SOMEONE else to confirm this. However, from my experience, I needed to reactivate Windows.I forgot one more point. You will have to install all the appropriate drivers for the other computer before you put the HD in the other computer otherwise it will not work properly with the other system.Hmm... Sounds easy enough. I think ill attempt it. I wouldn't do it if I were you. It will take a lot longer to try to tweak all of the drivers and other settings than it would to just reinstall windows. And reinstalling windows would make sure that there aren't any driver conflicts or anything else to screw up the system. I've been reading the Windows xp certification book and it says that the hard drive controller and hardware abstraction layer need to be identical on both systems. That is kind of doubtful if you are changing motherboards.your first boot should be fun, considering windows will be trying to use all the drivers from the P3, like IDE controllers, Graphics card, Sound card, network card, etc, not to mention motherboard. Almost all of these will fail to load. Reactivation is likely the least of your worries in this case.Quote from: BC_Programmer on June 27, 2008, 08:30:37 PM Reactivation is likely the least of your worries in this case. I second that.Kenter,But you will have one small blessing the hdd (which came out of an H.P.--example only) and is now in a dell (or whatever--again example only) will still think it is in the H.P. and will identify itself as such.Only thing is as it looks around for Friends it knows in the sandbox it won't find any and as others and Elvis said "that's where your heartaches begin".Some good advice has been given as to how to BEST proceed. goodluck,truenorthI have done hd swaps on identical or near identical models. Otherwise I would not try it.Funny. I just finished building my new system. Everything is new except the hard drive, which came from my old system. I was going to format and reinstall Windows since I had taken the time to back it up. Well, I mistakenly forgot to set my DVD drive as the first boot device so it went straight into loading Windows. New processor (from single core to Core 2 DUO), motherboard (same manufacturer, very different model), memory (from DDR to DDR2), video card (different manufactuer, and PCI Express instead of AGP), sound card (still Creative, but different model)... all new, but oddly enough, Windows booted right up and was ready to install the new hardware. Funny... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Another Method.Patio your a hero man that article (I guess we could call it that) you posted is amazing I was on the brink of giving up and then I read your post and now I'm a happy man!! ++Kudos to patio++Glad it worked for you and Welcome Aboard !

Answer»

Hello all!, I have a Pentium 3 500mhz which I'm using right now. But I also have a P4 2.1ghz that all it needs is a HDD. So can I take my HDD from the P3 and put it into the P4 and have the files and windows xp from my P3 on my P4 without reformatting and all that?I think you will need the Windows CD to varify it's a legitimate copy of Windows because XP will detect there has been a massive hardware change.So according to what your saying Carbon Dudeoxide It should work? As long as I have the Windows CD? If that is correct then I'm going to be a happy man.I'm not 100% on this. You will have to WAIT for SOMEONE else to confirm this.

However, from my experience, I needed to reactivate Windows.I forgot one more point. You will have to install all the appropriate drivers for the other computer before you put the HD in the other computer otherwise it will not work properly with the other system.Hmm... Sounds easy enough. I think ill attempt it. I wouldn't do it if I were you. It will take a lot longer to try to tweak all of the drivers and other settings than it would to just reinstall windows. And reinstalling windows would make sure that there aren't any driver conflicts or anything else to screw up the system.
I've been reading the Windows xp certification book and it says that the hard drive controller and hardware abstraction layer need to be identical on both systems. That is kind of doubtful if you are changing motherboards.your first boot should be fun, considering windows will be trying to use all the drivers from the P3, like IDE controllers, Graphics card, Sound card, network card, etc, not to mention motherboard. Almost all of these will fail to load.

Reactivation is likely the least of your worries in this case.Quote from: BC_Programmer on June 27, 2008, 08:30:37 PM

Reactivation is likely the least of your worries in this case.

I second that.Kenter,But you will have one small blessing the hdd (which came out of an H.P.--example only) and is now in a dell (or whatever--again example only) will still think it is in the H.P. and will identify itself as such.Only thing is as it looks around for Friends it knows in the sandbox it won't find any and as others and Elvis said "that's where your heartaches begin".Some good advice has been given as to how to BEST proceed. goodluck,truenorthI have done hd swaps on identical or near identical models. Otherwise I would not try it.Funny. I just finished building my new system. Everything is new except the hard drive, which came from my old system. I was going to format and reinstall Windows since I had taken the time to back it up.

Well, I mistakenly forgot to set my DVD drive as the first boot device so it went straight into loading Windows. New processor (from single core to Core 2 DUO), motherboard (same manufacturer, very different model), memory (from DDR to DDR2), video card (different manufactuer, and PCI Express instead of AGP), sound card (still Creative, but different model)... all new, but oddly enough, Windows booted right up and was ready to install the new hardware.

Funny... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Another Method.Patio your a hero man that article (I guess we could call it that) you posted is amazing I was on the brink of giving up and then I read your post and now I'm a happy man!!

++Kudos to patio++Glad it worked for you and Welcome Aboard !

Solve : HDD swap?

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