Hard Drive swap

[bossman5501]

I currently Have a Dell Dimension 4400 with Hard drive installed. This hard drive has Windows XP Pro and all my documents. I am looking at purchasing another machine. Can I simply take this hard drive out and place it in a machine that is XP compatiable. Something other then a Dimemsion 4400. If so should I expect any problems?

 

[ASG0856]

I do not know the truth of it myself, but I have been told that pre-built Dells come 'locked' to the hardware they came with. Therefore, if the drive is plugged into a different machine, XP will not be able to 'recognise' the 'new' Hardware and it wouldn't work.
If this is not the case, then it should work, however I believe that XP only allows so much in the way of hardware change before it forces a re-activation. If you do this, make sure you have the security code that came with the computer handy (should be on label on the case), as you may have to call microsoft to get a re-activication code.
ASG

 

[vacunita]

You should expect lots of problems if you try to boot from it in the new machine as Windows doesn't take kindly to hardware changes of that magnitude.

However if you set it up as slave or secondary drive, and boot normally from the new machine's hard drive, you should be able to see all your folders and files in the old drive.

If you use a user and password to access the old machine, you should create the same user and password in the new
machine to avoid ownership problems with the files.

Just as a note, if you do place the drive as a slave in the new machine it will get a new letter, so if it was C: originally it will probablt be D: or E: in the new machine.




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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[wahnula]

There is a program called AlohaBob that transfers settings, files, programs etc. from one install to the next. I personally have never used it but it has been recommended to me by Dell support.

The only way to get a HDD w/ WinXP from one machine to the next is to boot to WinXP CD and do a the 'second' repair operation (NOT the recovery console), but as vacunita says that usually does not work with Dell, as the OS is married to the mainboard and it had better be a Dell or the XP disk will kick you out of install-in-place (second repair option). Even if you could get it to work it would be less than 100%, so why bother? ASGO856's solution is the better of th3e two options, but check out AlohaBob.

Tony

 

[bcastner]

AlohaBob was bought by Microsoft.


____________________________
Users Helping Users

 

[kmcferrin]

There's also the "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" included with Windows XP.

 

[TigerfanLSU]

Moving a drive in XP may or may not work. It is a crap shoot. The most important piece is the drive controller. If XP can pick it up, then XP will boot and it will go through a million hardware detecion changes. I have swapped drives more than once, and again, if it can boot without a BSOD, then normally it will work. You will just have to resolve any unknown drivers in Device Manager.

 

[vacunita]

But really is it neccessary to want it to boot?

Having it as a slave, ansd then trsnafering all the files, seems to be the easier aproach. Unless you have a billion apps to reinstall.

In wich case it would be a good opportunity to see what apps you really use and reinstall those.




----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.