Hard Drive exchange

[kennedyb]

I am wondering if I can remove my hard drive from my current system and install it to a new system. Do I only have to do the autodetect in the bios of the new system to get the drive parameters in? Or is there more to it?

[Psycho-holic Slag]

is there an OS on it?

[kennedyb]

yes, it is a my only current drive in my system. It has Win 98Se installed as well as all my other junk.

[Richard_Cranium72]

It's not gonna work unless the box you're putting it in is identical, mobo, BIOS etc.

If you're gonna format and fresh install, OK

Maybe one of the Old Wise Ones has a comment http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

DrVette

[techs]

yes...and no.
sometimes the existing drivers will conflict in such a manner you will never get the correct drivers in and working properly.
there are probably other ways, but i copy the hard drive and put the copy in the ORIGINAL machine and remove any device drivers relating to busmastering and usb thru add remove programs, or off the mobo disk if it has an uninstall program.
then i put the copy in the new machine, set the bios to detect it, boot to safe mode and go into device manager and remove as many system devices as i can, esp. anything mobo related(they all are aren't they). then i reboot and install the new drivers. when everything is working(sometimes takes 2-3 efforts) i copy it back on to the original drive.
i hear there is an enum key in the registry that some people use, and i would like to know about it.

[This message has been edited by techs (edited 09-06-2000).]

[Eli]

The answer is a definite maybe. I've done exactly what you are proposing many times, and most of the time it has worked reasonably well. Usually just re-installing W9x overtop of itself in the new computer has been enough to get it running happily when there is trouble, which generally leaves your previously installed apps alone. If you back up the hard drive first, then give it a shot. Good luck.

[alondra]

question if the new mach, has a HD could he set it up and put the other one in as slave then transfer what he wants???
hmm dont think I explained this to well I think then make it main

[This message has been edited by alondra (edited 09-07-2000).]

[shadow]

Alondra has a good plan there...I think. When adding the devices on the new drive just point it to the D drive (old drive) and the directory where the driver is stored. Might work?

[Richard_Cranium72]

What Alondra said is what I've been doing Today.

Open it up, take the OTHER ide cable, leave both HD's as master. Open up windows, open up my computer and have two boxes on screen , one with "C" drive and the other with "d" or whatever.

I take nice little things like Gozilla, ZoneAlarm, ISP's, various downloads that I hate to wait for.

I bought a couple of 260mb hd's just for this purpose, they were $6.30 ea, yea, and like the Zip, you get the "click of death" on occasion http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Like Eli said, just install Win over itself and keep your old stuff, I've done that lately too.