Transfer HDD with XP on to a different PC?

Bane · 13 Apr 2010 at 19:32

Want to transfer a HDD and keep the current Windows XP installation intact.

Is this possible by booting into safe mode once fitted in new PC, and uninstalling motherboard drivers, then reboot and install new motherboard drivers?

Dead PC: VIA KM266 chipset with ProSavage8 3D Graphic.
Replacement PC: nForce 2 with Geforce 4 MX

theheyes · 13 Apr 2010 at 20:14

How different are the other components?

It's a bit of a shot in the dark to be honest, the only way you'll find out for sure is to try it. If the old PC was still alive I'd have suggested taking a disk image first (as a backup) and then running sysprep to generalize it as much as possible before moving - but even this is extremely limited with XP.

If it boots, then you're most of the way there. If it doesn't, then the outlook is a bit grim.

robinbredin · 13 Apr 2010 at 20:18

Im almost sure if it is an different motherboard, then you will have to reinstall your OS. As OEM OS's are tied to their motherboard.

theheyes · 13 Apr 2010 at 20:22

robinbredin said:
Im almost sure if it is an different motherboard, then you will have to reinstall your OS. As OEM OS's are tied to their motherboard.

This is a good point actually. Even if you get over the technical hurdle, you may have a licensing issue to overcome.

Bane · 13 Apr 2010 at 20:37

So not as simply as I thought then

If there's a chance of damaging the existing Windows install and thus preventing it going back in old PC I'll probably leave it alone. Although the old PC seems terminal due to motherboard capacitors.

Will look at USB caddy options like Scythe Kama Connect Plus, as been after a reason to get one for ages now.

I was going to reset product key to that used on newer PC, as both have valid licence.

theheyes · 13 Apr 2010 at 20:48

It's not something I'd like to dive into without taking a backup first, hence the disk image advice. If it is just a case of rescuing files you could go down the caddy option. Alternatively you could stick it in the new machine, boot a linux live CD and fish the files off that way to some removable storage.

You never know you may get lucky and it work fine, but I've seen too many weird and wonderful things happen to transferred disks.