Installing a HDD from a PC to another with no HDD

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MiKu MiKu DJ

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Apr 27, 2013
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Hello!

I would know how to remove a HDD from a PC and install it to another with no HDD installed and what could be the troubles about.

I have a PC with no HDD:

4Gb RAM DDR2
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (2.4 GHz) (2007)
GPU: nVIDIA GeForce 8600 GS 1279 (2007)

My old PC:
OS: MS Windows Xp Professional SP3 (2002)
80 Gb HDD (SATA)
1 Gb RAM DDR
CPU: AMD Sempron Processor 3000+ (1.80 GHz) (2004)
GPU: ATI Radeon 9550 (2004)

I have also another PC:
300 Gb HDD
3Gb RAM DDR2
CPU: AMD Phenom x3 (? I'm not sure about)
GPU: GeForce 9300 GE (2008)

My doubts are...
1. Could I install a HDD to a PC with no HDD? Y/N? If it's possible, may I have to do something else before? Installing drivers? Checking "compatibility"?

2. If it's not possibile, may I replace the GeForce 8600 GS with the GeForce 9300 GE (from the PC with no HDD to the other I have)? What should I do? Installing drivers before replacing GPU and then simply doing it?

If it's all may possible (but I really doubt bout) I would have two PCs...

1: The PC with no HDD with the HDD got from my 2nd PC:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (2.4 GHz)
GPU: nVIDIA GeForce 8600 GS
4Gb RAM DDR2
OS: Windows XP or Seven

2: My 2nd PC with my old HDD (80 Gb)
CPU: AMD Phenom x3 (?)
GPU: nVIDIA GeForce 9300 GE
3Gb RAM DDR2

In short, I would know how to:
1-Remove a HDD,
2-Install it to a PC with no HDD and what are the troubles about
3-Install a new OS

Thank you in advance, I hope you could help me.
 
Solution
C

1. You can install an HDD to a PC with no HDD but you have to make sure the conectors are of the same type. The power connector will be the same, but the data connector might not. There are two types of those connectors:
http://www.sierra-cables.com/Cables/Images/SATA-Signal-Cable-1.jpg
http://www.frontx.com/pro/c203_018p2.gif

So in short...
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unksol

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If the harddrive is SATA all you have to do is move it to the new one, insert your (legal) OS disk and select.boot from CD. When it prompts you, delete the old windows partition and do a new OS install.

A new OS install is always recommended. Windows installations are not meant to be moved between machines
 
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csf60

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May 11, 2012
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1. You can install an HDD to a PC with no HDD but you have to make sure the conectors are of the same type. The power connector will be the same, but the data connector might not. There are two types of those connectors:
http://www.sierra-cables.com/Cables/Images/SATA-Signal-Cable-1.jpg
http://www.frontx.com/pro/c203_018p2.gif

So in short, you have to see if your HDD connector has a way to be plugged into the new motherboard.

2. The 8600 is more powerful than the 9300, so use that one in the better computer.
 
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Solution
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MiKu MiKu DJ

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Apr 27, 2013
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Thank you for your reply!

I'll check how to plug the HDD correctly to the new motherboard. What I would do is using the PC with no HDD because is more powerfull than my old PC, which is quite outdated as I bought it in 2004, but also still keeping to use my 2nd PC.

What makes me very uncertain and suspicious about it... If I could conenct an HDD from a PC which works to another with no HDD, would it run with no problems? Will the OS installed on the HDD I plugged run when I switch on the PC? Do I have to install the OS again, right? How could I do? I have never installed a OS, what are the steps to follow after inserting the installing OS installing CD? Will it be "compatible" with the new motherboard? And what about the GPU? Will the new OS installed be stable? I think that I would have to install also the new GPU drivers, right? I have no GPU driver installing CD, because I got the PC with no HDD from a friend of mine and he didn't give me any CDs for the motherboard or GPU. What shoul I do? Do I have to download the drivers from the official GPU web-page and how could I install them?

I know that they are a lot of questions but I have a lot of doubts about... I hope you can help me once again! Thank you!
 
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jitpublisher

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May 16, 2006
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There is 2 parts to this question.
1. Yes, you can move the hard drive from 1 pc to another if the drives are the same type, so the connectors are compatible. This is likely not a problem, as most modern PC's have SATA connections.

2. You cannot, however use the same Windows installation. It can be accomplished if both PCs are very, very similar in hardware design (same type CPU, motherboard). Even then, if you get it booted and everything working, Windows will require re-activation. If the hardware is different between the 2 systems, especially to extreme point of 1 machine being an AMD based machine, and the other and Intel based machine, the drive will require formatting and a complete reinstall of Windows when you install it into the new machine.
An OEM installation of Windows CANNOT be move to another computer. It also cannot be reinstalled on another computer. So if your installation of Windows is OEM, keep that in mind. You can physically do it, but it will not reactivate, the license is only good for 1 install on 1 machine, that's it. That is why OEM versions of Windows are so much cheaper to buy than the retail version. The retail version allows you multiple installs (as long as you only ever have installed on 1 machine at a time) and multiple re-activations.

People will tell you that they are able to get it to work just by changing the drive, but honestly, this is a tough road to go unless you are a very experienced user with a high degree of technical skill, and even then, when you think you have all working correctly, there will be issues and glitches with the OS when least expected. Then you will be back here wanting to know why your OS keeps crashing, locking up, games lag, out of memory errors, on and on and on........
 
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MiKu MiKu DJ

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Thank you for these details, I imagined something like this but I'm not am expert, that's why I asked for your help.

->"...the other and Intel based machine, the drive will require formatting and a complete reinstall of Windows when you install it into the new machine"

It's not a problem formatting my HDD and running a new Windows installation. But I have another problem... I have no Windows CD installation... If I could get one (no OEM version), could it work? And what do I have to do? And what about the GPU drivers installation with no CD?

Thank you in advance!
 
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jitpublisher

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Well, yeah, if you buy a new Windows DVD, of course it would work. You would install the drive, then insert the Windows DVD, and boot to the DVD. It will begin the setup, and give you the option of formatting/partitioning the drive, and beginning an new installation. Windows is pretty good about finding the right drivers for all your hardware, and even if it does not have the newest or best drivers, it will install generic compatible drivers just to get you up and running, then you simply go the website for your hardware, such as for your GPU, and download/install the latest drivers after you get your initial Windows setup done.
 
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MiKu MiKu DJ

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Apr 27, 2013
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Thank you once again!
Please, tell me if I understood...

1-I have to remove the HDD from a PC and connect it to a second PC.
2-Insert the Windows CD for the installation of the OS.
3-Follow the setup steps.
4-Download the GPU drivers and install them.

I have some other doubts... What do you mean with "generic compatible drivers"? Is Windows installation able to find the drivers to run? Also without a motherboard CD? Is it possible that a PC with no GPU drivers installed or updated works after the installation of a new OS? Can we talk about "motherboard drivers"? Or is it a wrong way of saying?

Really thank you again!
 
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jitpublisher

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Your steps are correct, and yes, most usually 99% of the time Windows will supply the correct drivers that will get the system up and running. By generic, I mean simply that for instance the GPU drivers Windows uses, although they seem to work just fine, may be a stripped down version that does not have all the advanced options that the latest manufactures drivers from say the nVidia or AMD website may have. They also may not perform quite as well. After you get Windows up and running, the very first thing you do is install the motherboard drivers. This is a set of drivers for the chipset, the SATA drivers, LAN/or networking drivers, and sound drivers if you are using motherboard sound. You get them from the manufacture of the motherboards website. Most websites will have a file you can download that is all inclusive, sort of like an all-in-1 file that walks you step by step through the process, as well as individual driver files for each particular function of the motherboard.
 
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